I few more details on the plans that I posted above: The raised beds along the fence would be completely separate from the fence, I'm not talking about heaping dirt against the fence or anything like that lol! Just building raised beds 2' wide and placing them against the fence so I can grow vertically as much as possible. I have a 50' roll of black vinyl coated chain link fencing (part of it is used to enclose the current garden) and I plan to repurpose it by hanging it along the back fence so I can trellis peas, beans, tomatoes, melons, whatever. I have been reading that growing vertically is one way to get more out of a small space. Since I have two medium sized dogs and I have learned the hard way that regular garden fencing or poultry wire isn't really sturdy enough, I was planning to buy some hog panels, have them cut in half, and have those go along the front of the beds to keep everything out. Hog panels are 34" tall and the bars are close together at the bottom and gradually get further apart as they go up. Each half would weigh about 17 pounds, so I can lift a section off as needed to tend the garden, then put it back up when I'm done. The design I came up with has a 4' tall 4'x4' fence post between each bed, about 2' feet out from the existing fence posts. The end pieces of each raised bed will be screwed into it, and once the 1' tall beds are filled with dirt, it should be plenty sturdy enough to support these panels. I also intend to have a piece of 2"x4" going between each of these posts and the actual fence posts to lend greater stability to both, and that will be the only thing that connects the raised beds to the fence. I thought it would be best to keep them totally separate to allow the fence to be worked on or even replaced later if needed, without having to remove the beds. The center beds would need a different setup for keeping out the dogs and rabbits. I had in mind some kind of enclosure that goes around the perimeter, with a gate at the opening. Most likely I would use the same hog panel idea so I could access the beds from the outside or the inside, or I could opt to leave part of it in place and use it for a trellis. I have thought about even enclosing the whole thing with heavy plastic to create a greenhouse for winter, and I could also use it to suspend shade cloth since the sun is a bit too much here in Oklahoma in the summer and it actually gets hot enough that the tomatoes stop setting fruit. The only thing I don't like about this idea is that it is right in the middle of the yard (actually, two of them, one on each side) though the dogs would have a blast running around them. Aesthetically, I think the perimeter beds along the fence would be more attractive and open, even with the smaller island beds added. I would probably put just low covers on those and use those beds for low growing crops since I would have plenty of space to trellis the taller crops along the fence. Thank you for considering my ideas and if you have any feedback or suggestions for me, please let me know! Here is a link that might be useful:

I am not the Dahlia expert that some of the people on this forum, but ..........dont worry about which direction the old "stem" is pointed, its the new ones that count. I have read that pinching the new growth back to about an inch is best, then either point the new growth up or to the side (and they will find there way up anyway). I pretty much always lay the tubers on their "sides". The eyes (where the sprout is forming on the tuber) need to be 4-6" deep. If you tried to plant them vertically in a pot you would need a pot that is 12-16" deep just to get them planted. As far as growing them in 8 in pots goes, that seems small to me, but it really depends on the type of Dahlia. The smaller varieties may be fine, crowded but fine. I wouldn't plant anything in a pot that has the potential to grow more than twice the height of the container. So they sure wouldn't work for Dahlias that get 4-5 feet tall, or even 2 feet tall. The size of the tuber has almost nothing to do with the size of the mature plant. I have had Dahlias that shoot multiple stems, growing 5 feet tall from 3" tubers. Make sure you know what you are growing before you plant them up.

Since none of the pros have piped up with their precise secret formulas, here's how I'd swag it: -Bathroom is about 16' x 10', so order 160 square feet of the floor tile. Yeah, the tile goes a little further than 16' in the toilet room, but I didn't subtract the shower or tub footprint, so those offset it, plus eat up the off cuts. -Shower walls: looks like you've got 2 that are about 5x8 and 2 that are ~2x8 (assume 8 foot ceilings), so that's 112 square feet for them. Not subtracting the area for the accent strip will cover off-cuts. -Shower floor and ceiling: Two ~5x5 spaces, so you need 50 square feet. The square is cut off on the door side, reducing the need, but keep it in to cover off-cuts. -Accent strip: 16" wide x 14 feet of wall length = 19 feet. I'd round up on this. -Deco tiles: You've got 1 every 5.5", over 14 feet, which is 30 tiles. Get a couple extra in case you break one. And on everything, round up the nearest box size.

Mamma dukes, I'm not quite understanding. Currently, on the wall left of the door are the broom hooks, which can move. On the other side of the wall are the integrated refrigerator and freezer of the new kitchen. Oh!! I get it now. That's what you meant--the outside. You meant to open up the wall? Couldn't be done anyway, because it's holding up the stairs. They couldn't even bring in a new outlet in that wall. Thanks for the idea, though. Dapitou, the slatwall is an interesting idea, but I'm worried it would just add bulk pushing into the center walking space without giving me much that I can't get from the shelving I already have. I can see that in a garage it's really useful for keeping the floor clear of feet, but how would you use it in a narrow space to make the most of the volume? B'more, I like the idea of hooks for the chairs. Maybe even bicycle hooks. I'd have to pad them, but I think that's better than just standing them on their sides. Rather than slatwall, there's no reason I can't put the hooks and shelves right into the wall. I don't know if I need differing depths of shelves, but it's certainly something to look at! I never even thought of a hook for the vacuum hose. That's a great idea. Actually...these slatwall and hook recommendations are making me think of things like hanging tools, as well. Over in the short area, I could put up hooks for the power tools, rasps and other assorted tools that I hate rummaging for since I use them so little. Mostly, I use the screwdriver and pliers that live in the bottom drawer in the kitchen. :) Eliminating the tool box makes more room for the chairs and uses a difficult piece of wall. Just an Osterizer (assuming you wouldn't want to use the Cuisinart), but it needs a home too! It's currently in a box on the floor in the kitchen. But...I could just put the margarita maker in the pantry, or even unbox it and put it in a drawer... :D