Then if I understand correctly, given your physical limitations the easiest thing to do would be to add some additional bags of a quality compost/soil mix and other amendments as you mentioned. The plants along the sunken edges can be raised/transplanted as needed when possible - many times all it takes is a shovel under the plant and a bit of a lift - use a chunk of wood or something as a fulcrum so your back doesn't do all the work - and shove a bit of new soil under them then water back into place. I wouldn't use the hose to pressure wash soil into the holes but would just let nature takes its course over time and add the compost mix as needed. Your soil will need to be amended annually anyway. If your local county ag extension office has a Master Gardener program they are always open to doing projects such as this for folks - at least ours is. All they usually ask is if you will allow them to stick in a small sign saying SoandSo County Master Gardener Project. You can also contact any local Boy Scout office and ask for any Eagle Scouts looking to earn their landscaping badge. The Scouts around here do it for a cooler of soda and some bags of chips. :) Dave

fleur do not be discouraged by failures of peat. more on that in a moment. I will start by stating I have no exp with hypertufa. That is what led me here. However as most things I do, I try to think of all things untried from a start on the foundation of physics (career habit). I think your suggested mix will be ok with 1 additional additive, a plasticizer. My first thought is with such a large percentage of perlite your mold will have a sever case of crumbling due to the excessive expanding and contracting of the perlite material. This type of activity is only 1 of many cuases for cement base products to crack but probably the most common. I would try starting with very small batches for something simple like maybe some coasters for the coffee table. Just add some felt or cork to the bottom for protection of the table. In my search on the web I have found tons of various lightweight cement ideas but the Hypertufa seems to be the most practical for home use. There are a lot of other lightweights out there but they employ special manufacturing technics that are not possible/practical for small scale use. On your problems with the peat. I have read that the best way to prepare the peat is to completely break it up and soak it in water for a few minutes then squeeze the excess water out before adding to the mix. Not sure how peat is sold in your area but for me it is sold in compressed blocks and if I took a small clump and tossed it in water it would simply float for hours. I have to literally pulverize it before use. I recall the first time I used peat was for a mulch and the water just flowed right off the bed. So I had to go thru the whole bed and rake it all out. I learned it wasn't good for mulch so I mixed it in the compost pile, it did wonders there. I don't mean to be harsh but I find it difficult to think you have done it all correctly when so many people have succeeded. Keep in mind curing is critical and curing all depends on both ambient temp and humidity plus the moister content of the mix. In my area the only successful crack free cement projects I have seen is when the project is continuously kept moist for several days. The real tragedy in that is I rarely see that done. I work in the construction field and most houses I go to have cracks in the driveways and often in the foundation yet the contractors seem to just consider it normal. I personally would never buy a home with foundation cracks when it is only a few days old.

Yeah, That could be a lot of things, In April,I did what you did (sort of)I used cardboard right over sod and mine is 8" tall, but besides that everything is the same, and I don't have those issues, my guess is that your soil has become "water -phobic", there is a real word that describes that process, but I can't remember what it is, if it was my bed I would use my fingers to mix up the top couple of inches and water it by hand with a hose sprayer , so it is getting all over ,for at least a couple of weeks , by then it should resolve that problem.

Hello again... I just noticed that there were a few other posts that I didn't take the time to respond to last time as I was hurrying..sorry. :-( Bostonian...I LOVE your two garden beds too! Ours are very similar in size. You used two blocks wide and I used three and yours are a lot longer than mine. I love the way your beds fit the space and your alpine strawberries look so healthy! I tried strawberries...not alpine...and they didn't seem to like the heat and I was always watering them and they were in my way trying to get into the bed. I see it is working great for you. I don't know what the difference is. I also liked the idea of sedums/semperviens/thyme and those are the exact same things I planted in my holes. I have hens and chicks along both sides in selected holes and two sedum vera jamesons in two holes at both ends with thymes in each corner block. I filled some blocks with pea gravel, so I can step on them and get into the bed without worrying about stepping on something. I didn't get a chance yet to take close ups of the holes that are planted but I am still planning on it. Thanks for sharing how you got them so stable and for sharing your photos. They were inspirational! Old herb, thanks also for sharing all your construction tips. I loved the idea of using a board as a screed to level the area. I hadn't thought of that. DixieLib...thanks too for the rebar suggestion. I did use rebar thanks to all the suggestions and it makes a big difference. And thanks for sharing all your experiments with the holes. You saved me from having to try them all myself. [g] Kristin, No,I didn't make them. I bought them at Christmas Tree Shops and I have some peas planted at the base that are slowly coming up. I will take another photo soon and give an update on how it looks. :-)