The type of plant you have, the amount of water (whether natural rain or manual), and container type will make a big difference on the type of mix and how your plant responds in your environment. I think that sometimes we overthink it too much for a plant that is basically only going to be grown as an annual. People have posted great results for tomatoes growing in 5-gallon paint buckets, tires, actual bags of soil as the "container", rubbermaid totes, half whiskey barrels, fancy clay pots, plastic square pots, foam pots, etc., etc. The big thing to consider is your climate - ie., does it get brutally hot all season with little rain or does it fluctuate with hot periods and cooler periods with rain or does it stay cool all summer, etc.? Do you get lazy (or go away alot) during summer and can't water as often or do you baby your plants and try to water them every day whether they may need it or not (out of habit)? Do you get full blazing sun all day long or just morning sun or mainly afternoon sun? Are the plants sitting on concrete? Grass? Black asphalt? Gravel? Wood decking? Basically, over time, you would learn about your area's climate, the actual growing area's microclimate, as well as your natural watering practices, and would then adjust your mix and container type to best fit that. And as an FYI, my mother insists on getting bagged soil rather than a soiless mix and based on her yard, sun exposure, and her watering habits, her container tomatoes and peppers blow mine away by a longshot (she has a south-facing spot for her plants where mine are on a NE-facing covered balcony getting little or no overhead sun but full morning sun and a little in the afternoon in the corner where I position mine). It's the most remarkable thing to see but the whole debate about soil in containers seems to get thrown out after watching her container production year after year after year. Last year, she planted some 12" - 18" tall tomatoes and peppers in pure "Miracle Gro" vegetable and bedding soil (the kind you dump in a bed) at the end of May and by July, her plants looked like this: By August, they looked like this, sprawled all over (she moved her peppers to a different spot as some of the fruit were getting scalded): Apparently, the heavy wettish "soil" that she uses for her containers sitting in full blazing sun was kept in a sort of balance due to the tomato foliage helping to act as a shade over that soil to keep it from getting rock hard too quickly, and thus the soil's tendency to retain moisture helped the roots deal with the sun. So I just say, do some experimenting to see what works best because often things don't always pan out the way that would make any sense whatsover, but the environment and your care practices will be more the determining factor. ;-)

Thought I'd chime in with one more thing, since I just read the "4 y/o Bosch bites the dust" thread... Maybe it's attributable to my fastidious dish rinse routine or sheer dumb luck, but I have managed to make my low end Whirlpool Gold d/w last 12+ years. Not even really sure how old it is -- it was here when I bought this place 10 years ago and I vaguely remember hearing that the previous owners replaced all appliances two years before I bought it. I have not, not once, not a single time EVER, had to have it serviced. It sounds pretty much like a freight train during an atomic bomb detonation but it runs every time, all the time. That is the kind of reliability I need in my life. I'm wondering if I can realistically expect that with a Miele or Bosch or any other manufacturer (including Whirlpool) for that matter. ::Thinking twice about even posting this, due to the jinxing risk::

Wow! What an amazing kitchen that will be. I'm trying to fight the urge to kiss the image of your pantry on my monitor. I don't understand why you have your ice maker in the cook/prep zone. It would make more sense to me to put it near where people are going to be making drinks. I think I'd switch the fridge/freezer columns with the clean-up sink/DW placement. They would still very accessible for prepping but it's also accessible for people who just want to grab a drink or a snack without them having to cross behind someone doing clean-up and, thus, having to walk around the DWs. If someone is cooking and going to the fridge, and someone else is doing clean-up, it would create traffic jams if someone also wants to get that drink or snack. Switching fridge and clean-up will eliminate one potential person from that scenario. I would put the MW drawer between the fridge/freezers and DW. Quite often, something out of the fridge or freezer just needs to be nuked to be eaten. If you switch clean-up and fridge/freezer as I recommended above, someone can come to the fridge, nuke something, and never enter either the clean-up or prep/cook zones. Also, make sure there is some filler between the oven stack and the wall. You need space for the door to open without being too close to the wall. I'm not sure how much. I'm guessing 2" would work but investigate further to be sure. I sure hope you're planning on a powerful hood, vented outside, and possibly needing make-up air, for your big cooktop.

Sara, it looks amazing!!! What are you doing for backsplash? Freedomplace1 I had a white kitchen in my last house (10 years ago) before it was a trend and loved it. I have always loved white so even when it’s no longer as popular, I’ll still love it. It’s truly more about personal taste rather than trend for me. I cook a lot and spend so much time in the kitchen. I want it to look/feel brighter. I know the counters and backsplash could achieve that but I’m also painting my oak stairwell (it has wrought iron spindles) so really looking to get rid of all the maple/oak.