I love bok choy and have all kinds of recipes. About the only thing I don't use it in is dessert! Here are some, mainly Asian, but not all. Braised Baby Bok Choy Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine 2 cups chicken broth 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy, trimmed 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil Pepper, to taste Bring broth and butter to a simmer in a deep large heavy skillet. Arrange bok choy evenly in skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy with tongs to a serving dish and keep warm, covered. Boil broth mixture until reduced to about 1/2 cup, then stir in sesame oil and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over bok choy. Stir-fried baby bok choy Total time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 Note: From Vicki Fan. Baby bok choy is available at many local farmers markets and Asian markets. Use the smallest baby bok choy you can find, about 2 1/2 inches long if possible. If larger, cut them in half lengthwise. Keep a saucepan of simmering water or chicken or vegetable stock on the stove, to add to the bok choy while cooking. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon minced ginger 12 baby bok choy, whole (trimmed) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1. Heat a wok over medium-high heat, add the canola oil and swirl the wok around to coat the pan. Heat until you see a wisp of smoke. Add the garlic and ginger and quickly stir fry for just a few seconds, stirring with chopsticks. 2. Add the bok choy and stir to coat. Add 2 tablespoons hot water and cover. Let the bok choy steam about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a few times and checking to make sure the vegetables don't burn. Add a little more water if necessary and a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Bok Choy with Sauteed Mushrooms and Shallots If you've never tried bok choy, this recipe is a good place to start. 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms 2 shallots, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 1/2 pounds bok choy, rinsed and chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 teaspoons "lite" soy sauce 1 teaspoon lemon zest Freshly ground pepper to taste In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and stir-fry until mushrooms darken, about 5 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry for about 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Sprinkle with soy sauce, lemon zest and pepper, to taste. Serves 4. Adapted from "The New American Plate: Veggies," by the American Institute for Cancer Research Roasted Roots With Winter Greens Makes 8 servings This recipe, which makes good use of winter vegetables, comes from Shari Sirkin of Dancing Roots Farm in Troutdale. She encourages cooks to vary the ingredients -- it can be made with all of the vegetables in the recipe or just one or two. She makes a big batch on the weekends, providing lots of healthy leftovers for the week. 2 pounds potatoes, cut into large pieces 6 medium carrots, cut into large pieces 4 medium parsnips, cut into large pieces 4 medium rutabagas, peeled and cut into large pieces 4 medium turnips, cut into large pieces Olive oil 3 large beets, cut into large pieces Salt and freshly milled black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, summer savory or thyme, or a mixture 1 large onion, chopped 4 cups thickly sliced greens, such as collards, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, spinach or arugula 11/2 to 2 cups crumbled feta cheese Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and turnips in 1 or 2 large roasting pans; toss them with olive oil to coat lightly. In a separate pan, toss the beets with a little olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and your choice of herbs to all the vegetables. Roast for about 1 hour or until the roots are tender. When the roots are almost done, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it is soft. Add the greens and 1/4 cup water; cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are just tender and still bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. To serve, place a large scoop of roasted roots on an individual plate; top with a large helping of greens and 3 to 4 tablespoons crumbled feta. -- Adapted from "Recipes From America's Small Farms: Fresh Ideas for the Season's Bounty" by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein Grilled Pork and Mango Salad with Warm Asian Greens From "Sensational Salads" by Barbara Scott-Goodman. cup fresh mint leaves ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced 1 tablespoon brown sugar ½ cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla) 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil 2 pounds center-cut boneless pork cutlets or chops, about ½ -inch thick 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thickly sliced 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil 1 head bok choy, trimmed and coarsely chopped ½ pound baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil Dash of hot sauce 4 scallions, trimmed and minced, for garnish In a food processor, combine the mint, cilantro, basil, garlic, pepper, sugar, lime juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil and pulse until well combined. The marinade can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Put the pork in a shallow nonreactive pan. Pour the marinade over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, turning occasionally. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. When it's medium-hot (coals are covered with a light coating of ash and glow deep red), grill the pork, 4 to 5 minutes per side, for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. At the same time, grill the mango slices until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let the pork and mango cool for a few minutes. Cut the pork into ¼ -inch slices and dice the mango; set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the bok choy and stir-fry over medium-high heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and stir-fry until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the greens to a large platter or individual plates. Top the greens with the pork slices and diced mango. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Drizzle over the pork and mango. Garnish with scallions and serve at once. Serves 6. Vietnamese-Style Beef and Noodle Broth Makes 6 servings 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 pound beef flank steak, very thinly sliced against the grain 4 cups chopped bok choy (about 1 pound) 1 2- to 3-inch piece unpeeled fresh ginger, sliced 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth 8 ounces wide rice noodles 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 11/2 cups fresh bean sprouts 4 tablespoons chopped basil, or to taste 4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Lime wedges Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or large soup pot over high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring often, until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate using tongs, leaving the juices in the pot. Add bok choy to the pot and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and broths; cover and bring to a boil. Add noodles and soy sauce; simmer until the noodles are soft, about 4 minutes. Return the beef to the pot and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with bean sprouts, basil, green onions and cilantro. Top with lime wedges. -- Adapted from Eating Well April/May 2005 MAPLE-SOY GLAZED SALMON with GINGERED BOK CHOY from Cook's Illustrated serves 4 time: 25 minutes ½ C maple syrup ¼ C soy sauce 1 Tabsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tabsp plus 1 tsp veg. oil 1 large head bok choy (about 2 lbs) root end removed, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces 4 center-cut salmon fillets (each about 6 ounces and 1¼ inches thick) remove pin bones and pat dry 2 tsp sesame seeds Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position and a second rack to the upper middle position. Heat oven to 500° Bring the maple syrup and soy sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to ½ cup, 8-9 min. Meanwhile, combine the grated ginger and 1 tabsp oil in a large bowl. Add the bok choy, ¼ tsp salt, and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Spread the bok choy on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Grease a second rimmed baking sheet with the remaining 1 tsp oil and position the salmon fillets, skin side down, on the sheet, with at least 1 inch between them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place the bok choy on the lower oven rack and the salmon on the upper oven rack. Cook for 5 min, then pull the salmon from the oven and spread a thick layer of the maple glaze over each fillet, top and sides. Use a pastry brush. Return to the oven. Continue to cook until the bok choy leaves are wilted, stems tender and the salmon is firm to the touch, about 3 min. longer. Transfer bok choy to a platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Brush the fillets with another layer of glaze and transfer to individual plates. Serve immediately, with any remaining glaze. I have more if there's something in particular you'd like to try. The idea of a search is also a very good one, especially sites like epicurious, which provide cooks' ratings for many recipes. Carol

Thank you breathnez for mentioning pumice...free shipping, can't go wrong. I'll definitely be ordering a bag today. Stupid question though, would the pumice be mixed with a little soil too? If so, what would be a good ratio for Succulents? Rina, I don't mind the questions. One thing I have learned for spending lots of times on forums is that everyone does things just a little differently, and we each have our favorite methods, depending on the availability of different media. For my other Succulents, I will most likely be using the pumice and soil (which is a cactus/succulent blend containing Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Reed Sedge Peat, Perlite, Sand and Limestone). It was to this mix I added extra perlite and scant amount of sand to my Jade. Drainage test was very good, but I want better. There was no other reason why I used this except that I already had these ingredients on hand. I'll be ordering the pumice this morning and then awaiting proper ratio to mix it with the soil. Hope you two can help me out with this! :) Thanks! Additional: lol, just ordered the pumice, but now I am thinking of purchasing gritty mix and pine bark also to add to the mix. This will allow me to still use a little of the cactus blend, and add more goodies for extra drainage! http://www.bonsaijack.com/2-Gallons-Bonsai-Succulent-and-Cactus-Soil-Gritty-Mix-111-462-cu-in-pH-55_p_161.html Looks like there's pumice in this already, so now I am really confusing myself here. Still wondering if I'll need to add to some of the cactus blend to any of these final mixtures. Think I will go cancel the pumice and just get the above gritty mix. hummmmm I just don't want to keep repotting everytime I get a new idea...this is so stressful for the plants!

I agree with gardengal on this one. The Container Gardening forum is much better suited for the questions and issues you're experiencing. I too became frustrated with the bagged products available in my area at what I deem are reasonable prices. I used to use them for transplanting vegetable seedlings. My use is much more temporary than yours, but to get quality mixes, I would be financially better off quitting gardening entirely and buying fruits and vegetables. So, I decided to start building my own transplant mediums from free, locally-sourced materials. Namely... wood chips. As you pointed out, the main ingredient in bagged products these days is 'partially decomposed forest products'. What is that? Decomposing wood chips! The other ingredients are mainly compost, and/or poultry manures. Since my use is very temporary (until transplanting out in the garden,) the stability of pine barks and perlite isn't very important. I get wood chips in the spring/summer delivered for free when the chips have leaves shredded into them. I let them decompose until the leaves have composted. I them screen them down to size... the larger chips are sifted out first for multiple uses around the house. Then, the compost is separated from the smaller, grit-sized chips. I them combine the pure compost with a measured amount of the smaller chips until I reach a desirable consistency. I use a soluble liquid fertilizer to supply any needed nutrients. The results have been much better than the affordable store-bought, bagged products in my area. I hope you too find something that works for you.

Tomatoes in particular may require larger containers based on their growth habit. Indeterminate types can grow very large......as much as 8-10' tall.....and plants that produce that much topgrowth in a single growing season will also develop a very large root system to support it. So one needs a large container to accommodate all those roots yet still provide adequate soil to hydrate and support. I grow cherry tomatoes - indeterminate - in 20G containers and a single plant will completely fill that size container with roots by the end of the season. Determinate or dwarf/patio types can get by with a smaller container but I would still err towards a larger size compared to a smaller. I can't speak directly to the other types of veggies and suitable container sizes. Some will tolerate smaller containers and multiple plants while others will not :-) I would have no issue with the carrots or any greens but question the wisdom of planting three cucumbers in the same container............