T, You know I've been using the eBucket that Gessieviolet designed with the overturned colander that forms the built-in, one-bucket reservoir. The soil packed around the edges of the colander are in constant contact with the water underneath the colander, and creates a wick to the soil in the top of the bucket. The plant draws water up as needed. There's an overflow hole to create an airspace between the soilbed and the top of the colander. I have several questions. 1. Since your 5:1:1 is designed for aeration and drainage, I'm thinking I won't need the colander/reservoir, especially since at some point I'll be hooking all the eBuckets up to an auto drip system. I could do an experiment and keep 1/2 as is and do 1/2 with a full bucket of 5:1:1. LMK. 2. What would happen if I used the 5:1:1 recipe in the eBuckets with the colander design as is? 3. If I don't go with the built in reservoir, should I drill additional drainage holes? 4. The "fines" part of the pine bark is the crumbly, soil looking part, right? Should I sift this out to ONLY get the dime-size flakes or use it all together? I see that there needs to be careful regulation of the MG potting mix (peat component) if you keep the "fines", since that's a smaller fraction than the dime-size pine bark. Too much of the "fines" & MG could set up a PWT, correct? 5. How do I determine when I've reached "good" drainage? What IS good drainage? 6. Finally, how much moisture retention should I be shooting for in the 5:1:1, or is this relative to the particular plant's needs? My cabbages are heavy feeders and WATER HOGS, which is probably why they do so well with the built-in reservoir. They can drink at will. Thanks in advance for addressing these questions. Linda

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Thanks for your responses. I am beginning to think it is due to the mild winter we are having. The Siskins and Grosbeaks I usually have, are probably not coming this far south. Any Canadians having an increase and decrease of their usual feeder visitors? I have had a Brown Creeper visiting, which has been rare for me. Glad to see it, such a neat little guy.

With the Cuddeback camera, every morning seems like Christmas..I can hardly wait to see what I have! Last night's photos: 2-23-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 9:26 p.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, young male Red Fox, 1:21 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 5:31 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail I took photos of the jumble of tracks in front of the Cuddeback camera to establish the genders of the foxes in the photos 2-24-09, mixed fox tracks; Round-toed Gray Fox below, triangular Red Fox tracks above From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Red Fox tracks, showing slight inner step with hind foot, showing him to be a young male (male's shoulders are wider than female's, so the hind foot, which lands on top of the front foot track, tracks slightly to the inside) From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 2-24-09, female Gray Fox tracks, showing hind foot stepping slightly to the outside to account for wider hips From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat The young female coyote's tracks came down the hill behind the horse shed by the kitchen, then trotted up the pond trail to the first corner before cutting off through the woods. I followed the male Red Fox's tracks further down the logging road until the young female coyote's tracks reappeared on the logging road further back on our property. A male coyote's tracks from the day before came down the hill and onto the logging road at a track "intersection"-another great spot for a Cuddeback camera. I followed the female coyote's tracks until she turned off the trail, straight down the hill, then I circled my land and found where she crossed a log high above the creek gully onto the property in the first place. From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat then went up the hill where she must have circled around to come out by our kitchen From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat I even slithered down a steep, snowy hillside, hanging onto shrubs high above the creek, carrying my expensive camera, to investigate a den in the side of the mountain, but only a squirrel's tracks were near the entrance. For three hours I tramped around our property writing down track and stride measurements, taking hundreds of track photos, etc. I'm really nosy like that; I told DuBois that if the animals were humans they'd have a restraining order on me for stalking and photographing them. To get back on the forum subject (I really should find a wildlife forum for these photos)-despite 17 degrees this morning, the Red-Shouldered Hawk is yelping again to declare his territory, Cardinals have started their "cheer, cheer!"s, Titmice have begun their "Peter-peters" and even the Carolina Chickadees are doing "see-bee, see bay"s now. So, ready or not, spring is coming