I'd like to try container gardening this but I'm new and have questions, I plan to start the seeds indoors and then transplant. Some seeds, in some areas will grow better plants if started indoors, others will do best being planted outside when the weather is good. I'm assuming I'll need a location that gets atleast 6 hrs of full sun per day for growing? Almost all fruiting and veggie producing plants do best with full sun, so yes. 6 hours of direct sun or more for best results. Many can do acceptably with less, but best results are with 6 or more hours of full sun. Also a few more questions.. Any suggestions on types of containers? Not really. I, personally, would not use a container with less than 6" of depth to it for fruits and veggies. I also would not use a small container (less than 12" rim diameter) because a plant grown for produce will produce less if the medium it is growing in is ever allowed to go completely dry. The larger the container, the less frequent the watering interval and the larger margin of safety. If you will be using automated irrigation such as drip irrigation on a timer then container size is not as important, but if you will be hand watering then it is important the container is large enough and the growing mix water retentive enough to hold ample moisture in between your watering. Where to buy seeds for planting spinach, tomato, squash, strawberries and green beans Many, many great sources. Your local big box store will have many varieties for less cost than mail order seed houses. Trouble is they don't necessarily have them when you need them and they don't often have 50 varieties of tomato the way a seed catalog will. Seed catalogs I like include Johnnys, Burpee, Pinetree, Stokes, and Territorial. These are all large seed houses, there are many, many more smaller operations I also like. How do I know when to start the seeds indoors and then when to transplant? This is difficult without local knowledge. I suggest you google on your state name followed by 'extension service' and see what turns up. Every state has an extension service that will offer tips for home gardening in one's area. You may wish to begin your exploration here.

It is a way of encouraging them to lay eggs in the nest boxes. Chickens, when they are young and just starting laying eggs, will lay them anywhere. The thought is that if they have something hard and round under them, they will start putting their own hard and round objects in the same spot. I tried it, and my hens scratched a hole in the coop and practiced their putting (just kidding!).

FWIW, here are my thoughts after 40 years of owning cats and dogs: Get your pet microchipped. Good way to protect them and up the chances of your getting them back if they get away from you. NEVER leave an animal alone with a young child or children. Children must be taught how to approach pets, care for them, and handle them. When you can trust a child to be alone with an animal and act responsibly depends on the child and on your educating them. Parents, this will take lots of work and time - if you are not able to do it, or think you don't have to, please don't bring a pet into your house. I have seen and or heard too many cases of animals being killed or severely injured through children's ignorance and rough handling. And when the pet defends itself by biting or snapping, it is then put down. Also, as obvious as it seems, NEVER leave your pet alone/ unsupervised in your yard. This is how so many either get into trouble or hurt themselves, or or stolen or seriously injured by passing people (too many sick souls will tease/torture an animal if noone is watching). Also, given this rotten economy, the money people make selling animals to research labs and dogfighting rings is an easy way to make a living or pick up some extra cash. Please, protect your pets! Hope this helps.

I acclimate mine to the sun by putting them in full sun for an hour each day in spring, then after a week, 2 hours, and increase the time each week until they are up to the amount of hours they will be in full sun. Obviously this method requires a bit of plant moving and attention to time, but it works perfect for my situation bring that I don't have any good shady spots. Joe