HI J, I have 3 peach trees. All have fruited in 2-3 years. I did not really amend the soil except for adding some top soil to fill the holes because I did not have enough native soil to put back. In my areas, rocks grow best. Rocks and boulders are everywhere when you dig a hole. I've fertilized the tree a bit in the spring each of the following years. I don't want to fertilize too much. If I were you, I'd get rid of competing weed around each tree and mulch it. Your apple tree looks stunted. A 3 yrs old apple tree should not look like that even in your type of soil. Not sure why, but you may want to consider relocating it. The soil in my yard is also land fill. The trees still grow decently. As for apple fruiting, I have apple trees that have fruited in 2nd and 3rd year on semi-dwarf rootstocks. My Honey Crisp is on an unknown rootstock. It must be at least 6 years old now but still have not fruited. My guess is it's on a standard rootstock which will take much longer. Make sure you have another variety of apple that blooms about the same time to cross pollinate. If there are crab apple trees in your neighborhood, you'd be all set.

If her won't use one stool to stand on....get another...or use 2 bricks...or a couple of slabs of wood....I't doesn't have to be very tall to get his working parts over the rim of the toilet... And get a seat that fits over the big toilet. Also try sprinkling a bit of confetty into the toilet....so he can sink it....then flush it away. I never could understand why parents bought an extra potty chair when eventually the child has to learn to use the real facilities?...What do you do when you are out? Take a potty chair every where? Linda C

You don't need to be "louder and nastier", but you do need to be quicker and stricter. Keep a lease on the dog and keep the leash tied to you. That way she won't get a chance to go around the island *g*. If you see her START to squat, immediately give a sharp NO (doesn't have to be loud or mean, but it needs to convey that the behavior is inappropriate) and give her the bum's rush to the door. Once outside, give her the cue word and wait until she goes. I don't allow my dogs to roam all over the place looking for the perfect spot - go potty means go potty right now. When she goes, throw a little party. Having some accidents in the house is a good thing IF you catch her in the act. You get a chance to reinforce that in the house is not a good thing and she learns that much quicker. On the other hand, absolutely do not do anything if you don't catch her ( and nope, seeing her walk away is not catching her). Dogs just don't get it, no matter how many owners insist that "he knew he did wrong" Yeah, sure, they are going to look guilty and hang their heads if you discover them standing next to a mess. Because they are exceptionally good at reading you - they know you are annoyed, even before you open your mouth. They KNOW. And they are not pleased that YOU are not pleased. And don't "offer" to take her out. If you think she needs to go, take her out and give the cue. Don't move until she's produced a dribble or a splat and then throw a potty party again. The combination of crating, scheduled breaks and strict supervision really does produce amazing results

First of all you need to rule out a UTI. This could be part of the problem. It does not matter that she can hold it over night, she is not stimulated when she is sleeping. You need to realize that not all dogs are the same in this category. Some get it within a week or less, others take longer. *Pick a system, any system so you and pup wont get confused. This one has a good success record, and it will give you a good start. System. *EVERY SECOND (donÂt argue)! supervision is a must when pup is not crated. Have a leash on her so you can easily grab her and take her out when you need to. Set a timer so you can take her out about every 30-40 minutes, then GRADUALLY (over the course of a few weeks) increase the time you take her out by about 20-30 minutes. Increasing the time by to much confuses the dog. This is a MAJOR mistake lots of humans make when trying to house train a dog. *Immediately after she comes out of the crate, take her out. Stopping to put on your shoes is a major mistake. Get pup used to the commands "go poo" and "go pee". These commands should be a must, they are incredibly helpful when the weather is bad. *If dog doesn't do anything, that's fine, if it does, give tons of praise and give a "quality" treat, preferably one used just for training purposes. Consistency is the key. Dogs are creatures of habit and depend on a repetitive schedule. This is no time to skimp on excessive praise and treats when you are house training. Pup needs to associate being let out of the crate with yummy treats doing itÂs thing and huge amounts of praise. Boiled or baked chicken liver is a great training tool, dogs crave it and you really have their attention when you use it. *Daily walks at least twice a day (about 20-30 minutes each in the same area) are essential for dogs and getting them house trained. Walking gets things moving, dogs love it and it gives them something to look forward to. Try and feed a pup prior to the walks. Never free feed unless your vet says to. Pups have a high metabolism. Soon after it eats or drinks, it will need to go out. *Pups drink huge amounts of water. In theory yours should be able to hold it for (one hour for each month) up to about 9 months. In reality, if a young pup has been playing, it will gulp down lots of water, and just won't be able to hold it for that long. After pup drinks, keep an eye on it. Take it out in about 5-10 minutes and offer it relief. *You are making a very bad mistake being mad at your pup. When dogs do something wrong, itÂs the fault of the human in charge, not the dogÂs. You are going to traumatize her, make things worse and never get this under control. She simply does not know why you are mad. If you cannot catch her in the act, scold her and take her out, you might as well clean it up. Just a few seconds after the deed, she will not retain why you are scolding her. Using the crate for punishment is another mistake, it will confuse pup because this is supposed to be her safe sanctuary. You need to dig in and decide that you are going to get this under control, and do what ever it takes. Lest, your life will become very difficult. *Your pup won't be considered house trained unless it has no accidents for at least 9months! Also, there is a HUGE difference in a dog that is 4-6 months old and one that is 9-10 months old. They grow inside and out. Once they reach 9-10 months, their bladders are larger and able to hold it longer. Good luck! SG