Hello I know that popcorn is a cottage food but are you allowed to pop the popcorn fresh at the event your going to with your popcorn machine and then put it in the bags like you get at a fair? Also I do freeze dried candy, am I allowed to have a jar or package of candy that if someone wants to sample the candy, I can take a sample out of the jar/bag and put it in a cup or their hand for them to try the sample or do i have to put them individually in portion cups before I get to the event?

I’ve been told by the NRCS and Oakland Conservation District that the Autumn Olive on my farm needs to be cut and the stem dabbed with glyphosate. When is the latest I can do it this year? Thank you.

We just had some backyard work performed and our lawn area has been ripped up. We would like to cover the area to avoid erosion and we're thinking of seeding with annual rye and covering with straw until the spring, at which point we can then plant perennial grass seed. Is it too late in the season for this approach or is there a better way to cover the area now? Will the annual rye germinate at this time of year? If we mixed in the perennial seed now will the seeds remain viable enough to germinate when the weather warms up in the spring? Any recommendation would be helpful. We live in Arnold.

How do I obtain compost box from UMDE as I heard ?

This plant comes up in my back yard every year. It is a sprawling plant, almost a vine. I haven't been able to identify it in any of my gardening or wildflower books.

Hello. I am interested in helping wildlife by growing native plants, but my back yard has very finicky conditions, and everything I plant dies. (I have no problem in the front hard). Could you advise me on what native plants might grow in shady, heavy clay soil that is on a slope? Currently the invasives are the only things thriving. I’ve attached a few pics (apologies that the dog insisted on photo-bombing them all) Thank you!

There are worms or larva of some sort in my birdseed! The look like little maggots, but there are hanging strings inside the birdseed bag and inside the container I use to keep seeds once the bag is opened. The birdseed smells bad and has clumps of seed stuck together with little webs around the top of the container. They are even on the outside of the un-opened bag of seed. I love feeding the birds year round and have done so for many years and have never experienced this issue. The seeds are stored in an attached, finished and insulated garage. What can I do to prevent or avoid this in the future and is there anything I can do to save the other two bags of feed I have not opened?

A few tiny slow growing evergreens have popped up in my yard (see picture). Can you tell me what they are and if they are something I want to keep? I am trying to re-wild our property so I want to keep them if that is advisable. I hope this pic is good enough for ID -- they really are small -- about 2-3 inches tall -- and difficult to see (and photograph).

I have been using the recent rain and cool weather to pull out huge quantities of vinca that is consuming my property. I have two questions regarding this type of weeding. First, I am hand pulling the vinca (a task either heroic or idiotic) and often can get it by the roots, but sometimes clumps remain in the ground. Should I go in search of them as spring arrives and hit them with glyphosate, or is there a better way? Perhaps just cutting them back to below the surface of the ground? Second, among the vinca are vines of wisteria and grape that are of course without leaves right now. I can pull some, but is there some way that I can be more effective at really getting rid of them, such as painting glyphosate on the freshly cut stem? Or should I wait for spring? Thank you, Deborah Lawrence

I pruned a loquat tree that appears to have bark beetle. How do I clean the tools to prevent spreading the disease to other trees? I read in your website to use all purpose Lysol that has an ingredient that is effective. But when I called Lysol company for ingredient list they stated it did not have that effective ingredient in it. I am needing guidance please.