Mike, Where do you buy poultry grit? Does it come in bags, boxes, and in small quanities? I have a flowerbed in back on our house that is now a foundation type bed. We have amended that soil several times and it still is not what I find the best. We have to be very careful when we did there because of the cable wire running in back of that bed. It is under the eaves of the house so unless the rain is a blowing type rainfall, I have to water with the garden hose. It gets the morning and early afternoon sun, and roses do very well there. I've been considering turning it into a rock garden. It's not very big(length wise). I've been considering building up a low wall with bricks or landscaping stones, and build up my soil like a slope. Does this make sense? I have a few rocks to get started with and probably the wintertime or late Fall would be a good time to buy more rocks for this idea. Because of the weight, I would only buy a few at a time if I need to buy them. I'm making a list of potential rock garden plants but your list is very good. Some plants I don't recognize the botanical names so I'll have to look them up. Some plants I know one can purchase at local garden center in the Springtime or by wintersowing my own flower seeds in milk jugs or other plastic containers.

In Cocoa at the county landfill you can get the 'fines' for free (call first). It is finely ground composted plant matter and dirt. It makes the greatest, organic soil. The Melbourne landfill used to have it, I've gotten well over 50 loads in my pickup truck. They will fill the truck with a frontend loader. Gary

I hope you've done this by now?!

I know lots of people who trench compost that way. One year, the tenches are dug in the pathways and filled, then covered over with soil. The next year, they plant into those trench areas, and then the previous year's growing areas become the new pathways where the new trenches get dug and filled. Over time, all the soil in the garden gets enriched. Isn't it the best feeling in the world to look at soil that you've fixed and made better? I just love restoring old, worn-out soil and making it more productive again.