This will make compost if you use a good mix of ingredients and keep it moist and turn it once in awhile. It will not get hot or be super fast. If you can remove the bin entirely from the pile without having to empty it first, simply set it up next to the pile and fork the pile back in. :-] Some composters allow you to do this but I haven't seen this one in person. At some point you'll have to stop adding and let it 'finish'. The biggest problem with having a bin is...you need a second one. I remove the bin and start a new batch in it, then cover the pile with burlap or a little tarp to keep rain from washing it out too much, and let it finish for awhile. Meanwhile refill the bin with new stuff. When you're ready to use the other pile, throw anything not finished back into the bin.

Gorgeous Larissa! Hang in there buddy! Reds are so illusive to the camera it seems. Anything from Red Lion to the deepest of Red Amaryllis blooms somehow appear the same to most cameras...it is a bummer! At least you get to experience the full glory in person. I have noticed similar results with pinks too. Dark pink especially... Anna- That Black Pearl does look to have very deep coloring and the blooms look huge! You captured them very well! I thought I purchased that one this year, but when I got home and looked, the tag says Red Dragon instead. Happy accident and I was very pleased! I already have a Royal Velvet that was very dark also, but in photos it and the Grand Cru and Red Lion look mostly the same. In an earlier post, Ryan was giving advice on how to help your camera when photographing reds. I can't remember which post it was, but it had something to do with using something gray to focus on first or something of the sort. I will try to find it or maybe he will see this and offer more advice. Regardless, it is a very pretty bloom and it looks like the fun has only just begun there! -Frank

Very sad, but: Pieris Japonica bush. Lovely pearl like flower clusters in spring with all new growth being brilliant red. Totally beautiful and every Pieris I plant dies..... yet if I buy one for someone else.....it lives to perfection. Sigh... Lupines and delphiniums...they dont like me. Heather (Sandl) blue aka purple roses are the most fussy roses out there. They are very very prone to disease and failure to thrive. Don't kick yourself, try something else. In the link below you will find the roses I grow. I wont fuss over my roses or spray for fungus so the list might be a good starting place for you. There should be photos of most of these roses at this site as well. You will have to check to make sure the roses are hardy for you as I am in zone 7a but its worth another shot!! Here is a link that might be useful: My list of roses -- no fussing required

Hi, Molly - good question. To expand on what Rina was saying - one of the ways you can tell whether or not the author of a comment has a good grasp of the topic (s)he's freely discussing is how that person's remarks are qualified. If someone makes a sweeping statement such as, "When repotting or potting up, you should increase the pot size in small increments to avoid over-potting" or "You should avoid fertilizing houseplants in winter" or "Never water on a schedule - always water on an 'as needed' basis", you should be on guard against comments that stand so naked in front of the world because you can be fairly sure the author is very likely doing nothing more than repeating what (s)he read somewhere ...... most likely over and over again ..... and with nothing more in the way of qualifications than (s)he left you with when parroting the advice, which was nothing. I often double, triple, or more than quadruple the size of the pot when repotting or potting up. I fertilize my indoor plants every time I water during the winter, and I water on a schedule. All that and my plants are always extremely healthy ........ and I'm not expecting you to just take my word on that. You can find hundreds of pictures of some of the plants I tend or have tended that are enough in themselves to illustrate the validity of the claim. Almost all advice given in sweeping statements needs some form of qualification (explanation) in order for it to ring true. Some qualifying statements about the topic I mentioned might include a short discussion that delineates between water-retentive soils and soils that truly do drain freely. What good is advice if the giver makes assumptions about your growing methods and gives advice based on a narrow set of assumptions? E.g., if I'm growing in this medium: I can water on a schedule with impunity. I can fertilize every time I water, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly if I choose, and I can do this all year long, and there is no such thing as over-potting - I could plant this tiny little start in a 55 gallon drum filled with the soil in the image I posted above and not be burdened by the worry I might have over-potted. I said all that so I could say, "Be cautious about putting too much faith in advice that takes a set of circumstances (yours) for granted, and/or seems overly broad, and/or isn't qualified in a way that takes your specifics into account. Al