>>473280Here's a key for one of those tests I was talking about to classify topsoil, the ribbon test. It's just a fistful of earth and some water but you should be able to get a rough idea what kind of soil you're working with and research crop selection from there. It takes a little practice but you'll get it down pretty quick.
>>473316I wouldn't purchase topsoil or potting mix from anyone who can't tell me exactly what's in it. God knows what kind of junk could be in the topsoil especially (industrial contaminants, construction garbage, cursed Indian artifacts).
>>473362Nice. You're in Florida right? I'm really looking forward to seeing them come back too. I hope it's a better year for bees in 2015.
>>473372>>473506>>473626Vertebrate pests suck. Can't poison them because you'll end up killing their predators. Can't snare them in urban settings because the cat lady next door is going to get you arrested if fluffy gets caught instead of the rabbit. I've never had good success with any fancy (and expensive) electronic traps or deterrents. The best thing to do is encourage natural predation.
For example, a prairie farmer I know had huge problems with gophers. His livestock were getting injured by stepping into their burrow openings and they were impacting his potato yields. Since the land had been cleared of most trees, the hawks which were previously preying upon the gophers had no place to perch or nest and the gopher population exploded. By installing poles high enough for the birds to use and replanting a few small tree stands the hawks were back in action within a year and the gopher population is now under control again.
This isn't really going to work to well in the city but if you've got some neighbourhood kids around show them how to make and use a sling or slingshot and offer them a small reward for each rabbit they bring you.
