grizzman I guess it came out wrong, it was late and I needed to get to bed. I meant that growing in soil generally takes about ten times more water than growing hydroponically. With soil you pour water on them and it all drains down through the earth (pots etc.), that takes continual watering (often daily). Where hydroponics makes use of all the water in the system (unless it's a run to waist type system). So really the only water used is what the plants drink, and some evaporation (depending on location and setup design). jfd986 I simply cant tell you how much it will cost to build and run the system that you decide to build. That's why I wanted to explain all the variables to consider when making a decision. If you decide to use a water culture system that only uses one or two air pumps, you wont notice anything on your electric bill. Unless you decide to grow inside, then you would need to factor in the cost to run the lights as well for the same plants. Bottom line * Water pumps, timers, and air pumps cost almost nothing to run, unless you are using a lot of them. * Lights I would go with what grizzman said with respect to cost to run, I don't use lights myself, I grow in sunlight (its cheaper that way). But you would need to factor in the cost of equipment. It isn't just the cost of the bulb. As bbrush said there's the cost of the ballast, and metal halide, and High pressure sodium ballasts are not interchangeable to the best of my knowledge. So if you are needing both type, for different phases of plant growth, well that adds up. Also you will need a light reflector to direct the light down to your plants. * The cost to build the system depends on how you build it, how elaborate you want it, as well as what the cost of the materials you need are. What type of system you decide on etc.. I can tell you that I built a system using 4, 5 gallon buckets for the plants, a 18 gallon reservoir, all the tubing and parts needed to build it, including the water pump and timer, even both black and white spray paint to light proof the system (as well as the growing medium), for under $100. But again I use natural light so I get great growth, without needing to buy expensive lighting (much less the cost to run them). This system cost just about nothing in electricity to run, and I had 4 large broccoli plants growing for about 6 months in it. do I really have to keep the light on for 24 hours? No, the lights don't need to be on 24/7. Everybody has a different lighting cycle for their plants, and they often change the on/off times (cycle) as the plants grow. Some plants like more light than others do, so lighting cycles should depend on the plants you grow. 1) Change the water Here everybody has their own preferences. Some change it once a week, some ever other week, some once a month, and others change it once or twice a year. The size of the reservoir, as well as the size of the plants is a big factor in those decisions as well. I personally chance it between one week and one month. There are a lot of variables in my decision, and I always pay attention to how the plants look. 2) Add nutrients (Are there instructions on the bag for that? Should I just comb through previous posts?) Again here everybody has their own preferences, and each situation is unique to that situation. I'm not sure what nutrients you plan to use, but any manufacture of hydroponic nutrients should have mixing directions with the product (and online as well). But generally you can mix them a little weaker than the manufacture directions. There is also a difference in how strong they should be depending on size of the plants, but manufactures list that as well, they refer to it as the growth phase. 3) Water them (Do they even need watering?) Every plant needs water, so I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking if you need to hand water them? That would depend on how you designed and built your system. But that's why people use pumps in the first place, so the watering cycle is automated. In the case of a water culture system, the roots are always in the water, and the air pump provides much needed oxygen, and air bubbles to the roots so they don't suffocate. 4) Expect them to yield edibles I must of mist it, I'm not sure what plants you decided to grow after all. But generally speaking about the same as growing in soil. They will probably (and likely) grow a little faster than in soil. It all depends on how well you control the growing environment, that makes a big difference in both plant health, as well as yield. The better the conditions, the faster the plants grow. Any pet supply store will carry air pumps (and air stones) in the fish tank department. You can get an air pump designed for a 30 to 60 gallon fish tank at Wal-Mart for about $12 (air stones $2-$3). If you are planing to build a big water culture system and more air output, they do make high output air pumps, starting for about $80 and up that you can find online. P.S. I have some good links to strawberry information, but you say you decided not to grow them after all, so I guess I wont post them after all. If you want to keep track of the electricity costs get a Kill-A-Watt, you can get them at almost any home improvement store inexpensively. They will tell you exactly how much each electrical device is costing to run. You just need to know how much you pay per kilowatt hr (that's on your electric bill), and is programmable into the device.

Ha! I don't dare call my mother to tell her that I have found yet another one, and I NEED TO STOP! I truly have NO place for them, but the challenge and learning experience with each one is just what I love. And, just maybe, I'll learn something that can bring me a few dollars when I retire, although so far, I'd hate to give up any of my 'babies'. When I start tripping over them, it'll be easier to let go. :-) On the Antique form, I got 'Jacobean Revival', and I did find an image that is very close. Now that Mary Ruth has weighed in, I see another Antique Flemish chair (link below) that is also very much like it. This one that, gulp, yes, I am buying for $45, is oak. Bargain? What do you all think? The CL seller bought it to re-do, but has never gotten around to it. She is even including the fabric that she bought to re-do, which I have not seen, but she describes as 'nice, a rich looking tapestry fabric.' A friend who is in Northern Maine until Thursday AM is picking up this chair for me in our state capitol Thursday AM and bringing it to me, as he goes right through Augusta on his trip back south. HAPPY DANCE! Here is a link that might be useful: Antique Flemish Chair

I have a few foot-tall sticks that cling to life: 'Dainty Bess', 'Lady Mary Fitzwilliams', 'Nigrette', if our very hot summer this year didn't do in my last plant of it: this puny rose clings to life amazingly. Doing pretty well, especially considering the bad ground it was planted in, is 'Cl. Mme. Caroline Testout'. This is a very tough rose that does well on its own roots. I have another nameless climbing HT, a beautiful long-budded pink variety, a found rose given to me as a cutting, that's growing in heavy ground without support and doing surprisingly well. I would love to move this to a pergola but am afraid I might lose it, even though I've seen to what extent one can massacre roses during transplanting and still see them come back. I want to take cuttings of this and put the new plant in a more appropriate spot. I have several plants of 'Mme. Jules Bouche' and am hopeful that for some I may finally have created the conditions it needs to reach its full potential. It has a lot of Tea character. Also a puny plant of 'Barcelona', my last survivor of this variety, and I hope I've planted it adequately and it will grow well. 'Barcelona' is tough, but my garden is too often tougher. Warm climate roses and their close relatives, among which I include the Pemberton Hybrid Musks and HTs, struggle in my garden. I think they need lighter soil than I can readily provide, some protection from wind and full sun, and a degree of what I can only call gentility in their conditions which the once-blooming old roses of European origin can better do without. This fall I planted some herbaceous peonies and a lemon verbena in a corner of the garden where shrubs have been growing for several years now and where I have steadily mulched. I think some buried part of my brain had decided that the environment had been sufficiently domesticated to support herbaceous perennials. The same would need to be done for HTs. I think, terracing, rich, somewhat soft soil, in an area hedged by shrubs and with a mature decidous tree or two somewhere in the vicinity, would be perfect. Naturally the hectare or so of the garden doesn't include a single spot where such conditions exist, I'm not sure there's one where they could even be implemented. I would love to try 'Oklahoma', for one, and there are other Hybrid Teas that pull at me.

We moved into a neighborhood of 1960s-70s colonials. One of the many things I liked about our house was the black slate foyer floor. A new friend came by and mentioned that "that slate is really easy to remove" and she had just put new large-format tile in her foyer instead. 12 years later and I still prefer my black slate. The other thing I wouldn't and won't change is the kitchen curtains. The kitchen faces the street and includes a breakfast nook, so we need some curtains, but I don't want to block the view altogether. The house came with cafe curtains, as well as an upper tier of curtains (not a valance) for the larger breakfast nook windows. They are somewhat sheer, maybe translucent is the word, which I like: it's like looking through lightly-frosted glass so I can see if someone is walking by the house without really being able to see who they are. The little ruffle probably dates them the most, but given that they are otherwise plain it's cute. What I'd really like is a toile pattern, but I just can't find a fabric that is translucent, without being "shiny".