Deer do most of their damage at night down here, and my dogs sleep in the house. On the rare occasions when I'm out with one or more of them and they spot a deer, a big chase ensues. I guess I should harden my heart and get a dog that stays outside the fence 24/7, but I know I'd give in to their crying to come in, and I sure couldn't leave one out in the rain or on a cold winter night. You'd think all the dog poop and the smell of all the urine my male dogs puts on trees would drive the deer away, but apparently not. I don't have the huge deer problem here that some have in other places, but it's still pretty bad. Living in the country/woods may keep the deer from trying to knock down my cages or browse through thorns - there's so much they can browse on nearby. Sherry

as usual, the mention of chemicals brings lots of people out in a ignorance rash. The issue here is one of information which is either deliberately obscure and opaque, or refers users to 'our website' (as if) or is printed in munuscule characters somewhere hidden on the labels (if at all, in fact). As long as we are kept in the dark by chemical manufacturers, we are going to continue to see misuse through lack of information or (worse) an ingrained belief that we, the general public, are being played for fools. Only this week, I have discovered that Clopyralid/amypyralid is now used for the home gardener in herbicides for killing broad leaved plants. Where 2,4,D was used in the past, manufacturers have switched to the cheaper clopyralid despite well known effects concerning the tenacity of its effects and resistance to either heat or long-term composting. It is becoming risky to put ANYTHING either in or on the soil without being absolutely sure of its provenance. We need clear and unbiased information so we can decide for ourselves what risks (if any) we are prepared to take and what price we are willing to pay. Hiding info in a morass of badly conducted research (often conducted by agencies which already have an agenda and are therefore compromised) is of no use to anyone. Rather than arguing for blanket bans, we should be demanding access to clear labelling with all ingredients listed (and not the usual greenwash- bio, natural, eco and so on).

Let me ask you this... what kind of fertilizer are you using???. Be sure you are not using one that is high in nitrogen. If you use one high in nitrogent then you will get nice beautiful green bushes but few flowers. Use a fertilizer that has a low first number. I like 5-10-10 fertilizers. The nitrogen content is always the first number. If you are using a 10-10-10 or a 16-16-16, etc. you are using fertilizers that are more suited for lawns where people want nice green color. Also, are your plants getting enough sun. I have one plant that only gets about 5 1/2 hours of sun a day. It is just as big as the other plants and looks just as healthy, but it has very few flowers. The other plants get full sun and have loadss of flowers. I am hoping now that the sun has begin it southerly migration (actually the earth is moving but the result is the same) that this lone plant will start producing more flowers. Also, since I was not planning on a garden this year I did not trim my trees. When I decided I wanted tomatos I set my plants out without realizing just how much the trees had grown. After realizing what was going on I went to work on those trees and practically stripped one side of one of the Liquid Amber trees. Now that the plants are getting sun from around 10 o'clock the flowers came on big time. I notice in your pic that there are a lot of tall trees in the background. Not knowing wich direction they are I cannot tell if they are shading the plants from the sun until late morning or so. Tomato plants like lots of sun - the more the better. Too little and you get lots of plant and little to no fruit. Too much nitrogen, same result. Tom

I found this on ebay...... This is an amazing magazine of 144 pages of beautiful pictures of Country French Decorating - gorgeous ideas for charming decorated rooms. It is the Spring/Summer 2008 current issue that is reprinted by popular demand in a second printing. A very inspiring issue of what makes your home that beautiful acquired French Country appeal This thread is also 8th on the internet listing if you put in the name of the magazine. I thought it was funny that this particuliar discussion would come up. Makes me wonder how many other threads are on the internet if you use the proper wording.