Al, I know it's been asked, and I'm pretty sure I've seen it mentioned before, but these bark fines - any idea what name they're sold under at OSH or Home Depot? I don't have a Lowe's nearby, so that's out. Most of the stuff I seem to find around here is redwood, which apparently, is not ok for a planting medium? (Not sure - I've gotten some mixed reviews on it.) The local landscape supply co. has stuff labeled as redwood fines, but they look like "gorilla hair", not at all like chunks of bark. Then they have bark mulch, which is uniform pieces of bark that are around the length of the diameter of a dime, and very tanbark-looking. Then we have redwood compost, and that basically looks like powdered redwood bark. I've poured over all of your soil posts, looked at pictures and such for the gritty mix, for your bark fines/peat/floor dry/sand/lime mix, and I'm just left totally confused (my fault-not yours). I'm trying to build a soil for raised beds, and I just can't seem to hit upon the right combination of things or the right places/names of the ingredients to go into the mix. I don't want to buy what *I* think are partially compost bark fines only to discover that they're totally the wrong kind of wood or something, and ruin my chances of having a good fall garden. I also don't want the expense of screwing it up the first time and having to replace everything. Any help you can provide would be so appreciated.

Well.... I don't know. I've never tried it. What I have tried is streamwater on my CP's. I had a bad reaction with my D. binata, but that may have been from the significant temperature disparity, rather than a nutrient issue. Personally, I wouldn't, but... The thing about CP's is that for the most part, they operate from a nutrient poor paradigm. That's why RO, rain, distilled, and deionized water are recommended. Tank water will have nutrients, but how much and how significant is difficult to discern.

UPDATE: I did not do a good job explaining above. I am hoping to add cabinetry in the existing wall/under window space. Perhaps more in a U layout vs galley. ?? Oh I don't know which would be more practical for this rental. It competes with flipped properties that are rentals also. Many of the flipped kitchens I've seen are awkward with inefficient layouts. Attached is a new room layout with needed info and photos. The photos go around the room. When you enter the kitchen, the sink and only cabinetry is to the left (see prev post photos). Then the photo below shows end of cabinets looking towards rear of kitchen with 2 windows. The complete rear of kitchen with 2 windows in prev post photos. (The short wall will be removed). As you swing around the room and view the right side of the kitchen is the stove (under single window - yeah I know that's illegal; always been that way). The fridge is next to the single window and photo shows the space above fridge that I hope to create storage and add counterspace cabinetry under the window. The stove will move to the sink wall or rear wall between 2 windows (is that legal?). If I do the galley layout with dishwasher, sink, and stove on one wall (with upper cabs) and fridge with under window storage on opposite wall would work?. help, please. Frustration setting in.

Always surprises me with Phlox paniculata, that some folk have problems with powdery mildew (at least in our sort of growing environment). From mid July on, we have a back garden (almost) full of these phlox, but, to my knowledge, have no powdery mildew on them. My feeling follows that of David Tomlinson, (Merlin's Hollow); namely that powdery mildew is a disease that healthy phlox are able to fight off themselves. They just need appropriate growing conditions in the garden environment (again I'd emphasis in the type of garden environment which it's possible to maintain here). In the case of our own small garden, I'd also credit attention to garden hygiene as well; notably to cutting down all summer and fall blooming herbaceous perennials to ground level and removing all plant debris by the end of the growing season. Presumably that greatly reduces overwintering by the disease organisms themselves. Re recent comments, I've now seen powdery mildew on two of the three beebalm cultivars which we have. I did cut the affected parts out immediately (the same as I used to do, in years past, with the phlox), but powdery mildew seems to be relatively species specific as you read.