I make my raised beds out of sandbags, and it seems to work really well for me. I'm so clueless with tools and wood that I'm not sure which end of the hammer you hit things with, so that wasn't an option; and I can't afford stone, so bags of sand turned out to be the way to go, for me. I was lucky enough to get all the bags (already filled!) for free the first year, from the soil testing lab at the engineering firm I work for. (That hasn't worked out as well in the last few years because I need so many bags at a time, but the bags only cost about 15-25 cents each, and a pick-up truck load of whatever sand is cheapest at the landscaping facility to fill them with is only 11 dollars). I use the 15" by 27" white polypropylene UV-treated sand bags with tie strings attached. They hold up pretty well for me, usually a year or more. Eventually, they start ripping (probably because I sit down on them to weed so often, and I'm not skinny :), and I dump out the sand that was in the bag, mix it with some compost, and toss it in the veggie beds. The beds honestly don't turn out as tacky-looking as they sound. (I wish I had a camera!) Stacked 2 bags high like I have them, in a half over-lapping brick pattern; and because the bags are plain white, it just kind of looks like big pieces of fieldstone, especially with the mulch all around the beds in the paths. If you wanted to try something similar, check your local phone book for geotechnical engineering firms, paving companies, concrete plants, commercial borrow pits and rock mines and quarries. Also your local branch office of the US Dept. of Transportation. All those places have full sand and rock sampling bags laying around all the time, and usually just heave them into dumpsters. They also usually also have stockpiles of various kinds of dirt: and all that black, organic, grass & wood debris-filled dirt that concrete and paving contractors PAY to haul off their job sites and have disposed of is free gardener's gold.

I will be trying some of the gimmicks (methods). Thanks for the discussion. Walls of water work for me because we have warm weather with cold spells. The walls of water enable the plants to survive the few cold days. I remove them as soon as the cold threats are over and I only use them for a few plants because they are kind of a pain to manage. I can see why they might not be convenient for people who grow many plants. I will try clear plastic to warm the soil and winter sowing some of the tomato seeds I saved. Because of my erratic weather I have used winter sowing only for plants that can take the cold. It would be nice to start some more outside so I will try it on tomatoes to see for myself.

You have definitely quieted my fears. The pics of the slabs that were sent to me looked sooo busy i got pretty nervous. This web site and all the people willing to share are a God-send. Thanks. And becktheeng I also love the backsplash-your whole kitchen! Do you have a piece of marble on the area right above your microwave? (just curious) I want to put a plug in for Joshua from Creative Soapstone for anyone reading this. I emailed him with some questions and he called me right up and helped me. Then when my fabricator came to measure we had to call Joshua again. Although he is not receiving any business from me (due to the distance-I'm in MT) he was so courteous and helpful..If I was in his area I def. would hire him for my countertops. Not only super knowledgable but generous with his expertise.

Thanks - that's helpful to know that the nickel is a warmer tone. You can kind of see that the tone is slightly different in the pictures. I wonder if the patina thing happens with all or if that's a brand specific situation. I don't really want to get a patina like the ORB stuff I bought years back. My new faucet is chrome. I will never again buy any faucet that isn't classic chrome as I'm so tired of the trendy finishes that go out of style. I don't particularly like silver hardware on a medium/light cabinet but I also don't want trendy bronze that will also go out of style. So I will probably go with some combo of chrome/polished nickel and brushed nickel so at least it's all the same color. This isn't a high end remodel, just a minor update of a small guest bathroom that isn't used that often. It all started with ancient wallpaper removal and then I decided to replace the cheap, ugly vanity and medicine cabinet and then the hanging brass light fixture had to go. On and the door that swings out into the hall will be changed to swing into the bathroom. What were they thinking......