One of the great things about fabric containers is that they act like small raised beds if you put them in contact with the soil and don't move them. The earth acts as a giant wick drawing excess moisture out of the pot. At the same time, it keeps the pot from drying out completely. For this reason, you can use a heavier soil mix in a fabric container in contact with the ground. I modify my 5-1-1 mix by replacing the perlite with DE (NAPA FloorDry) and replacing the peat with compost. I don't do that for my regular containers. I strongly recommend NOT moving these pots.

Love the stuff! (Can't stand the smell until it dries, but love the results!!!) Deer aren't too much of a problem here but the bunnies are atrocious. As others said, the longer you use it, the longer you can go between sprayings -- the animals really do tend to go looking for better-smelling vittles. They make a concentrate in a 40-oz size (makes 5 gallons) for $40 or a gallon size (makes 16 gallons) for $125, which can make it much more economical. (Note: don't confuse the ready-to-spray gallon size with the much more expensive concentrate in the gallon size.) Link below for their website if your retailer doesn't offer the concentrate. Warning -- this stuff stinks to high heaven until it dries! I had no idea just how horrible it would be, particularly on a humid, windless evening. I sprayed it on my morning glories about 4' from our pool, and even the kids got out of the pool, they were gagging so bad! (When it dries, however, you can't smell it unless you get down on the ground and stick your nose almost in the dirt.) Best way I can describe it to anyone who hasn't been blessed with the experience: combine that "nursing home urine" smell with "wet dog" smell with "fresh vomit" smell, stir it up well, then let it ferment for a few days... that's what this stuff smells like when it's fresh. (no wonder Bunny Foo-Foo doesn't want to nibble on it!) Once the kids have gotten a good whiff, you can always use the threat of a blast from your spray bottle to keep them in line, too. ;o) Here is a link that might be useful: Liquid Fence 40 oz concentrate

Bottom Line - I think Maca is having a positive effect. Will continue taking it. I am perimenopausal. Before Maca, I have either hot flashes or sleeplessness. One month I had tremendous hot flashes over my entire body; made me look for Remifemen which did nothing for me. For the most part, my flashes come once every 45 minutes, last about 5 minutes. When hot flashes fade, sleeplessness comes in. Update: Week 1 . Been taking 1 capsule of 500mg Maca, twice a day with meals. Just two days before getting the Maca, I was experiencing 1 mild hot flash a day and not feeling sleepy until 1:45AM. Started the maca. In the first week I have been sleeping through the night, no hot flashes. Week 2. Same as week 1. Could it be the Maca is fixing my issues? Week 3. Same as week 1, but I am getting acne pimples on my jaw line. Looked up Maca; the acne is a documented side effect, especially for those who are prone to acne, which I am. I will stop taking the second Maca capsule daily. Week 4. Got 1 flash on Monday. Another 1 on Tuesday. Period started Wednesday. Am getting a few flashes a day now. They do not last long and the heat is less. Wonder if my acne was due to my period starting, since i can break out before my period. This is the beginning of week 5. I am going back to Maca 2 times a day. Not noticing any particular effects on my libido yet. I do want to do the wild thing, but not any more than usual. Am noticing an increase in energy. My friend told me I seem more energetic. Could be a result of getting a good night's sleep. Was told that Maca was mentioned by a guest on Doctor Oz on Friday.

I think this has been a fruitful discussion. I hope it continues. The more I think about this, the more I believe people should be encouraged by KDs, the kitchen sellers at the big box stores, cabinet makers, etc., to consider counter heights when planning a kitchen. And I think a big shout-out to many of the great contributors here at GW is called for because until I spent hours...well, really weeks of hours...reading through reveals, advice to folks planning their kitchens, and such, I never would have thought of all these types of details being important for a good, functional, pleasant space. GWE’s (GardenWeb Experts) are the bomb!! Last night I made a big salad and started a pot of “clean out the refrigerator” soup. I really liked chopping and that kind of prep on the higher counter. My DH helped a bit a really liked it as well. I also made scratch biscuits. I hand-mixed the dough at four different heights: on the higher counter with the triple breadboards on top (didn’t like), regular counter height (didn’t like), on the breadboard when it was slid into its slot, just below counter-height (liked it much better but still a bit high), and then put the breadboard across two counter-height stools (a bit too low). I think a small stretch of counter somewhere in-between the latter two would be nice for that type of work and other baking, machine-mixing, yada yada type tasks. I’ll continue the experiments. My chiropractor...who I seldom need anymore due to the excellent exercises he’s given me to strengthen my back and keep myself in alignment...does a weekly radio show on our local station. I called in this morning and mentioned this issue and asked him about it. He was very enthusiastic and gave some examples of people he has worked with who have had back issues directly related to long-term repetitive movements where things are not at the right height for them. So, really, for someone who cooks a lot, this isn’t a trivial issue. I really want to learn more about this. Oh, gosh...my friends already think I’m the anti-high-heel and heavy-purse nazi, now I'll be the counter-height nazi, too. But I had a back injury for which I was told I would never fully recover, only have limited mobility, and will always have pain. Well, I proved them wrong on all counts due to proper exercises (mostly from chiropractor) and body movements. I can go hiking with a 30+-pound pack and other activities, like 50-mile bike rides, that they said I'd never be able to do again. And I haven't taken a pain pill since 2008. It's because I've become the healthy-back nazi, LOL. This stuff is important for quality of life issues, imho. Off my soap box. @westsider 40 - Good points about not kneading long. I really don’t bake often where I need to knead. When I do, I move my large breadboard to my table and do it there. So it might be best to just continue doing it that way. @Oaktown - 14” difference! Wow. You would almost need two separate kitchens to work best for the two of you. Yeah, I think you should have a stool under each appliance and in each toekick. Just pull the whole thing out when you’re cooking. DH can push it all in when he’s cooking. @tracie.erin - Interesting on the stove height. I can see why that would be good to have it lower since your arm motion is different when stirring and such at a stove vs. chopping/slicing/dicing in a prep area. I do think my stove is the right height. If we do raise the counters on the wall, we’ll have to make adjustments for a lower stove top. Thanks for the tip. @laughable - Yes, I’m trying to put a lot of thought into this kitchen. And you are one of the people who have really inspired me to put in the extra time and effort to get it right. It will be my last so it better be good! I usually transfer from stock/crock pots in the sink because I’m unbelievably clumsy, lol. The pictures aren’t showing, darn it. I just am getting the Photobucket “This person has moved or deleted” message. It could be my computer. I had to take it back to factory settings last night and am still loading updated drivers and such. I’ll come back later and check it again. I can visualize your explanation of what he did in his own kitchen and why. Still need to get to my library to see if they have any of his books.