A seedling with it's first true leaves needs the same ratio of nutrients, including the secondary macros and all the micros. All nutrients are equally important to growth and vitality, so suggesting that nothing special need be done for the first 3 years could be very misleading. Nothing special need be done as long as the plant is getting ALL the nutrients plants normally take from the soil, in a favorable ratio and at a concentration high enough to prevent deficiencies, yet low enough that the concentration of nutrients in the soil solution isn't high enough that it inhibits the uptake of water and the nutrients dissolved therein. To me, that sounds like you need a plan if you want to be on target. Leaving it to chance by letting the soil feed the plant might be ok in the yard or orchard, but it's not going to get the job done in pots. FWIW - using large fractions of compost in conventional container culture is usually fraught with water retention problems (as in too much), due to the fact that compost is all fine particles (or it's not finished and you probably shouldn't e using it for that reason). That you have the Rootmaker containers resting on the soil employs the earth as a giant wick, and from a hydrological perspectives turns the containers into mini raised beds - which changes the way water behaves in those containers. You can use soils that are much more water-retentive and get away with it in raised beds, where the same soil in conventional containers would be limiting due to its excess water retention. Al

Colleen, Here is the recipe for Julia Child's French Baguettes. On my days off each week, I usually make a double batch of this bread dough. The dough goes into the fridge after it's first rise and is left for two to three days. This long cold fermentation develops more flavour and texture in the bread and makes the perfect dough for a pizza crust. Thin crust with a light,airy, chewy rim. How I Make My Pizza Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table French Baguette =============== Julia Child 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (bread flour) (NOTE: I use 4 cups) 2 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/3 cups cold water plus 1/3 or so additional water Place the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of the food process. Pulse to mix. Add 1 1/3 cups of water and process until the dough comes together. If the dough doesn't form a ball, add a little of the extra water. Process for about 60 seconds, turn off machine and let dough rest for 5 minutes. Turn on the machine again and rotate the dough about 30 times under the cover, and then remove it to a lightly floured work surface. it should be fairly smooth and quite firm. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes and then knead roughly and vigorously. The final dough should not stick to your hands as you knead (although it will stick if you pinch and hold a piece); it should be smooth and elastic and, when you hold it up between your hands and stretch it down, it should hold together smoothly. Preliminary rise - 40 to 60 minutes at around 75F. Place the dough into a clean dry bowl, (do not grease the bowl), cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place free from drafts. (note the French do not grease the bowl because they believe the dough needs a seat to push up from). This first rise is sufficient when the dough has definitely started to rise and is about 1 1/2 times its original volume. Deflating: Turn the dough onto your lightly floured work surface roughly and firmly pat and push it out into a 14 inch rectangle. Fold one of the long sides over toward the middle, and the other long side over to cover it, making a 3 layer cushion. Repeat the operation. This important step redistributes the yeast throughout the dough, for a strong second rise. Return the dough smooth side up the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and again set to rise. Final rise in the bowl - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer. The bread should be 2 1/2 to 3 times its original bulk. It is the amount of rise that is important here, not the timing. To Shape, Cut the dough in half. Set one piece aside and cover with a towel. On a lightly floured work surface pat the dough into a 14 inch rectangle, squaring it up as evenly as you can. Fold the rectangle of dough in half lengthwise and using the heel of your hand, firmly press the edges together whether they meet. Seat well. Pound the dough flat. Now repeat - patting the dough out again and folding it over and sealing the edges. Pinch the edges well and Rotate the dough so that the sealed edge in on the bottom. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover with plastic wrap or loosely with a towel and let rise to more than double again at about 75°f. Place stone in oven and Preheat oven to 450°F. Slash three long cuts into the loaves and place on the hot stone. Immediately toss a number of ice cubes on to the bottom on the oven to create steam. Bake until bread is golden and has an interior temp of 200°F. Takes about 30 minutes. Making Dough in a Mixer or by Hand When you are making dough in an electric mixer with a dough hook, proceed in the same general way with the rests indicated, and finish by hand. or mix the dough by hand in a bowl, turn out on a work surface, and start the kneading by lifting it up with a scraper and slapping it down roughly for several minutes until it has body. Let it rest several minutes and then proceed to knead. This is the recipe I use as a basic outline. I use it more as a guideline. I have a Magic Mill that I use to do most of the kneading. I still like to finish kneading by hand.

Hgonet....Unfortunely for me it's better to put my trees in the shade when I take off for a few days than to leave them in the sun. Sometimes your pots stay wet even though it's hot because the roots will just shut down and stop taking up moisture which leaves them left to die in a sea of plenty, especially with constant moisture..If the roots are healthy enough, they will start to take up moisture again once they cool off a bit. Hopefully they were not susceptible to spide mites at a time when the leaves were weak...Do check for them and until the roots cool off, don't fertilize to make it worst... As for mites, just because you don't see webs, does not mean you do not have them. BY the time you see webbing, it can be too late to save any plant or to stop and epidemic of them from killing your tree and other plants near by. That is why you need a magnifying glass to examine the underneath of the leaves very carefully It should be a monthly ritual to check for them, especially in winter. Prevention is always the best cure...One treatment does not rid them for good either...You need to do several days apart to kill the adults and hatching eggs too..At this time of the year, spraying down the leaves almost every day in the a.m can go a long way preventing mites from taking hold.

I understand you are looking for functionality feedback, but if you are at all desirous of having a bright and cheery kitchen you really might want to rethink your plan. You have not one single window in the kitchen and even though the dining room has floor to ceiling windows, that light/sun will not penetrate deep enough to be of real value because of the roof on your outdoor living area. And if the back of the house faces north, I promise you it will be very dark in your kitchen. You will need artificial light any time you are washing dishes or cooking etc. As far as function goes, I would want my stove much closer to my sink, so I would put the stove on the fridge wall and the fridge on the stove wall. As far as the negative comments regarding sitting at an island counter on stools....I absolutely LOVE my large kitchen island and we sit there ALL the time (on stools). We eat there, read there and do all sorts of work sitting at the island. We also have a large dining/breakfast area (16 x 16) surrounded by 12 windows and a nice window seat, but for our casual eating, the island gets the most use. Bottom line for me personally though is that I wouldn’t even consider a kitchen without windows.....too dark. But maybe bright and sunny is not a priority for you. We lived in a rental while our home was under construction and it was laid out in such a way that there were no windows in the kitchen and the attached family room (which faced north), even though it had large windows, afforded no appreciable light. It was always dark and dreary even on a sunny day.