1) Check in with all the folks over on the Florida Gardening forum here. Lots of Tampa area folks post there. 2) Is your 20x20 in ground? If so get a soil test and follow the instructions on what to work into it - especially lots of organic matter (compost). 3) Given what I know about the soil in your area from others, consider raised beds filled with quality compost and something other than local soil or BIG containers instead of in-ground. 4) check with your local county extension office for tips and check out the University of Florida Extension website http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/ for all their gardening information. Good luck. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Gardening

And here I was thinking I was the only one who painted up my gnomes!! I'm soooo glad you do that, too!! For some reason a lot of people here in Aussieland thinks it's wrong to do that. I think they look GREAT! And is that what it's called? A hoosier? I never heard of that before. I have something similar and painted it up, too, with a valley scene. My cupboard kinda fell apart when we moved and I haven't fixed it yet but it's on the 'to-do' list.

The varieties developed by UF for growing here in Florida are developed to suit the needs of commercial growers. In other words, the plants will set fruit in hot/humid conditions and grow in worm-filled sand and the fruits are firm so that they have good "shipability." However, they taste like cardboard. Not worth growing IMO. You can buy cardboard tasting tomatoes in Publix for not much money and a heck of a lot less work.

Slate is pretty porous and needs to be well sealed---much like concrete. If you want a surface that gets patina, then Corian is it. It's the right color---the Mint Ice--and it will get small scratches and nicks in it over time. Take a look at a local kitchen showroom to see for yourself. However, Corian is non porous, and even if you leave oil on it for weeks, it will never soak in. It may be a bit of a splurge for the aqua tile you show, but it will be cheaper than the sheet glass. Last time I priced glass from a local showroom for a client, she could have done granite cheaper. You really don't have that much backsplash to cover. Maybe 12-15 square feet from the counter to the shelf? Even if the tile is $75 a square foot, that's the $1200 expense that will completely make the entire kitchen. For the back wall, I think you should do more of the horizontal glass cabinetry. They should run the length of the entire back wall, except over the range. NO OTR! This isn't the kitchen for it. You have plenty of counter space for a small MW on the right hand side of the back wall. That glass range hood would be perfect over your range.