Many local governments (city, county) in the US offer subsidized compost bins to their residents. I've seen the Biostack, Earth Machine, and at least one other model offered. Sometimes you can even get a worm box from these offers! Prices here in the Bay Area for subsidized bins run approx. 1/3 of retail price, give or take, so definitely check it out. I think the Biostack is retailing for $99 to $129, depending on where you want to purchase it, so $200 should get you some nice goodies, even if you have to pay full prices. Enjoy! Cynthia H. El Cerrito, CA

hermustangs, if you'll read the "new to GW" thread below on this page (or if it's left this page by the time you read this, search for it) you'll find explicit instructions on how to post photos; very easy to do. I think you'll get many more responses if you include photos. I'm not good enough with colors personally to try to answer your questions without seeing the rooms. Good luck!

Nalcar, you're so kind to do all this. And wow, that's really dramatic! The moldings are not so much to my taste, but the split up cabs with the top across is an interesting thought. On the right, though, the wall begins to curve just after the A/C and so I think it would take a lot of work to put a flat cabinet there. I can already hear what my contractor is going to say about that one. I have a really strange apartment with very odd lines so I've been hearing a lot of that! Also, that puts the Shaker door cab very close to the built-ins which have a door in a different style. You can see them in my pic in the post on 10/31 at 8:12. What do you think? I'd also have to consider the cost of the extra granite at this point. Oh, and the usual distraction from the wall A/C is a chair in front of it and a framed picture on top. Well, no chair during the summer. :D

Ooh those look lovely. I suggest you think about purchasing one of those plastic greenhouse thingies. One that looks something like this : This will help keep the moisture and heat in. Also, you can try using heating mats under the pots and seed trays. I've also heard that old electric blankets work well for this sort of thing. Lastly you need to put the lights as close to the plants as possible without touching them. Otherwise your seedlings will grow very tall and spindly and will become weak plants. The roses would benefit from the stronger light too. also, nor humidity can bring fungus so be prepared to spray them should they get blackspot or mildew and remove any leaves or plants that become infected to avoid spreading of the disease. These things spread fast in such close quarters. You'll soon find that these grow lights are great to have for getting a jump start on seed staring each year. I've had petunia and marigold seedlings even start to bloom under my lights. And like Francis says above, you don't need fancy full spectrum grow lights for this. Any florescent light will do, but the brighter the better and more neutral is better too (not too warm, not too cool) as white as possible. If you are new to seed starting try starting out with Petunias. They are super easy to grow from seed. Also Zinnias, snapdragons and marigolds are all very easy from seed too. Happy growing!