are relatively easy. dr. melanie macklin is here on advice on how to treat the feet. >> and girlfriends and wives are going to like that. >> and women can have stinky feet as well. >> can is the word. >> i have known women who have. >> that is lady gaga. but basically that's her on the red carpet. but then there is someone who basically modeled her look to actually be a real scarecrow. and we'll see if it's working or not. >> i'm not sure if that's a compliment. >> exactly. >> and this is in a farm area. and we're supposed to tell you that i'm tony perkins. and you're allison seymour. >> i think people know who i am. >> you have a big ego? >> i do. >> no needed introduction for

this man. >> tha you, allison. so big news, we have sunshine across the area. nobody is complaining about that. but don't be fooled here. we'll get wind later today and for the most part, at least in washington, the bright spot in this forecast other than the sunshine is we're done with snow. we did have snow overnight. it quickly pushed off to the east and northeast where it's still snowing in philadelphia, pushing up to new jersey and toward new york city where the rain has changed to snow. but for us, we're generally done with the snow and done with the advisories. we had a winter weather advisory and a winter storm warning which at last look still continues out to the east. let's push on and look at the satellite radar. look at that spin in the atmosphere. our monster storm has taken shape. you can hear it. boy, that's a loud storm. the pressure is dropping rapidly and you're saying why do i care if the pressure drops, well the winds will pick up. in fact gusting to 35 miles per hour later in afternoon and particularly tonight. so just prepare for that. if you have lose objects

outside of your house, be ready because we'll have a windstorm as this big area of low pressure continues to push very slowly off to the north and east. temperatures still 35 degrees. look at the winds, now starting to pick up. sustained at 14 miles per hour. remember they will be gusting 35-40 miles per hour late this afternoon and tonight with mostly cloudy skies. we do have a little morning sunshine today. i think the clouds will fill back in with the possibility of a snow and or rain shower are highs in the 40s. that's a very quick look at the forecast and we'll have more details and look at the weekend c up. back to tony and allison. well the snow isn't a threat in our immediate area. but take a look. that is snowfalled in new york new york and philadelphia. >> and that's causing delays at our local airports. and sarah simmons is live with more. we didn't get it but if you are

trying to get out, you might be affected. >> reporter: absolutely. looking at reagan and dulles, tre were flights able to get out this morning but if you look at later on this morning well into the day, there are already at least a dozen lights canceled for people either arriving or departing. either way it's quite a problem. if you're heading to la guardia or jfk, boston, anywhere up in the northeast, philadelphia a big one too getting impacted by this. so already we're seeing some cancellations. the airlines are starting to take steps. u.s. airways is saying they are going to relax the ticketing policies and some restrictions that people can reschedule and reassess their tickets if they need to. delta is even offering refunds for people that are flying to those affected areas during specific times so that something that passengers need to take a look at, check with your airline before you -- head up to the northeast. and we're able to see at jfk,

reporting delays of 35-40 minutes on the ground. in philadelphia, because of the snow and ice conditions that have already developed there, they are reporting arrival delays of an hour and 19 minutes. and they are only expecting this to increase as the day goes on. so definitely check with your airline before you leave. if you're heading to the northeast, either from dulles or reagan, there are already cancellations well into this afternoon. so double check that before you head out. we're live here at reagan national. sarah simmons, fox 5 news. back to you. now another big story we're following this morning. it may be a last-ditch effort for health care overhaul. in just an hour the president will host a big bipartisan summit hoping to break the log jamon his top domestic issue. doug luzader is on capitol hill with here. >> reporter: the white house has high hopes for this summit but in reality, there may not be enough common ground to get this done and republicans and democrats are wondering whether this is substance or show.

the protests have already started here in washington. a union activist and others calling for a massive government rework of health care. >> the time has come to finish the job and finish it right. >> reporter: well it's not likely anything will be finished at today's summit at the blair house, across the street from the white house. in attendance, nearly 40 members of congress, along with the president who told business leaders yesteay that a solution is an economic necessity. >> and i hope everyone comes with a shared desire to solve this challenge, not just score political points. >> reporter: and the president will try to push through his health care plan. a 10-year, $1 trillion effort to expand coverage. it's a rework from the senate plan last year before the wheels came off and republicans today will argue that everyone should hit reset. >> this isn't just a republican position, this is an issue of the american people who said stop this, let's start over and see what we can agree to.

>> reporter: but they may not agree to much of anything unless the president makes a sweeping gesture. >> i think they need a game changer, meaning obama would come out and do something sort of radical, like saying let's put tort reform on the table. >> reporter: and tort reform or cracking down on lawsuits is something republicans have been pushing for sometime. but the real problem for the white house is congress where there may not be enough support among democrats to get this through. in washington, doug luzader, fox news. >> we will stream the summit live on myfoxdc.com. it starts this morning at 10:00. federal investigators are uncovering more clues into what may have led to metro's deadly crash last june. the last day of public hearings underway right now. during yesterday's hearing we learned that metro continues to use the automatic train control system after the manufacturer warned metro not to mix parts with equipment from other companies. that news angered families of the victims.

>> when they sent the letter out, they should have immediately done something. these are people lives that were lost because of this. >> the investigation is also centered on the rail cars used in the deadly accident. metro will get a sturdier model in 2013 and they might not be ready to roll out until a year after that. back to back congressional hearings on the safety of toyota vehicles are over. toyota's worldwide president faced tough questions yesterday on the recall of $8.5 million. ockyo toyota came from japan with apologies and promises to do better in the wake of the accelerating promises. lawmakers unleashed criticism about documents showing toyota saved $100 million by avoiding a broad recall in 2007. the head of the company wasn't the onl one on the hot seat. the transportation secretary also took tough questions. >> i am deeply sorry for any accident that toyota drivers

have experienced. >> we haven't been sitting around on our hands. when people complain, we investigate. when there needs to be a recall, we do it. >> and the transportation segment had an urgent plea for toyota owners, check the department of transportation website for recalls to see if your car is on the list. the senate will conduct a hearing on the matter next week. on a side note, a number of lawmakers on that house over site committee have ties to toyota. housing toyota offices or factories in their home states or jurisdiction. the lawmakers include maryland democrats elijah cummings and chris collins and eleanor holmes norton. and chrysler is dealing with problems of their own. they found a defect with crash sensors that control the airbags on more than 350,000 minivans. the sensors can crack and fail. in 2005 and 06 grand caravan

models. this is not a recall according to chrysler but they say you need to contact your dealer to have the sensors replaced. more details this morning about a tragic incident in orlando. one of the whales at sea world -- or one of the killer whales at sea world grabbed a veteran trainer and dragged her under water, killing her. recorder right before the accident but they knew from the start that something was wrong. the podle family took this video after the lunch with

shamu show ended at 2:00. they were there celebrating their son's birthday. the video shows the trainer dawn bradow in the tank with the killer whale. they both seemed playful during the show but then they saw the whale drag the girl under the water by her tony tail. this was the last shot before turning off the camera. >> i screamed he took her under, and i yelld it two times and someone else said it too and the other trainer jumped into action and what we heard from the management was protocol is no one else can go in the water. >> the family says they didn't see her for 5-6 mines. then worke according to the fam

dawn the trainer, that's what she would have wanted. live in orlando, i'm steve gillback, back to you. >> thank you so much for that tragic story out of orlando. none other note, it's not something people enjoy talking about, but that doesn't make it any less of a problem. we're talking about smelly feet. dr. mal annie macklin joins us next to talk about some ways to freshen up your feet. and a dramatic arrest at gunpoint right in our backyard. what sparked this movie-like scene in maryland. back in a moment. ring ring ring ring

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a victory for same sex couples in maryland. maryland will now recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states of the that decision comes one week before gay marriage becomes legal in the district. the city says march 3rd is when they will start likely

accepting marriage license applications. however, couples will have to wait a full three business days to receive the license. the d.c. council legalized gay marriage back in december. it is under review but it doesn't appear congss will interfere. d.c. officials are pushing to enact new legislation in the wake of a student impregnanted by her teacher. there are still questions about whether the special needs student can consent to sex, especially with someone in a custodial capacity. >> under the law, if someone is not freely capable of giving consent to sex, and you have sex with them, that's rape. so i would take a close look at the sexual assault laws in the district of columbia. >> d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee says she notified police when the case came to hurose nt to prosecute,

saying the act did not warrant criminal investigation. the chief lanier is heading a quest to change that legislation. and most of us are familiar with the smell of stinky neat. it's not pleasant to deal with but foot odor and athlete's foot is common for men and women, allison. there are things you can do to treat the odor and athlete's foot. dr. melanie macklin joins us now. >> very interesting topic. >> and it is something people joke about, but for some people it's a serious problem and can be very embarrassing. >> yes. >> and we're talking about the smelly foot phenomenon. and first of all, what causes it? >> okay. we like to distinguish between foot odor and athlete's feet. >> two different things. >> starting with foot odor, it's excessive sweat and press

pirration and then a rampup of bacteria. and when it builds up in the thick skin layers. >> and there are a lot of sweat glands in the foot. >> yes. and in the palms. and those that have a higher risk of getting that have excessive press perration on the hands and feet and we have things to dry that out. >> and now you'll talk about smelly feet and athlete's foot. just the fact that you might have smelly feet indicate that maybe you have athlete's foot or are they separate? >> they are really two separate entities but athlete's feet shows the rash, with or without foot odor. so with athlete's feet, we can start -- it's called bio fungus. and tendonpetis and we see that with folks in frequent health clubs, public swimming pools, locker rooms, where you are exposed and having this press pirration on the feed and then

it's moist and you tracking it. >> with flip-flops or something? >> yes. so we have a red rash that can go on and itchy toe web space. that's very important. >> web space. >> toe web space rash. >> is that between the toes. >> yes. or dry, scaly, cracks skin and in cases it can erupt in severe blistering, especially in diabetics. >> and let's talk about ways to treat it. >> starting with wash the feet. we want to wash daily with an anti-bacterial soap. there is dial and lever and safeguard and the like. every day we should be sprinkling maybe some sort of

antiperspirant. >> and there are specific deodears -- deodorants for feet. >> yes. look for something with zinc oxide. >> and you said there are other things you can use. >> baking soda will can be oozed to keep your feet fresh. >> but don't use it for both. >> and look in your pantry. apple cider vinegar and a 50/50 cup of water and soak you're feet for 15inutes. and this pumis stone smooths off the scaly skin. >> the thicker the skin is -- >> it will cause the foot odor and the fungus that is causing -- the athlete's feet.

or there are things called foot soap. and i always bring things like the heal balm. they have ingredients and that helps to ex foliate a lot of the dead skin where the bacteria or fungus could be lying. >> how often should one get a pedicure. because this gets the stuff off. >> pedicures are a personal choice. i think that people can do a pedicure at home but always caution if someone is a diabetic they should be going to a podiatrist or professional. and after two weeks of trying the foot odor and they're still having the odor or the dry and scaling redness, antifungal creams come in sprays and creams, n to cortisone.

no hydrocortisone cream, they make it worse. >> what is with the yogurt? >> a couple servings of yogurt helps to reduce your risk of getting fungus. >> all over. >> yes. because we're more prone to antibiotics and being on them and if we're immunocompromised and it helps reduce infection with acid offo lus. and it helps reduce the risk of the fungus and gives you the good bacteria. >> and you don't put the yogurt on the feet, you eat it. >> and lastly, don't forget the foot odor. odor eaters. and for ladies too. >> yes. and it is for ladies. tell allison. she doesn't believe it. >> ladies, we do get smelly feet. so keep the guy close by your side. >> especially wearing boot. >> and we're wearing tights and all of these things. so it's also important and i

forgot to mention, change your shoes daily. let them air out and wear cotton socks and open toed sandals. >> we have to go. >> and disproportionately men have it more than women. we have to go. and that's all i'm going to say. he's keeping us entertained and kris allen is making more than just music. he's making a difference. and i got to talk to him about his recent trip to haiti and it's coming up later. and plus holly is with a group of kids working to make a difference as well. holly, good morning. >> reporter: they are making a difference. we have live this morning at the westin arlington gateway where the finals for the national engineering design challenge are about to get underway. all of the students are in the ballroom and getting the judging parameters and they're about to find out through the course of the day who has the top design that will make the diffence in a life of a person with a disability. and we'll talk about the

challenge and how your school can get involved later. and the black history trivia question. you might have to put on your thinking cap. in 2004 the army named it's first ship after an african- american. who was that person? robert small, colin powell, benjamin davis senior or henry o. flipper. and if you want to take a guess now head to our face back page. much more ahead this morning. please stay where you are.

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fruit2o essentials water. a disturbing story and a disturbing death in northern virginia. a prince william county man is dead after being hit by two cars and dragged for miles. police say henry humphries was trying to cross centreville road in manassas monday night when he was hit by a car. that driver stopped, but another car came along and hit him again. this time dragging him to a home in fairfax. humphries died on the way to

the hospital. the second driver has been charged with felony hit-and-run and reckless driving. [ inaudible ] an arrest caught on camera in prince george's county. police are concentrating patrol efforts on reducing robberies and it's paying off. authorities say a man was held up at gunpoint while walking to his apartment in oxon hill. the suspects jumped in a getaway care and officers saw the vehicle take off and pulled it over and arrested three men. police found a handgun and a stun gun in the car along with the victim's stolen items. she is running up the music charts and known for her unique fashion style. we're talking about lady gaga. now she has inspired an actual scarecrow. we'll explain that story next. and also american idol kris allen joins us to talk about

his success and ow he's trying to make a different in quake- ravaged haiti. keep it right here. we'll be right back. 

[ singing ] my 5-year-old love that's song. >> because it's a silly -- like a novelty song. is that ga ga or scarecrow. >> the scare grow. >> one man has taken fashion tips from the pop star. he's dressed his scarecrow after her. it is a pretty accurate repred carpet. this is great. this is ga ga on the red carpet. the farmer whose name is nigel britain -- are half of the british men famed nigel. he said it is working. and he may consider more ga ga

fashions for his fields. >> and what is funny is the farmer is watching the award show. i don't know. i find that funny too. >> it is kind of funny. >> i love that. >> it's perfect. that's amazing. >> and are the outfits scary? i guess they are. >> if i walked out at 5:00 in the morning and saw that thing in my front yard, yes. feet, don't fail me now. >> he's good to do that. that's smart. >> i wonder how ga ga feels about it. >> she probably love it's. >> get her on the phone. okay. tucker. >> some sunshine. it's really not too bad out there. >> right now? >> and don't be deceived. it wi get windy. the wind gusts are now at 25 miles per hour. >> it's just 37 degrees. we've enjoyed warmer temperature this is time of day. >> but it's not snowing. we should show philadelphia or new york where they are getting a foot of snow today. so it's not going backwards. we're headed in the right direction here. wait until you see the ten-day

forecast. >> are you going to show us that. >> i don't have that available. but i'll tell you some day. [ laughter ] >> 37 degrees right now. one day we'll have a ten-day forecast. we'll have to make one tomorrow. 34 in gaithersburg. and temperatures ove freezing so that's good news and we're no longer worried about freezing and the rain and snow is out of here. we have a winter weather advisory that expired this morning and if we keep the sunshine out there we'll see the teams bump into the low 40s. but it won't feel that warm because the winds are tarting to pick up and they'll get really gusty this afternoon. st wind gusts now 24 at reagan national. and 19 in gaithersburg. off to the east, 17 in annapolis, 23 in cambridge. so again, things will be really blustery around here this afternoon as the storm system off to the north and east really cranks up. there you go. it actually snowed overnight. the rain changed to snow at about 3:00 in the morning. i know because i was up.

and there you can see it across the region as i slid off to the east. didn't amount to much. didn't stick on the roadways because teams at that hour were still in the mid 30s. so really, i mean mosgood news forecast for us. off to the north and east, still snowing up in philadelphia and we'll zero in on portions of new york. this is the worst of it. and for us, i want to emphasize this, the storm is bottoming out here and the area of low pressure is deepening very rapidly and for us that means the winds could pick up and we could get storm pressure and our winds will blow from the north and northwest at about 30- 35 miles per hour. gusting this afternoon and then up to 50 as we get into the overnight hours and during the day tomorrow. so be ready for some windy conditions. almost a windstorm approaching the washington area the next day or so. mostly cloudy and could still be a snow or rain shower with high temperature of about 40 degrees. that not too bad. still snow showers around tomorrow. then we're going to finally quiet things down. i'm not sure we'll warm things

up a whole lot for the weekend. with temperatures minute middle 40, the by the way, if you're talking about the ten-day forecast, temperatures in the 50s by the middle and end of next week. and if i'm wrong, i won't be here. now back to you at the desk. >> thank you, tucker. and he is the current american idol and he has a new album climbing the charts and that includes a very catchy song. >> but kris allen is doing more than just making music. he's making a differencech i got a chance to chat with crit earlier. >> we are pleased to be joining by the reining american idol kris allen. good morning. >> good morning. >> and i have to say congratulations on the cd, we love the single that is playing on the radio right now. we're always singing in our car at least. >> thank you. thank you so much. that means a lot. i appreciate that. >> just tell me quickly, want to get into some of the great things you're doing now. but how has success been? i'm sure it's a whirlwind. >> it's been crazy but a really

great thing. i get to play music now and music has become my life. which is kind of what i wanted in the first place. so it's a really great feeling to be able to do this for a living and be successful at it. it's really good. >> when we first met you -- were you at school in arkansas or had you finished school. because i know you were a student. that was your main job at that time? >> right. i was -- i think i was in school but then i had to drop out because of idol. so i had to do that like two semesters in a row. so i'm glad idol worked out. >> it's definitely working out from where i sit for sure. and you just traveled overseas and we've seen the devastation in the haiti and you're one of the many artists and philanthropists doing something to help those hit so hard. what was that experience like for you? >> it was a crazy experience for sure. it was -- there was a lot of devastation, there was a lot of

destruction. and a lot of building down. but there was also a lot of people that i felt like they had a lot of hope for what will happen in the future. and it's going to take a long time but haiti will be better i think. people will care about this place and i think the haitians are even going to care more about it now. >> right. and you did this work with the united nations foundation. but we're going to see clips of it tonight in the results show on american idol. are you going to perform and see some of your work over there. that's got to be exciting to be able to make a change? >> yeah. i mean, i haven't been able to do something like this after idol stuff. and to be able to hopefully make a huge difference in what is going on there is -- it means a whole lot. i'm going to be on the show tonight, on the results show. i'm going to sing a song and they'll have pictures of the trip behind me and maybe a little video as well.

so it's a really cool thing to be able to do something like that and hopefully raise a whole lot of money for what will -- for the u.n. and for what a lot of people are doing in haiti right now. >> we all fell in love with you when we knew how strong your fth was ant the missionary work so not stranger to traveling overseas but the message is different this time. >> the message is bigger. i wasn't able to be there for a longer time. but i think it's going to make a huge impact on what is going on. and not to say that i haven't made a huge impact before, but this is on a really large scale and i think that there will be a lot of people that call in on thursday and be inspired by the trip and hofully be willing to give their funds for haiti. >> all right. and in parting, any last words of encouragement for the people going through it now, starting

now? >> don't be scared. don't be nervous. and do your best. that's the biggest thing. those people are there for a reason. they're really talented and they've been asked to be on the show so just go out there and do your best. you only get one shot. >> you heard it from the reining american idol kris allen. >> thank you. >> and you can cach him on tonight's idol show and here on fox 5. >> he's so low key. >> very low key. a little family guy. i like him. >> good for him into check your pockets. check the pocket of your neighbor, the penny has had a face lift. it wouldn't be in your pocket yet. >> not yet. >> but soon check the pocket of your neighbor. we'll look at the new design and tell you why the cost of it is causing a little bit of controversy. one cent doesn't equal one cent. >> we'll explain that. >>and also snowboarders have a reputation of thrill seekers but one got quite a thrill when he was caught in an avalanche. the whole thing is caught on

camera. it's the video you don't want to miss. that is is coming up next. okay, let's do this... it's a new year people, we have to hit the ground running. so, we're upgrading to verizon. they have the speed we need, plus rock solid tools like online storage and ironclad internet security. it was built for businesses like ours... now, nothing will stand... [ music fading ] stand in... [ sighs ] sit tight, i'll run and get some batteries. [ male announcer ] no matter what the day brings, be ready with verizon high speed internet and phone for your small business. call 877-network today and for just $84.99 a month for 12 months with a 3 year agreement, you'll get a best-in-class package:

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the u.s. mint, take a look at this, this is a big difference. the u.s. mint has rolled out the new look for the penny. gone for the tail side, is the lincoln memorial. in its place a union shield with 13 vertical strips and a scroll draped across. not everyone is excited. some want to get rid of it altogether. here is why. a penny cost more to make than it's worth. last year each penny cost about 1.5 cents to produce. it makes no sense. >> no. >> no pun intended. a close call for one snowboarder and it was caught on camera. >> the man nearly escaped a

avalanche in slovakia. this was shot by a camera on his goggles. the snow sweeped him away and the footage goes black and he was buried in the snow but amazingly he survives. listen. [ inaudible ] [ laughter ] >> he rather enjoyed it. he thought it was an adventure. we're told he has been living in the mountains for about five years. >> well he might be a weirdo. >> after his reaction to the avalanche pouring over him. >> all right. we can do more than just think about the warm summer weather. we can start our summer garden. derek thomas will join us next to tell us how. plus using your brainpower

to help others. holly is up next to look at a great engineering competition. we'll be back in a minute. don't go away.

i mean, how do you people get anything done? you're in a meeting, and you say, "the fourth-quarter report is -- wow, what a nice day!" and everyone agrees, and the meeting's over. i mean, how do you do anything? well, it is a nice day. yeah. it is a nice day. there! see, i had no idea what we were talking about. oh, look, a crab.

engineers of the future are competing for a very good cause today at the national engineering design challenge. >> holly more sis there to check out the event. holly we've been very impressed with these young people. they're doing some great work. >> reporter: they are doing great work. and we had such an opportunity this morning because that was a breakfast meet and greet and that's when we got to meet the five finalist. and now it's down to brass tax. the competition is going on. each team takes their design up there. and they have 15 minutes to present and then they switch out. this is an all-day thing and the winner will be announced at 3:00 this afternoon. now this is called the ability one national engineering design challenge and competitions like

this can't happen unless there are wonderful groups and organizations that sponsor them. and the director joinsme this morning. >> good morning, holly. >> reporter: tell us what this program is all about. >> generally the ability one program is a program designed to find employment opportunities for people with disabilities who wouldn't have employment otherwise. and the strange thing is that most people haven't heard of it but almost everybody in the country has been involved with it. if you call the the state department for status on your passport, that is an ability one program. 200 people with disabilities are working there. if you called the irs about a form, that's an ability one program. if you've seen our troops on television and their camouflage uniforms or battle dress uniform, that's an ability one program. and in total, we have about 46,000 people who have jobs this last year through this program all over the united

states and in every state in our core -- in our territories. >> reporter: and now you have people coming up with designs that make people with disabilities more employable. it's helping abilities one. >> and that's why we've involved with jets. it's the engineering aspe. from our perspective, it's designing assisted technology that will help people with disabilities that overcome barriers keeping them from employment. and the other big bonus is all of the kids are getting a disability awareness and that's part of the program. they have to go through rigorous education on the language of people with disabilities, all of that and so it's not just the short-term results but it's a long term benefit to them. >> reporter: it's a life less. i want to bring in evelyn. because she's an advocate for persons with disabilities and evelyn you have been involved with the program since inception. and you have an excitement

about it and a passion for it that makes sense. tell me your thoughts today as you watch the young people make their presentations. >> i think one of thgreatest contributions they're making here is providing dignity and a true way of life. when you wake up in the morning, you have nowhere to go and you have nothing very good to do and if you have a job, you're needed. and holly i think one of the things that is very important is every person wanted to be needed. so i have been involved since it started and we had three employees. and today i'm sure bob has mentioned to you, over 40,000 people with severe disabilities are working today get up in the morning and feel a dignity and urgency in their life.

>> they feel essential >> reporter: and what is your message to the people out there today. >> my message is helping them to understand disability as a reality. i'm going to share with them my life as a child with pollieo growing up with nobody else around who had pollieo an how not let anyone know how i how i was feeling. i'm going to make them feel proud that they pickeda time to develop things that are going to make our people more able to work. >> it's not just another team project? it's not just a homework assignment. it is something making a difference. >> reporter: thank you so much. >> thank you for being here. you are important to this program. >> reporter: you're so special. thank you so much. myfoxdc.com is our website. we have a link to the ability one jets national engineering competition website and you can find out more. it's in the fourth year and will have many more years after this and it will be wonderful to a lot of young people to

continue to be a part of this and make a difference. well it may only be february but believe it or not it's time to start thinking about the summer garden. >> gurvir is with derek thomas with the details. if you are sick and tired of the winter we've had so far and are ready for spring, a great way to look ahead is to tart your seeds and derek thomas is here from thomas landscapes to help us get started on that. hey, derrick. >> how are you? >> doing great. the plants, the vegetables sh the flowers, now is the time to start thinking about that? >> absolutely. when you -- the end of february is absolutely the best time. early march for the latest. because some plants actually need a little bit more of growing time. and if you're not going to go out and buy those prepaired plants, rather than starting n late april it will be too late because plants have a certain amount of time to produce fruits and vegetables.

>> so the plants that you buy, they started this way, but this is a great way to get yourself out of the winter blah. this is a wonderful kit. this is actually produced by one of the big companies. and what it is, it has all of the cells. it has these little pete pellets that when you add water, they expand. it has a cap ill airy mat. and it will drip water from the reservoir on to the seeds and sow have a complete set-up, ready to go, a little green house and your seeds are good to go. and it even comes with sticks for marking and labeling. >> that's great. >> this is a window box. this one will require a little more extra light which we'll talk about. but this one is a window sill one. it's cut to the size of a windowsill. you have what is called pete pellets in there. they are wonderful because you start out with a pete pellet

like this and when you add water it expands to four times its size and you would sew the seed into the center of the pellet and it has the terrarium feature. one of the neatest things i have found. this is not an aley an an alien mascara. this is a seed sewer. and you get just the right amount of seeds you need for each little size. >> let me ask you this, can you plant sort of like plants together? what should you plant together and what should you plant separately? >> you can. and what is in here is what is called a mixed lettucem and so all of the lettuces are going to start harvesting out at the same time. also, getting to planting seeds, what they've done with this item here, this is a seed

strip. and so when you have really tiny, fine seeds, you can actually just sew the entire script like this and when it comes up, it comes up at the predetermined spacing. >> that's perfect. i would forget what i planted where. >> yeah, well that's why you have to have your -- your marker, make it a permanent marker, your little stakes. and you can put that in. this is one that's more old school. where we put the lettuce. but the other thing about this, if you're using one of these, it's not one of the little pellets, and you're going to use this container and it's wonderful because you can break these apart and plant the entire container. but use a soil that is absolutely sterile. use a seed soil. >> and use a light to make the plant to grow like it should. >> the light will help with the intensity and help prevent the

plants from becoming too leggy. >> wonderful. , thank you. always great to talk to you. can i eat heart healthy without giving up taste?

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