I was told by a neighbor that I can use club soda to kill fire ants by pouring about two cups directly in the center of the mound. He said the carbon dioxide in the water displaces the oxygen, which suffocates the queen and the other ants, killing the whole colony within about two days. Is there any legitimacy to this? ...more

December 31, 2009

If you have a live Christmas tree, you might want to consider recycling it. There are several ways to do it. ...more

December 30, 2009

If you have a live Christmas tree, you might want to consider recycling it. There are several ways to do it. After you remove all the decorations, you can take the whole tree to the landfill at 350 Falkenburg Road if you are a Hillsborough County waste residential customer. Bring your current tax bill and identification and be prepared to unload the tree yourself. Your Christmas trees will be recycled into mulch and other environmentally beneficial byproducts. Artificial trees are not accepted. For information, call (813) 744-5591. ...more

December 30, 2009

Michelle Obama's vegetable garden is about to become a culinary battlefield. ...more

November 5, 2009

As home gardeners prepare a patch in their yards for an annual vegetable garden, a Mulberry woman is hoping to plant a seed of her own. ...more

October 21, 2009

Emotional statements from the family of Sgt. Nicholas Sottile ended the first day of testimony in the penalty trial of Joshua Lee Altersberger. ...more

March 31, 2009

Re: Substitute teacher cited for slapping student. ...more

March 29, 2009

I've been doing some strange things lately, and I'm not alone. My sewing sister called me from Lowe's last weekend to tell me she was standing at the vegetable seed displays and ask what would be good to start now? ...more

February 27, 2009

James Whitmore, the many-faceted character actor who delivered strong performances in movies, television and especially the theater with his popular one-man shows about Harry Truman, Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt, died Friday, his son said. He was 87. ...more

February 6, 2009

You can learn a lot bouncing around local garden blogs. And I'm all for learning from someone else's trial and error. ...more

December 14, 2008