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I just did a blog post on ways to save money. Does anyone have other suggestions for simple ways to cut back on the bills?

After weeding one of the beds I've sweated off 5 pounds, no need to feel bad about not getting to the gym in recent memory. :lau

We don't usually get a freeze until mid-November or December, so there's a long time for them to get big again. The giants plants don't produce well anyway, because they get less sun and air so there's a lot more bug and disease problems.

Just got done planting beans, purple tomatillos, butternut squash, and cucumbers. I also thinned some tomato seedlings I have going on the back porch. Tonight I'll be pulling out the Romas to make room to transplant them to and direct seed some Black Krum, Cherokee Purple, and Rainbow tomatoes...

Because our growing season is so long here the tomato plants tend to get really really big (one of mine has grown 4 feet up the trellis, 5 feet back down, and 5 feet along the ground) so I like to prune off everything down to the biggest sucker near the ground when production slumps in the...

About 20% of people think it tastes like soap. I believe it's a genetic thing, but I may be wrong. I, personally, love it.

I remove them entirely. I don't know if they can hatch on the ground and still find the plants, but I'm not willing to risk it.

I was reading through some blogs today and found a fantastic idea to get squash bug eggs off of the leaves. Duct tape!! Here's the link.

I was just out dealing with the fire ants that had moved into my raised beds. Well, actually I was being stung, repeatedly, by fire ants while trying to get some of the beds ready to replant. If I have the hose handy I will drown them out when I find their hills, I just shoot a jet of water into...

Yes yes, back to gardening. I put in more zucchini and patty pan squash and then filled the rest of that bed with radishes, maybe the squash bugs won't notice these...:hide I also planted some bell peppers, beets, started more tomato seedlings for a fall crop, tucked a few cucumber seeds in...

My Romas had terrible BER this year, but the Beefsteak (just 2 feet away) were fine. Some varieties just seem to be more susceptible and I hear that the paste tomatoes are the worst.

I may have mentioned a contest...:D What guy doesn't like a good contest?

Hubby planted me a hill of some kind of "giant" pumpkin a few weeks ago and I have 3 small plants, so I guess I'll join the contest. I'm not holding out any hope of winning (we've had a HUGE squash bug problem this year) but it will be fun to try. ;)

My seed store has ground oyster shells. I had to use it this spring and it worked well. Good luck.

Around here I would say armadillos, but I don't think you have them up there. I'm not sure...

Fermenting is starting to be very popular again these days. I know of dozens of people who ferment their pickles in crocks in their pantries (not a lot of cellars amongst my friends.)

I found a Mr. Coffee brand at a yard sale about 2 years ago. It's not fancy, but it works just fine (and it only cost me $2!) I've done tomatoes, onions, garlic, fruit leather and tons of herbs. Eventually I'll have Hubby build me a big one, but the little one does what I need it to for now.

My squash fritter recipe might end up in a new e-book!! I know, it's not that big a deal, but I'm excited about it. Here's a link to the recipe on my blog so you can tell me what you think. http://mamachickensays.blogspot.com/2012/07/squash-fritters.html

Yep, looks like BER. I had it on my paste tomatoes and now on my watermelon this year. I put some ground oyster shells down and made sure it got water.

I've heard that if you spray the plant with water the horn worm will thrash around and be easier to find. I just look on the ground, under the plant, for the freshest (greenest) droppings and look above that spot, they're usually near there. My nine year old daughter is particularly good at...