Maria asked,

Help! Last year I had a mysterious fungus in my garden that destroyed my green beans, peas, and cucumbers. I sprayed a fungicide but the same this is happening this year! What am I doing wrong?

Maria,
Without a bit more info, I can’t be sure what kind of fungus you have, but I’ll take a guess: Are the plants shriveling up at the base as young seedlings? If so, the fungus is called damping off and can be avoided by planting seeds that are treated with a fungicide. Of course, this means you aren’t growing organic veggies. This fungus stays in the ground for several years, so if you do want to go organic, you’ll need to plant in a different area next year.

Photo Source

I’m Going to Jump

Originally uploaded by StampingMad

I wish I could convince this little girl to move inside. She was an outdoor kitten belonging to my neighbor and after he died, I kind of inherited her. She’s soo sweet and calm outside, but if I take her in, she panics and throws herself against the doors and windows until I let her back out. She lives on my back porch (and has a cat house to sleep in) but I still worry about her.

She spends hours wandering around the gardens with me or perching on my shoulder and staring at flowers and flying things. Cats are great gardeners - she doesn’t dig huge holes or run off with my gardening tools like my dogs do.

Sometimes, no matter how much I love my garden, there are days when it is just too hot to go out and work in my flower beds. At times like these, I need a diversion. Here’s a really fun and easy one that is perfect for doing with the kids - Sandcastles.
We actually made a couple of these ecards and sent them to everyone in the family. It only takes a few seconds to figure out how it works and the kids had no trouble manipulating the different pieces to make their castle. This is one I made - the only thing it is missing is a flower garden in the front yard…You can also paint the sand different colors, wash part of your sand castle away and add beach toys and other things to the scene. I went with a sea gull and a star fish as accessories, but I think I should have included a little flag at the very least. The good news is, I can go back and build another one without driving two hours to the beach. Hey, and when I’m done, there won’t be any sand to wash from between my fingers and toes. (Although that may not actually be a plus. I like walking barefoot on the beach, especially when the sand looks this white and clean.) By the way, if you really love your sandcastle, you can use it as computer wallpaper, too.