Do not put landscape fabric down! It kills the soil underneath it by preventing movement of worms and other soil organisms to and from the surface. So organic matter doesn't move down into the soil and the soil loses aeration as the tunnels made by worms etc. fill in and close off as the worms etc. go elsewhere in search of better conditions. So you end up with hard-packed dead soil. Landsdscape fabric is dreadful stuff in the garden. Most of my backyard garden is under trees. I added no more that about 1-2" of soil. Basically I replaced the soil to the depth that was formerly grass and used a light soil mixture meant for top-dressing lawns. Then, since I was planting woodland plants, I gave them woodland conditions by letting fallen leaves remain on the garden. And added any leaves that fell on the lawn - chop them with the lawn mower first. The worms etc. in the soil take care of turning the leaves into usable organic matter for the plants and trees. The soil level builds up over time and the trees are able to adjust to it as it is accumulating in the way they are adapted to. It's a little more 'messy' looking so, if you're a neat-freak you might not be happy with it; but the plants will ove it. I have metal edging in places that involve crossing tree roots. I'm very careful when digging to place the edging to not damage roots - I clear the trench on either side of any large roots and then cut the edging to fit over each root.

I have to wonder if the previous owners of the house, when they were preparing it for sale, decided to make the lawn look better by applying some chemical treatments to kill weeds and green up the grass. These chemicals can kill trees, especially conifers. --Spruce

ECHO had mulch right up to the trunk, though it was very shallow against the trunk. the main fruit guy there, danny, who was like TOTALLY passionate about COMPOST, said they've never had any problem with fungus. you can find perennial peanut at nurseries (i've seen it increasingly). it's good stuff. i'd warn you away from cypress, mainly for environmental reasons. tree trimmings, esp those from the power company, make a great mulch. the power company trims mostly smaller limbs, which have a LOT of lignan in them. good soil enhancer, if you believe the french. best of all, it's free. barb -- about the mulch and feeding. read this particular pub from ECHO -- changed my gardening life... Here is a link that might be useful: principles of ag for humid tropics

Thanks guys! Laura, my rodent problem is mostly squirrel. They just de-pot everything. I move the plants out of the cage only when they reach a size that can handle their roughness :) Rina, yes the GH set up is not ideal for light but I did not have much other choice and still has other pros. Thanks to that roof the temps are higher longer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I don't need to heat or fan or cover. I originally got it to protect my tropicals and for seed starters. Got tired of wheeling pots in and out of the dark garage on a daily basis in winter...So these are pretty much dormant when in the GH. I built a heated chamber in the corner with the least light for my seed starters that is also supplemented with some LED. The rest is filled with young seedlings up to 1-2 year old or so. So overall not too much of a problem for this usage but if it were my property I would definitely cut out a couple of skylights on that roof :).