Does anyone out there have any experience with window farms?   http://www.windowfarms.org/   I'd just like to know how things have turned out. Especially if you live in a location where the days are short in winter.

Does anyone know what has happened to containerseeds.com? The site has disappeared.

shawn wrote... "We used to make apple pies from apples damaged from insects and birds. bugs and birds know which has more nutrients and which has better flavor. Just cut off the wormed spot and use in pies... Eat the beets and pan fry the beet top! After all Chard is nothing but a "rootless" beet. These are few things we can do to reduce our "expense". We can be more or less self sufficient."   Well said! Growing one's own food is a great reminder of the saying, "Waste not, want not". This year the pests got to my cabbages with a vengence, attacking the leaves early on and continuing to wreak havoc even though I tried to control them. And then the squirrels got into the act. In the end, none of my small cabbages looked very appealing. And yet, I cut off the ravaged heads, peeled and cut away the bad parts and still had more than enough for some of the most delicious cabbage soup I've ever managed to make. Who needs MacMansions or McDonald's when you have fresh produce just steps away from your doorstep?

Two things have been most effective for me, uniqueness and taste. You can't buy ground cherries, sweet Valentine's lettuce or various heirloom fruits and vegetables at most stores. And as far as taste is concerned, a few years back I grew Spanish Sugar melons that were so sweet, they tasted as though they had been sprinkled with sugar. Once the 'store bought is better' advocates I knew had a taste, there were never any more arguments about home grown vs store bought. Green tomato bread and green tomato pickles also get a good reception. Fight the good fight and good luck in your battle.

Amiga wrote... Those do not sound like squash borers to me. The adults are moths that look a bit like wasps due to their coloring and transparent wings. If you set out a yellow container of water you can trap them to see if you even have them in the yard. Spider like things may actually be killing pests for you, so take it easy. You're right Amiga. Turns out I have squash bugs. I'm treating them with insecticidal soap, but I don't know if I can keep up the pace.