Chemical (synthetic) fertilizers aren't unavoidable in containers, I think many of us just see no point to them (though many of us do use organics for our in ground gardens). You described the problem of using organic solids such as manure/compost in that it will clog up the spaces between particles as it breaks down. This isn't a huge issue if you already have a mix with superior drainage and the amount of organic matter is kept low (let's say 10% of the total volume), BUT, the nutrient benefit isn't going to be reliable or significant. The soil food web is definitely another potential problem in a container. It isn't that you can't have bacteria, worms etc, it is that it is difficult for most to maintain a working population due to rapid environmental fluctuations in containers. pH, moisture, temperature all swing wildly in containers. If you think about how the soil food web are built up in soil we add organic matter and often mulch the area to make the environmental fluctuations less drastic. Many have hopped on to the no till bandwagon so as to not disturb the critters in the soil. Even if you did build a potent soil food web in the container, think about what they are going to do. They will attack every organic component of the mix including the bark and peat and thus the soil will structurally collapse before it needs to. There are those who grow organicly in containers, some post here from time to time. I have not read any of them to say it's particularly easy to do well and I recall one person who assembles a mind boggling number of ingredients to make a good mix and then tosses it in the garden each year due to it's collapsing too much to reuse. You certainly can do containers organic if you wish though. Blood meal isn't something I would use in a container because a little goes a very long way and it all becomes active nearly immediately. The risk of over fertilization would be high. Bone meal I also wouldn't use because it takes a long time to release nutrients and would likely have been flushed out of the container before that happens. If you wish to use teas I see no problem with that, but if you are willing to use diluted urea why not just use Miracle Grow or any other liquid fert with urea in it? I don't see the difference between organic/synthetic in this case. Just my thoughts. You can always do a few containers in a purely 'synthetic' way and some others in a purely organic way and see which you prefer. No harm in a little experimentation ;)

Yes, wood chips are great, as are shredded tree trimmings that I get by asking the guys in the big orange trucks if they'll drop their trimmings in my driveway instead of going all the way out to the dump. There are some things that'll grow in unfinished lasagna, potatoes come to mind, but I think most plants need soil of some sort. If you make a planting hole in the lasagna, supplement with a little soil from somewhere else (maybe another area of your lot), & plant your plant, it'll do fine. If you're starting from seed, you may need to be a little more careful about the medium at first: I have hard clay soil, & even with amendments, it's too hard for seeds. I have to buy potting soil to start seeds (still cheaper than buying plants or groceries). Once they're established, they can go right into the garden. If you can water with a fish & seaweed solution (gotta buy that stuff, sorry!) or a compost tea, especially if you use them as a foliar feed as well, your garden should grow!

So many interesting websites, to get inspired by, these days. I loved the Oudolf site as well. I wish I had room to put in a truly huge mass planting, and still be the plant collector I find myself to be. Maybe some day I`ll be able to do that. In the meantime, it is wonderful to live vicariously through others and their gardens. I agree, Gottagarden`s gardens are inspiring. The red garden she posted in 06 has always been a favourite of mine. I wish I had the space. Hmmm, I say that a lot. :) I just bought hot Papaya Echinacea and love it. I`m sure she`d approve. :) Gottagarden`s picasa site Yeona Here is a link that might be useful: Gottagarden`s red garden

I have two BRAND NEW issues of these magazines Fine Gardening #100: backyard retreat, desiginging autumn gardens, ferns, grasses. Garden Design Dec. 2004: easy orchids, texas garden, grasses Am interested in trading for earlier issues of Fine Gardening (pre-2002). These magazines are for trade, they are not for sale or for postage. Thank-you, girlgroupgirl