Mums are good fall plants, but do they grow better in the ground or in a pot?

Lovers of nature, unite! The weather is perfect this time of year for a hike ... so lace up your boots, grab your kids and your dogs, and hit the trails.

Last weekend we had our first fall family hike at Harris Lake County Park. The park is located near Progress Energy's Sharon Harris reservoir, but it's one of the Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces. Convenient to us in western Wake County, it's one of my family's favorite places to hike, picnic and ride the trails. The trails are peppered with an interesting array of flora, and I like to quiz my 11 year old on the names of the trees and plants we see as we amble along. His memory is pretty good, though his favorite tree to point out is the sassafras--mostly because he loves root beer. But his specialty is the rocks.

Another favorite hike in the Triangle is at Crabtree Lake, and we enter on the Aviation Parkway side. When we're in the mood for a picnic, we head...

You don’t need acres and acres to plant a sustainable vegetable garden for your family. In fact, if you’ve got a patch of sun in your postage size yard, or space for a terracotta pot on your porch or your apartment stoop, you’ve got space for a garden. 

As my own gardens have grown in and become more shady, it was hard to find a spot this summer for our beloved tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. But I shifted things around on the back deck and found a home for three varieties of tomatoes and peppers in basic pots. Like the Obama’s, who have renewed the interest in backyard victory gardens in countless families across the nation, my family supports the idea of growing food locally and naturally (and for yourselves). 

At my office in downtown Raleigh, a fellow tenant has planted a beautiful garden in the small greenway between the parking lot and the brick foundation. It’s pretty surreal...

Dear Miss Fifi:

Our newly acquired, one year old Husky mix is killing our wallet and our house! We have bruises all over from the constant biting/nipping, and he's tearing up everything he can get his teeth on. We've tried the Kong—but it doesn't work. Peanut butter, cheese, cookie filled—doesn't matter. He has plenty of toys and we play with him and walk him, but it never seems to be enough. He's tearing up the backyard. Digging everything, including a newly planted tree with fresh soil and mulch. I know I need obedience training, but are the basics enough? Will that kill the biting/ digging/tearing up stuff?

- Jennifer

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Dear Jennifer:

Whoa ... uh, I mean woof. That sounds like one serious handful of a Huskie you've got there. I believe obedience training will be a huge asset to you and your pup, and it will most definitely go a long way toward curbing his urge to chew. Will it totally stop the...