Burkie, Sorry no one has responded to your question. You have posted in the gallery section, intended for pictures, where most people don't go. The discussions section is the best place to post. That looks like a nice piece of property you have. I would think of a fish pond too. However, there are a couple of concerns I have with your plan to have a fish pond: 1. There is a very good possibility that, if there were a heavy rain, the fish would be washed out or could swim out. 2. Also, if they did escape by whatever means, I would think you would have to have native fish if they could get into the common waterway. If I were in your possition I would contact the county extension service (or its equivalent in Kansas) for suggestions on how to do this. That way you are getting expert assistance that fulfills legal requirements. Good luck and post pictures afterward. If you want more people to answer, post this question in the discussions section. Anne

I'm sure other people will help you better than me, as I'm a newbie, too... but how many hours of sun do you get there? With most roses you need at least 4 hours, right...? If it gets a small amount of sun, you'll have to go with different varieties that are shade tolerant. What color roses do you like? Do you prefer simple or double blossoms...? (etc...?) Does it need to rebloom? It would also help if you said what zone you live in and what the soil type is perhaps...? :) You might find it fun to search a couple rose sellers that list by type. Like: http://www.roguevalleyroses.com/rose_list.php?search_id=On_Climber_List (though they are west coast.) but it might give you some ideas and you can look at the thumbnail pictures! Here is a link that might be useful: RvR

Before you bother to read this long-winded thingy please understand that I toss in barley straw in the head end of my pond not because I particularly believe it will help but - for me - its very cheap and canÂt really do any harm. But I donÂt use any of the so-called barley straw extracts...as to why, well, youÂve got to read the rest of this mess. I guess I have a different take on all of this starting with the difference between a "hypothesis" and a "theory". There are several hypothesis out there as to what barley straw does for removing or suppressing algae growth. The link IÂve provide below sums up a lot of what is believed to be known about how barley straw works...but this is all in the "hypothesis" stage. As best I am able to determine there are no peer-reviewed journal publications where someone has actually measured the hydrogen peroxide supposedly generated by the barley straw and in a situation which constitutes a decent experimental design; such an experiment should contain multiple ponds half of which receive barley straw treatment and the other half not along with in situ measurements for turbidity/chlorophyl or other quantitative measures of algae and measurements for those "things" that are believed to be contributed by the straw for suppression of the algae. Furthermore, if it was in fact hydrogen peroxide being produced from the straw then the continuous addition of small amounts of hydrogen peroxide from a dosing or metering pump should be capable of performing the same process but does not appear to do so. Also, there are some very sensitive assays for measuring hydrogen peroxide at the cellular level and yet I have not seen where anyone has actually measured hydrogen peroxide production. Many companies used to advertise barley straw as an algicide or algistat but no longer do so. Why? To quote Dr. LembiÂs write-up (see link below): "...The EPA defines a pesticide as "any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest." If a claim is made that barley "controls" algae (a pest), it is legally considered to be a pesticide. However, no company has ever registered barley for use as a pesticide. It has not gone through the testing required for registration. Therefore, barley cannot be sold as a pesticide to control algae. This ruling has serious implications for certified commercial applicators (individuals who have been state certified to apply aquatic pesticides for hire) and lake management specialists. These individuals cannot recommend or apply barley for algae control; this application would be the same as distributing an unregistered pesticide. Likewise, garden shops and nurseries cannot legally sell barley straw for the stated or implied purpose of algae control. Registration is required for all pesticides before they are sold or distributed, regardless of whether most applications go into larger bodies of water or into water gardens, even though the latter usually are privately owned, very small, and not likely to have an impact on the natural environment. A homeowner with a "private" pond or lake is in a different situation. For the homeowner who does work on their own pond, barley qualifies as a "home remedy" and does not come under EPA authority. ..." The key being that insufficient testing exists to register barley straw according to EPA. So now back to the main point of this thread: using a product that is derived from barley straw. If it is not known what the active agent(s) is/are in barley straw then how can one be sure that the "extract" really contains the active agents? What tests have they performed? IÂm obviously discounting the typical product endorsements that come without adequate data. IÂd go ahead and add it if I thought it would help. But maybe you might be just as well off taking some dollar bills, carefully shredding them and putting them in the pond instead. At least you could cut back on shipping and handling costs! LOL! As I have mentioned to some folks in other conversations there is a strong "placebo effect" here: having paid money for something, been told by the seller that it will work we really, really want to believe that itÂs doing itÂs job. But maybe not. So I say go for it if you will feel better having bought the product and if you want to believe. However, the hard data doesnÂt seem to currently exist to support the various hypotheses surrounding barley straw and barley straw extracts. Excuse me, IÂve got to go add a bit more barley straw to my waterfalls! ÂDavid

I can't tell you where to site it, but I can tell you that you should investigate if you need a building permit. I know you might not think so for a simple hoop house, but I found I did. I know I was surprised. If I had built it and then the county saw it I would have had to pay double and maybe take it down even then. A permit for that size cost me $400 so double would have been $800. Just a word of warning on the chance you were like me.