Hum, It really is a matter of personal choice..Usually anything will grow in just about any type of soil mix if it is just for a couple of months..But then you have to decide how long you want your soil mix to hold up, and how will it affect your plants, and your growing area. For me, no matter where I lived and what I plant, and for how long,I would still use the 5.1.1 mix and use Foliage Pro.... I like to get the best growth out of all my plants, even if they are growing for one season..Big roots, massive growth, large yields, and very happy plants.. That is my idea.. But if you decide to go another route, I can't believe that I am saying this, I would buy some bagged soilless mix,and depending on how long you want your mix to hold up, add perlite or some other sort of ingredient to make your mix drain well. I use to use everything from cow manure, to fish, and compost in my containers for vegetables, with tons of perlite, and they seemed to grow ok, that is the ones that out grew their pots and died before the first frost. You can pretty much use any type soil, depending on what results you want.. My father shovels dirt out of the ground and uses this..He gets about a month or two out of his plants, and they are pretty much stunted compared to mine, always turning yellow before summers end,with less yield.. So, I would decide just how vibrant and healthy do you want them to be..I would question just how much yield do I want? How long do I want them to stay wet? Do I want healthy roots that breathe to create huge plants? How long do I want to soil to hold up in structure? From there, you will pretty much decide what will be best for you. You might get a hundred different recipes and mixes suggested, which will only confuse you. So ask yourself what is expected from your plants, and realize the best thing you can do for them is to provide a good porous, well draining soilless mix, that will hold up over time. A mix that will not compact around the roots, and that will stay evenly moist while allowing the roots to take up the nutrients needed with no problems because of the good gas exchange you will want your mix to provide, every time you water.. The 5.1.1 mix does all that and more,while the Foliage Pro provides all the nutrients that plants need, that most fertilizers do not.. Good luck Mike..:-)

Hi billie ann, Sorry it took a while for me to get back here. You are correct this isn't hypertufa. The tall one is approx 18" tall, not including the detachable 'topknot'. The mix is one part portland 3 parts sand, water. Thanks for inquiring. Wendy

Come on, Ole Dawg, be a Worm Person. It's more fun than you can imagine. Keep reading this forum; We know how to live. In the Upcountry you can do it indoors, outdoors, fancy or plain. You'll feel SO GOOD keeping so much stuff out of the landfill, and your plants will love you for it. If you don't grow plants, you'll have friends who do!

So far so good. I have learned that ground rods are harder than I initially thought, and more difficult to drive. I got the first 4' in within about 5 minutes. After that, I could no longer pull it out of the ground, and had to go to beating it in. I have a 3lb drilling hammer, and initially I was concerned with harming the rod, so I was trying to pad it with wood as I beat it. I don't recommend this :) I put the clamp on the thing, and commenced to wetting the ground and beating on the rod. I have another 8" left but now I have to dig my trench to bury the other wires. I have a hammer drill, but for the life of me could not figure how to employ that without some special bit (which I didn't have). Anyway, back to trenching which I am not looking forward to, after which I get to run wires through the studs and stuff. My ceiling is less than 8' high, any good recommendations for lighting? Looking for the most bang for the buck, easiest maintenance, and longest life. You know, I want everything for nothing :) I am considering fluorescent or LED but haven't decided which. If I go with LED I will put cans in, but if fluorescent I will only put up outlet boxes. Unless there is something else out there to consider?