First stuff leaching out will go down. Very little will reach out. Yes roots will hit it. If you are really worried slide some metal down - get white metal coil (used when siding to cover posts, facia etc.). Cheap and slide it down. Now roots must go down to get "under" timbers and for sure all chemicals coming off will not go near 99% of roots. Also in a couple years 75% of chemicals or more will likely be gone. I worry a lot but I think you are ok. I used regular wood - untreated. I bought sealer that was nontoxic. Its not working. Been 3 or 4 years and it is not going to be long before some boards break. I now slope soil down at wood to allow less dirt to touch the boards to let them dry in hopes to make them last longer. PT wood would have been thousands (I made BIG beds)

Thanks to all of you for your comments and compliments. Wow, so many nice things! A couple of you asked what the floors are, they are your basic 2.5" red oak floors, not engineered. We just had wood floors installed in the living/dining/stairs last fall (was yucky carpet) and then had them all refinished and stained Minwax Dark Walnut. I absolutely love them It completely changed the look of our house. We bought this house 3 years ago and have completely remolded every inch ourselves. And I am glad so many of you like the paint colors! That was a drama filled episode. They used to be Ralph Lauren's Antique Brown then they were SW Perfect Greige and now Tony Taupe. All within 3 years. Exhausting. But I love the current colors. I used Accessible Beige in the kitchen and I have to say that color is my favorite. I agree about the living room rug and the size. I wish I had gone a size up but hubby would have my head if I bought another right now. The foyer rug has to stay this size (4x6) because I have 3 young boys (all under age 4) who like to push their little cars/carts and do relays through the foyer, they would be very upset if I got something larger that would interrupt their race-track;-) One more question-I want to install a shutter and remove the drape on the single window in the living room. My plan is to buy new panels for the large window in living and in the dining. What are thoughts on having a shutter on just one window? The side of the house faces a tot park and we just want a little more privacy. Plus I love shutters. I just installed them in our family room and am looking for excuses to put them other places. Again, thank you everyone!!

They should be fine this year, if there isn't much growth you can apply a balanced fertilizer but if you want to induce more vigour, you'll have to pluck off the fruits, otherwise they'll focus on fruiting.

This cake I found at Orangette gets raves. I do not use the glaze, but it's on her site. I also add cardamom and bake in small loaf pans. I feel the texture is better as it doesn't bake so long. MG Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze If you have only light brown sugar in the house, by all means, use it. But having made the cake both ways, with light brown sugar and with dark brown sugar, I prefer it with dark. The flavor is fuller, with a different depth. For the cake: 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 large eggs 1 cup (200 grams) sugar ½ cup (90 grams) dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar 1 ½ cups (360 grams) unsweetened applesauce (though the tiny amount of sweetener in this applesauce is fine) 2/3 cup (160 ml) vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a standard-size (12-cup) Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and spices, and whisk to mix well. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the eggs with both sugars until light. Beat in the applesauce, oil, and vanilla until smooth. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture, and beat briefly, just to combine. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently, making sure that all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan on a rack before turning it out and allowing to cool completely.