Tom, your numbers have been helpful in showing me that a well-insulated and well-designed sun shed can make good use of stored water to affect the minimum temperatures at night. Although my problems fall more in the area of cooling on sunny days than heating on cold nights, I'm happy to get a better understanding of how this can work, from this thread and from your earlier ones. Other folks here have a lot more greenhouse experience than I do, but I think it's pretty impressive to have outside night temps of 12°F and still maintain an interior temp of above freezing, with no added heat. With your structure and stored water system, if you did want to add heat to keep less hardy plants in there, this would surely reduce your heating costs. Thanks for taking the time to document your findings, and post them here! As a newbie, I find it very helpful. Sheri

Thanks, snowheather! I love irsis, too, but unfortunately they don't grow too well in my garden. Wow, wheeling a lemon tree in and out of the garage all winter long is a lot of work to get your lemons, but Meyer Lemons are worth it :-)! I am actually quite the opposite of you I am not a big floribunda fan, but 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' is an exception. Since you are into floribundas I am curious to know what is your absolutely favorite one? Renee, I know from pictures of your garden that you have quite a bit of land and Devoniensis, Cl. might be perfect for you for that reason, since it is supposed to get very tall. So if you like my pic maybe you should consider to grow it... I am gardening only on a small suburban plot and I new when I bought this rose that I may not have the room to plant her into the ground (the rose is growing in a container right now), but I had to find out by myself what the fuss is about this rose, since I only saw Devoniensis Cl. on pictures before I got it. I totally aggree now that her flowers are almost disturbingly beautiful! And her fragrance, oh boy... Christina

Hey Guys, Im been MIA for a few days, but super busy. I had a fair amount of catching up to do here! Lots happens around here is short amount of time! NHSuzanne~ FIRST------Happy belated B-day!!! Howd you celebrate? Sounds like you and DH are all set for winter now! I was wonderingdoes your tractor have an all-terrain mower? If so, what brand and which attachment do you use? I have a large uneven area I need to mow and was thinking of renting. Is your sis better? Does she live pretty close to you? Its nice you can see her and take care of her. I hope you get in a ride soon. I miss going to the barn so much! Bith my older DDs were riders---19 yr old DD was a Western rider and competing in games and 17 yr old was an English rider. 19 yr old DD REALLY misses it and wants to work at a barn next summer. Ill have to work on that! DeeMarie~ Congrats on your doc visit and weight loss! Everything in line? Your concert a week ago sounded fun. I love live performances of any kind. I am happy I got you as my Holiday buddy! I cant wait to ship off a Northwest themed package to you! BTW, Im all caught up on the laundry front today! WHERE ARE YOU CRUISING TO IN JANUARY? Milkdud: Your Thanksgiving sounded wonderful! When is your sis coming in December? Is she a natural decorator type or does she do it for a living? Hope you are getting settled inand decorated :-) Glad the Atkins induction went successfully! Sounds like youre staying motivated! And how fun you get to baby-sit! I love the little ones! BTW,you sound very motivated about organizing. A little every day really makes a difference, doesnt it? My GF is not organized and she is a hoarder---well, now she has to sell her house and move (due to divorce) and she cant seem to get rid of anything. She was supposed to have her house on the market the 2nd week in October and it still isnt on the marketbut her friends are helpless to help her---shes afraid well throw her stuff out! So, we sit, frustrated, and wonder what shell do. RaeanneGlad to hear your trip to CA was mah-velous! How did like that weather? As far as your colonoscopy goes, think about the day AFTER, not the day before! That reminds me that I have to have my mammogram done this December. Glad you got the Thanksgiving travle plans worked out and it all came toegther! DonnaSNJ! Congrats on the online program weight loss! WOW! Terrific! Jen! You too! Great job! How was the vacation in Hawaii? Did you and DH go alone or did you take the pumpkins with you? Maddie---Audit report---howd it go? Done yet? Thanks for doing the holiday exchange list! Its so much fun each year! Besh: Did you find out anything else about the job situation? I can look at your resume and brainstorm if you email it to me. DeeMaries offer sounds pretty darn good, though. Glad your DH is back to work and his knee is better. Too bad about DSs bronchitisis it the weather? Hope the result was ok on your colonoscopy. Patti: When is your Christmas trip, where are you going, and for how long? Glad you got to have a traditional meal for Thanksgiving! Amy!!!!!! So glad to "see" you again! Whats the holdup on the power chair? Your eating plan sounds VERY healthy! I dont watch much TV (an hour and a half a week at MOST: only Boston Legal and The Soup), so I didnt see the show with the green drinks. Have you REALLY been in Hawaii for 6 YEARS???? I remember when you moved! John, HI! Always like it when you check in. Hope you had a quiet day at work on Thnxgiving Tikanas: YAY! Glad you can join us! And congrats on the NEW home! ----------------------------------------------------------- Wellall the kids were her for Thanksgiving and we all ate way too much all weekend long! Sounds like everyone had a great holiday food fest! We passed our house inspection (last week) with flying colorsI was a nervous wreck about that. My interview was last week and DH and oldest DDs are on Tuesday. My youngest 3 DDs have their interviews for Wednesday. Im doubly nervous this week and Ill be glad when the application process is overwhatever the turn out! I gave up tracking food because I was getting discouraged about the small amount of weight I was losing for such a concentrated effort. When I read Marcis post about putting the scale away, I decided to try that---and get on a regular exercise plan. I have been seriously walking the track at the local "Y" several times a week. I am testing out an MP3 player at the same time! Love both the walking and the music. Its pretty neat just to have some TIME to think!---or to not think! Well see how it goes. In addition, I am skipping the neighborhood cookie bakes and holiday dinners this year. I dont need the calories and since I am moving next summer anyway, I am taking THAT end-of-the-year stress out of my life. For the WHOLE holiday season, we have one dinner planned with a friend from out of town and then were off to the island (on Dec. 21st) for the holiday and DHs mom and dad will come to the island for Christmas and the few days surrounding it. Make this week a great one!

I figure out why compost is known as "high phosphorus". The release of nutrients for green materials like grass clippings, chicken manure, veggies & fruits scraps is immediately. 90% of nitrogen is released from grass clippings within the 1st month of being cut. When these GREEN matter break down, they enrich THE SOIL BELOW. Nitrogen mobility is a 10, rain moves that down to the soil BELOW THE COMPOST PILE. Potassium mobility is a 3, takes a bit longer to move down, but that move down into the soil below the compost pile. Phosphorus mobility is a 1, that stays put in the decayed materials above the soil. When people scrap off the compost pile to fertilize, what's in decayed matter is mostly phosphorus, plus carbon (brown) matter like bark, plus cellulose component of leaves. The soil BELOW the compost pile is richest in nutrients, esp. in nitrogen, potassium, plus earthworms. I checked my compost pile: the compost itself has no earthworms, but there's tons of earthworms in the soil BELOW the compost pile during the summer. In my garden of heavy clay, where it's high in magnesium & very compact & alkaline ... there's zero earthworm. So I dug that up to break up heavy clay with organic matter like leaves, alfalfa hay, or cracked corn, plus gypsum. Less than a month later, I came back to the hole, and there's tons earthworms. When I researched on earthworms, it listed manure and organic matter as food that earthworms like, plus wetness. I tested topping soil with various materials, and here's what I found after I dug below the topping, either through moving roses, or digging for better drainage: Almond solids leads the pack in creating tons of earthworms below. There's a spot in my garden that many roses failed, due to rock-hard-clay. I left that spot alone for 1 year. Then broke up the clay with expensive Charlie's compost (organic chicken manure & corn stalk, zero antibiotics), cracked corn, and gypsum. Planted Sweet Promise rose. Water still can't soak down fast enough. Too lazy to dig that up, so I topped the rose with layers of almond solids plus soil. Two months later, after Thanksgiving, I dug up Sweet Promise, there's tons of earthworms (at least 10) on the top 6", enriched with almond solids. Earthworms went up there despite the cold snow. Cocoa mulch is 2nd place for creating earthworm below, also high in potassium & magnesium like Almond solids. Alfalfa hay is 3rd place for creating earthworms below. There's a dirt path between raised beds which get muddy, so I "carpet" the entire path with alfalfa-hay-squares. It rained lots, when I pulled up a clump of half-composted alfalfa-hay, below were the biggest Mommy worm, plus 3 babies. NPK of alfalfa hay 3-1-2, with higher nitrogen than alfalfa meal. Greens like grass clippings, tomato leaves are 4th place for creating earthworms below. NPK of Green clippings 0.66/ 0 .19 / 0.71 The higher the nutrients that leach down, the more earthworms. NPK of cocoa mulch is 2.5-1-3, much higher in potassium than alfalfa hay, thus attracting more earthworms. Leaves are 5th place for creating earthworms. NPK of leaves like red maple is 0.52 / 0.09 / 0.04, with 4.7 pH. I put fresh leaves on my tomato bed. After 2 weeks, I raked the leaves into the soil, there's lots of earthworms where previously none. The release of nutrients downward is also immediately for leaves. Leaves seals moisture well, and earthworms like moist soil. Brown, or carbon-component such as wood chips hold the last place for creating earthworms below, due to zero nutrients, plus inferior to leaves in holding moisture. http://gardening.yardener.com/Material-For-Composting NPK Percentage Value of Leaves In Compost Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium pH Red Maple 0.52 0.09 0.04 4.7 Sugar Maple 0.67 0.11 0.75 4.3 American Beech 0.67 0.10 0.65 5.1 White Ash 0.63 0.15 0.54 6.8 White Oak 0.65 0.13 0.52 4.4 East. Hemlock 1.05 0.07 0.27 5.5 Balsam Fir 1.25 0.09 0.12 5.5