Got to; http://www.gardenhoard.com/ Click on Free seeds, the Free SASE Seeds. you can sign up for the free newsletter, but you can select 8 different seeds, they will send you 6 and you can order again after a month. The instructions ask for a SASE with 2 stamp. They usually have about 5 pages of 15 selections to chose from. The other nice thing is they send them in those little plastic envelopes that are so handy when you share with others. I just put a slip of paper inside when I use them to send to others so they will know what they are getting.

2:2:1, Turface:grit:bark 3:3:1, Turface:grit:bark I might not be fully understanding your question, but I'd say the bark in the picture is on the small side though usable for the gritty mix, but in a lower volume as noted by the ratios above. It would be VERY good as the primary fraction of the 5:1:1 mix, and if you were using it for the 5:1:1 mix, you probably wouldn't need to screen out any fines, as long as they represent a reasonable volume of the whole. You know I'm not being a s/a when I say making these soils isn't rocket science. The point isn't to get you to jump through a bunch of hoops; rather, it's to get you to a place where you're able to implement the concept so you're able to see a marked improvement over heavier soils. All you need to be is 'close', not perfect. Even if you have to adjust what you put in place by adding a wick or tipping a pot after watering because some of the ingredients were too fine or the volume of fine ingredients too great, you're still well on the way to understanding HOW to put your soils together in order to get the most out of them. That's the important part. If your soil doesn't come together perfectly, don't look at it as a mistake; rather, it's a move in the right direction and you'll know how to build on what you have, based on what you know and your practical experience. Some growers prefer to grow in soils like MG for their convenience, and that's fine - no problem with that. Most other growers are limited in their progress when they run smack up against a brick wall, which is their lack of understanding of how soils work. They would LOVE to make progress, but they just don't even understand what is limiting them, let alone how to fix it. Understanding things like how water behaves in soil and how particle size affects water retention isn't just for nerds, it's for anyone who wonders what's on the other side of the wall; and anyone who thinks that's an overblown analogy doesn't understand the limiting effects of heavy soil. OK - read that as encouragement. You're doing great and your posts here & @ the container forum confirm it. I'll even refrain from telling you that you worry too much, because I get a feeling you're not worrying - you're hungry. There's a huge difference and being hungry is something I'd never want to discourage. If I didn't answer your question - rephrase and I'll try to do better. Al

Be firm. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Go to bed knowing that you're doing all that you can do and that you can't solve this problem as a lot of it is completely out of your hands. The "system" can only step after things get dire and even then there are limits to what can be done. I could have written your story only it would be about my brother who refuses to get help or allow anyone to help him. Know that there are plenty of people out there faced with the same crisis as you are. Some stories end up with happy endings and some don't.

mommabird congrats on moving on and doing what you needed for your sons and yourself to get your life back, it's great to hear things are going so well. one thing in your posts really jumped out at me: " " I really do think hoarding is a control issue." as a former hoarder who did get help and learned to overcome the obsessiveness of hoarding, I totally agree that it is about control. I think often what happens is circumstances that make a person feel like they have no control, that could be a job loss, a death in the family, financial problems, poverty, lots of other things that trigger that sense of not being in control in your life. that was very true for me, and the hoarding is like a way to control your surroundings, as long as you control the stuff you feel like you have control over something. one of the greatest feelings though that I wish all hoarders could experience is just letting go, giving up the need to control things and realize that hoarding doesnt improve your life, it doesn't protect you from all the crap that life throws at you and when you learn to let go you get such a sense of freedom from this horrible obsessive behaviour. it's not easy but it can be done and the rewards are so worth it, but I think a lot of hoarders are afraid to try and get the right help but no one can make them face it head on, that has to come from within and just a desire to change and do the hard yards to overcome it. unfortunately though hoarding does affect other people and mostly those who also live in the house, as frankie said above mental illnesses do have that impact, but when a hoarder tries to control everything in your surroundings, it ends up controlling what other family members can or can't do as well. At the end of the day, you realized what is right for you and your kids.