Gardening

Yes. I quarantine and observe for pests. I do the same thing when I bring new plants home. If the plants aren't going to be a permanent residents I never let them near my permanent indoor plants. I don't worry about things bigger then plant pest (insects/animals/ect) because either the hitchhiker won't survive indoors or it'll be something noticeable that I can catch and take back outside. The things capable of survival In a house already live here, the things that can't won't live long because the environment is actually quite hostile to them.

I don't worry about this, because I live in a century home that's basically porous to small outdoor critters already.

My general approach is that my young seedlings live in one room until its time to harden them. Once they've left the nursery room, they dont go back there, so there's no chance of transferring a pest.

In terms of other critters, most outdoor stuff doesnt want to be indoors. I'd be more concerned about bringing a foreign object from inside someone else's house into mine than from outside inside.

Had some chilli's in over winter. Had what we think was fruit flies all over the house. Quite annoying. Relieved to get them back out in spring.

During the hardening process between seedlings and planting, no.

If I use dirt from outside, yes. Buy a large disposable aluminum baking dish and just slow bake it to kill off potential gnats and such.

No mice ever, thus far, if that’s what you’re asking.

Yes I've found it to be a problem in previous years when bringing things back inside after the summer. I think this year I'll just be giving everything a preemptive spray with soap when I bring it in.

I don’t really worry about this because I don’t bring my plants back inside when hardening them. I start seedlings inside under a light. Once they are big enough, I move them outside to a semi sheltered area, usually under the edge of the roof and out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day. When they have a few sets of leaves or the roots start showing at the bottom of the pot, I put them in the ground. After they go into the ground, they are on their own to live or die.

I live in a very mild climate and, with exception to harsh midday sun, I don’t have to harden the seedlings much. Aphids are a serious problem and I don’t want them in my aerogardens inside.

Not really. They're not out there long enough to be a major risk. The easiest thing you can do is keep them separated from other plants when you bring them back inside.

I use a cold frame to deal with this, once they are outside they stay outside.