I wanted to pass on some useful information for users trying to find the elusive pine bark fines in the chicagoland area. I have found them at two locations.

1. Lake Street Supply - 1810 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60612 - They come in 2 cubic foot bags for around $9 a bag. They are decent quality, alot of dust, variety of sizes. They are put in bags on the spot out of a huge pile that sits outside.

2. The Chalet - 3132 Lake Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091 - They also come in 2 cubic foot bags for around $6 a bag. They are much better quality, minimal dust, all very similar in size. The name brand of them is "robin hood"

In the end I used the bags I got from Lake Street in the yard for mulch and used the bags from the Chalet for my containers because of the quality of them but I think both would work.

Another tip that worked amazing for me was using a mesh drawer from the container store that is part of their elfa closet lines. I got the large size and the one that is about 4 inches deep. It really was perfect. i cannot imagine if I had tried to use a kitchen colander.

http://www.containerstore.com/s/elfa/components/elfa-drawers-accessories/platinum-elfa-mesh-drawers/123d?productId=10009304