Drew is full of it and aparently never reads any studies that get posted showing that Turface increases the available water in various container media. Turface DOES NOT hold onto water so tightly that the plants can't utilize stored water. There is a point as the mix dries where water that is held in the turface becomes unavailable, but that can be said of plain old garden soil too. Much of the water held in turface is available. That said, the moisture retention curve for axis (DE) is better at holding water that is available to plants than turface (calcined clay) You can use the sifted turface in your garden. Studies have shown it toimprove both sandy and clay soils.

Thank you to everyone in answering my questions. Since our planting season here in Florida begins February 15th for Spring planting I have to make some decisions on my soil mixture now. I read though about 30 pages of old SFG forum threads going back to 2005. I also have some thoughts after reading many of the postings. This is only my opinion based on past experiences with soiless mixtures and from what I gleamed from the postings. I believe that to have very good to excellent success with Mel's mixtures, whether you use his old formula or the new, you need to be using your own ripe compost. Nothing in a bag is going to match the richness of home-grown compost. I believe that is why some of the new people to the SFG method have lukewarm results. Here in Florida, to grow roses, our local rose society chapter recommended excavating a hole 18"x18" and filling it with a soiless mixture very much like Mel's original soil recipe. We used several organic amendments including the fine pine bark mixed with peat and compost. So, my plan is to mix my rose soil recipe for my new 4x4 foot bed and do a PH test on the finish mixture. I will have no homegrown compost in this bed, but I plan to grow mostly herbs this first season. My second bed is 4x8 and 10 1/2" deep. For this bed, I am going to use Mel's new soil proportions and use a bag of soil conditioner pine bark along with bagged manures and my own leaf compost which is a year old and totally broken down. I plan to also incorporate greensand, soft rock phosphate & gypsum, all of which I already have on hand. Again I will do a ph test on the finish bed. This bed is going to be mostly beans,limas and green pole beans and one yellow squash. We have another growning season in the Fall for lettuce, spinach and many of the other veggies you'll grow in the Spring. My third bed, another 4x8 bed, will become a compost bed for the spring and summer. Our leaf gathering and raking is just now beginning here. I will hope to get a nice load of horse manure and mushroom compost to add to the oak leaves. I will also build my three compost bins for my side dressing next year. I plan to keep a journal of the results of these soil mixtures for future beds and will gladly past along the results. I will enjoy reading your postings as the growing year nears for all of you on this forum. I have learned more from reading thru the past threads than I did attending 4 hours of classroom time for organic vegetable gardening. Thank you everyone! Mary

Can't you just keep it room temperature? Whenever I made chocolates I would store them in a cupboard, well wrapped, away from other flavours. I think you will always get a haze on frozen chocolate even refrigerated chocolate.

Almond bark so simple taste like chocolate. Place four squares in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute stir with fork. Continue microwaving and 2o second intervals until creamy. Caution do not over cook. Now dip any of your favorite foods in it. My personal favorite. Brown coconut in oven until chrispy. ( not black) One package of coconut to 4 squares of almond bark. Blend well. Spoon onto wax paper .place in freezer ten minutes. Sets up almond bark. Now enjoy. This is called hay stacks. 7.00 each in the store.