I used the Quickrete in the blue bag, it has 'fibers' in it for strenth. Also, pick up some chicken wire or hardware cloth to 'smoosh' into the leaf castings if making stepping stone. That will give it plenty of strength to walk on them. Just make sure you use rubber gloves when working with the stuff... it'll peel your hands really bad. Don't breathe in the dust either! I've since painted mine green and they look super. I made 3 more from my petesites leaves. Eventually, I'll swap out the tree slab stepping stones for the cast ones. I'm currently working on a new path to our walkway. I picked up a 'cobblestone' mold from lowes. I'm using the same fiber quickrete as mentioned earlier. Super, super easy!!!! Looks dam good, too!! I also made a couple bird baths using elephant ears. You'll need some sand. Lay out some plastic, dampen the sand and mound it up and lay your leave on it. This creates a 'bowl shape' to hold water. Don't have a photo yet of those, sorry. So don't be 'skeered'... just go for it! You'll amaze yourself at all the possibilities. DH will eat his heart out see you making mud pies!!! Good luck!! Nancy

Thanks for your suggestion. How could I forget the lights? Especially when I've recommended that remedy to others! I've seen those umbrella-style cloches in catalogs; they do look nice and easy to use and store. I finally did get a response over in the peony forum, advising that the plant is probably quite safe down to the low 20's By that time, though, with my son's help I had constructed the teepee and cut a semicircle of pool cover material, also brought three 1-gallon jugs of water from the greenhouse and nestled them near the plant. At night we just secure the cover over the teepee frame with a few large paper clamps. So far, the peony buds are still looking good. Temps are rising now, and they're predicting a nor'easter tomorrow into Sunday, with snow accumulations of 8-12" or more. I just knew we'd get winter ... eventually.

Apoligies for bringing up an ancient post. The "Cowboy Charcoal Mesquite Wood Chips" potato chip bag size are I believe just that. Wood Chips not Charcoal Chips. Used for getting wet and smoking and flavoring food. I remembered seeing smaller bags of "stuff" next to charcoal and I think this is what it is. Sorry for the bad news, we will just have to buy the big bags and crush. As for crushing. Please, please, please do not breath the dust. Wetting will cut the dust and soften the charcoal making crushing easier. Many people are presently hard at work making small cookstoves that use only a tiny bit of wood and leave charcoal. http://worldstove.com/products/the-beaner-backpacking-stove/ is one brand. It has had poor reviews in backpacking forums. So don't buy it. It is a tiny example of the important aspect of charcoal making of burning off the released gasses so they do not pollute. The gasses released by the charcoal actually burn. Burners that use less wood are very important in places where wood is scarce and women have to search long distance for it and are subject to grave dangers and death. The secret of biochar is not what it is but what it is not. The empty spaces are the gold. The wee beasties do all the work. The nooks and crannies like a good english muffin provide the surface area. Like much of the sea is baron until a shipwreck which draws sea life. Biochar is an island of microscopic life. I'm interested in how to get the biochar dirty or life filled to do its job. May toss some into bokashi before the vermicomposting bin. I have made, am and will in the future make a few small batches. 1/4 acre here too. I will soon buy lump charcoal also. To put in the worm bin. I may not crush. Biochar is charcoal made for the express purpose of putting into soil. Process are still being worked on to bring biochar production into this century. The key is to make biochar without making polution. The idea is to use the offgasses to good use. They are valuable resourses too. Biochar like a baby is temporarily resource hungry before it begins giving back to society. But it is not a picky eater. BSFL waste drippings, pig waste, the yuckier the better. Biochar provides a home for the good guys in the soil. Without the good guys the soil has either bad guys or is dead. Living soil grows good plants.

I know it's a little late to be commenting on this post that turned up in my search for info on Loquat, Eriobotrya japonica. Although this thread didn't have anything to do with my question about Loquats, I couldn't stop reading. Scott, you did a great job on this article. I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot. I'm particularly interested in the cold frames you made with the PVC. Last year I made some out of wood for my mom and stapled plastic to it. I will not do that again. I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind. (1) What width or diameter PVC did you use? I didn't realize PVC was that flexible. What makes it hold that shape? (2) Did you just sink the ends of the PVC directly into the ground? I couldn't tell because of the blankets. I'd like to be prepared long before winter sets in this winter. Your frames are great because they look easy to construct and easy to dismantle & store when not in use. Thank you.