When you have little space to produce a garden, you can maximize your production by making some container gardens. We have a small patio and yet still want to produce some fruits and veggies. Tomatoes are really easy. Manure based potting soil (Black Kow), a tomato cage and a large pot are really all you need to have endless tomatoes all summer long. You can even do this on a screened porch, which in Florida is a really big help to keep the bugs down.

The Dog Days of Summer are here! Well, when you own a dog or puppy, the dog days are every day! During the hot Florida summer it's really important to pay attention to dog health, especially when it comes to flea and tick season. Really, all year in Florida the fleas are a problem. The ticks seem to come and go in waves. But if you or your pet brush up along any kind of foliage or even long grass, you will need to be sure that you are regularly using flea and tick preventatives. You can get them from your vet or order them online and have them shipped wherever you are spending the summer with your pet.

Lots of people get new puppies as new family additions in the summer, when the kids are out of school. It's a great time to keep the kids busy, while growing your new baby dog. Dogs and kids playing at the beach, what could be better! We have our own puppy (well - dog of 11 years now) and he loves having us all home to play with him, instead of being away at work and at school.

I think it increases my dogs life expectancy to have us all home a lot. We are not looking forward to his increasing slow down from aging in the next few years. We keep him exercised well. During the summer we do more playing inside or during evening walks. The kids love throwing his toys for him. Training him to do new tricks is their latest project. He finally learned to shake hands after ten years!

Heat is a big issue to watch out for with your dog or puppy during summer. We have been having temperatures this week reading into the near 100's. Please be sure to keep your dog in the shade or inside, and keep plenty of fresh, cool, water available. My dog goes through his water several times per day now.

Keep cool and enjoy your dog days of summer with your dog!

A beautiful tree for Florida yards is the Flowering Dogwood. It's a popular tree all over the south. It grows its best form and flowers in light shade. The fruit attracts birds nicely. It helps to mulch to maintain moist soil around the base.