It’s that time again. You ask, and I pretend to know things and answer your burning questions. It really is so much fun to open my inbox and see the wide variety of questions you guys have. Reminds me that my readers are so diverse and pretty dang awesome. So keep those questions coming and I’ll keep racking my brain for answers.
Mavis – respect your opinion…need a recommendation on a new dishwasher? I hope you have time to answer this. Thank you.
~Mary
This one is a no brainer for me. Bosch ALL THE WAY!!! We had one in the last house and it rocked my world. For an appliance that is used and abused, Bosch is worth the extra money!
Hi Mavis! I’ve recently discovered your site and I’ll admit I’ve become a bit of a stalker! I am setting up my own veggie garden for the first time and just love all of your posts! My question is, here in Las Vegas, most of us spray bi-monthly for pests (I use a professional company). How close/far away should I have them spray? I’m using all smart pots, so I assume not TOO close, but how close is too close? Thank you!!
~ Tina
We accept stalkers here! But as far as your question goes, it really depends on the type of pests being sprayed for and what chemicals they are using. Typically, you just want to avoid direct contact. Some airborne misting should be okay. Any chemicals that would drain into your garden’s water source should be avoided. But you’re pretty much good to go otherwise.
Please tell Angela, the person with the question about peaches that she must not “boil” beans if she means to process in canning. Beans must be pressure canned. Don’t let that slip by.
~ Carol
Thanks for the reminder, Carol! Here is my post on How to Can Green Beans {in a pressure cooker!}. That’s why I love these Ask Mavis posts! I get such great feedback and reminders from my readers. Thanks!
Will you show us how HH builds the planter boxes? I have one that needs help so would like to see the right way to do it! Thanks!
~Linda
I have big plans to tell you all about them as soon as they are both in place and planted. I’m going to whip up a little step by step guide, so stay tuned so you to can build some of the coolest planter boxes!!
An Ask Mavis question. Have you ever considered looking into fostering a dog friend for Lucy? So many rescue groups need foster homes and it is SUCH a rewarding experience. After a day or two of settling in, they are almost no extra trouble. And most rescue groups will provide crates, food, vet care, flea/heartworm meds, and only require your time. Have a great day!
~Heather
I have thought about this a lot, but my problem is I wouldn’t be able to give the dog back because I know we’d become too attached. Then I’d end up with more dogs than we had chickens and the HH would probably leave me if the HOA board didn’t send us a nastygram about how you can only have 2.5 dogs or some nonsense like that first. However, we’ve thought about adopting a playmate for Lucy in the near future. So stay tuned!
~Mavis
Got a question for me? Submit it HERE.
Jennifer Jo says
What? No black shirt?? I almost didn’t recognize you!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
I know. The tank top was an impulse buy at the Gap in Chicago O’Hare airport. I also bought one in *pink*.
Alison says
So funny about the dishwasher. The house we just moved into has a Bosch. I hope it dies so I can rebuy the KitchenAid I had at our last house. The Bosch is okay – I just LOVED my Kitchen Aid.
Helen in Meridian says
I have 2 friends who sold their new Bosch dishwashers because some of their dishes did not fit into a Bosch. Take your dishes and cookware to the store and load them into different dishwashers to see what works best.
Mavis Butterfield says
Great tip Helen!!
cristy says
Same here Helen! We actually returned the Bosch for the same reason! Back to the Kitchenaid we went!
Lori says
We bought a new dishwasher at Christmas time when our kitchen aid died after a holiday dinner party. We bought a Bosch. I love it!!!! It has adjustable racks top and bottom. There is no problem washing my biggest meat platters, super tall glasses, and large roasting pans. It is stainless steel inside and out. Plus there is no need to rinse before you wash. Bonus, Save on water!!
Susan says
Love my Bosch, too. For the same reasons- PLUS it is the quietest dishwasher I’ve ever owned.
Mavis says
That’s one of my favorite things about it!!
Joyce Tucker says
Mavis: When we built our new home in 2013, we put in a Bosch. I love it! It’s so quiet it has a little red light that shines on the floor, to tell you the machine is running, cause you can’t hear it!
Mavis Butterfield says
We had a Bosch in our last house and I LOVED it. 🙂 Sooooo quite.
karen says
Hi Mavis, In addition to being mom to the world’s friendliest beagle, I adopted another hound a couple of years ago. Hound doggie #2 started as a foster and i really didn’t have any intention of keeping him. It was totally his decision and I am so glad that he asked to stay! While not without some challenges, he is a wonderful addition to my canine family! Good luck!
jean says
Have to agree with you Mavis, Bosch all the way. When we bought our new appliances we bought a bosch dishwasher, with 3 racks. Top once for silverware and trays etc. middle one which is adjustable so it fits any size dishes, pots and pans and whatever else you may want to wash. Just love it. No more rinsing before I wash. Couldn’t ask for anything more.
jean says
Bottom tray is also adjustable. In other words one size fits all.
Angie says
i love my ge dishwasher I’m on my third in 20 years then just got newer I have the ge monogram its stainless with lights on the inside and hidden buttons
Earlene says
My husband is an appliance repair man. He hates Bosch dishwashers. Very hard to repair and very expensive in parts. Whirlpool is the way to go, easy to repair, anyone can. Just one repairman’s opinion.
Dana says
We bought a Bosch a year ago to replace our dead GE…. I wish we’d gone back with another GE.
It’s a challenge to fit our dishes in the Bosch. It doesn’t have a hard food disposal (just a filter that has to have the gunk cleaned from it regularly).
It has a “sanitize” option instead of “heated drying” which I dislike because the inside of the dishwasher stays wet resulting in a funky smell.
Also, we have to rinse our dishes before loading them— mostly to keep the gunk on the filter minimized.
The only things I like about it are that it is quiet and has a stainless tub, but the pros don’t outweigh the cons in my opinion.
Btw, I repaired our old GE three times by myself (with <$20 parts!) following instructions online before it finally died completely.
Hopefully, we'll sell this house… leaving the "beautiful" Bosch… before it needs repairs. 😉
Julie says
Any plans on telling us how you made your garden beds? I can’t find any article about it, so I don’t think you already posted it. We just got our offer for a house accepted so we are already planning for our future expenses and it will be our number 1 project!! I love what you did and really want to try to build the same!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Do you mean the garden boxes Julie? I wrote about how to make them here –> http://www.ehow.com/how_4776329_build-raised-bed-garden.html