So we finished our new raised vegetable beds and thought I would update this thread. We ended up having only enough soil from our old beds to fill two of the new raised beds. We also used all of our store of organic matter, which wasn't a lot and compost dug out of a passive compost pile that had been there for over a year which we used to fill the bottom half of those two beds with the soil from the old vegetable beds for the top half. Then we had three beds still to fill! I seriously considered making up a mix using pine bark fines etc., but reading along, what jumped out at me was the percentage of organic matter that is recommended in your native soil. In our old vegetable beds, I added a lot more organic matter, maybe up to 50% and the soil would shrink back and I'd have to keep adding more every year. So, in the end I decided to at least check to see if I could find some 'organic' native soil to purchase. I called around for recommendations and someone did direct me to someone who might have what I needed. And they did. They also added a small percentage of organic compost and had amended the soil with organic amendments, like alfalfa meal and worm castings etc. It sounded like just what I wanted. So we had them deliver it and filled the remaining beds. I will be interested to see how the produce does this year and compare the old soil we had, with the new soil. The new soil is also clay soil, and it doesn't drain as well as my own soil or the soil from the old vegetable beds with all the organic matter, that water just runs through. This new soil, the water puddles on the top for a little bit, but a layer of mulch slows it down enough. I hope to amend the new soil, either with cover crops or mixed lawn clippings and chopped leaves in the fall. So that's the end of that story. Thank you all for all the help and answering so many questions. :-) The last bed filled with new soil.

I think you should put a picture, as causes for yellowing are numerous and different.

Hi Jane, I understand how you feel about things not being quite right and then having to decide if you can live with them or if they will drive you crazy. Assuming that it would be no more difficult to change it later if needed, I'd suggest living with it for awhile, at least until you get more of the other elements into the room. You may find that, in the whole beautiful room, it isn't as much of an issue as when you are focussing on it now since it is newly installed. Remember we are doing our masterbath in similar colors and materials to you? Well, let me share with you our latest hiccup... After many long delays (mostly on our part), our custom vanities were due to be installed last Thursday. Our lovely Amish craftsman travelled 2 1/2 hours with his driver to bring them to us. If it had been any other person coming, I would have rescheduled because I was soooo sick and miserable that day. My husband saw the cabinets first and said, "You'd better take a look at these, they're really dark." And they were. Several shades darker than the stain sample piece that many months ago we had cut in half to give us both the same color reference. They stopped attaching the cabinets to the wall and waited for my husband and I to discuss what to do, very apologetic and completely willing to take all three vanities back to be refinished. A pretty major decision needed to be made at a time when I could hardly hold my head up. It was definitely going to change the "look" of the room but would that necessarily be a bad thing? After the time and expense of this project there was no way we'd want our cabinets to affect how we felt about the room. The cabinets were gorgeous and the darker color was lovely so we decided that they would stay. Each time I've looked in the room since then, I'm happy with how they look with our tile and think that darker probably is better after all... I think we were headed to too many mid-tones. The new color of our vanities looks almost exactly like yours(!) Unfortunately, two of the three had to go back to be remade for other reasons but that's another story. *sigh* Good luck with your project and continue to post pics and updates... I'll be watching for them!

When you first post a NEW message, the URL box does not appear until you go to the preview page. It is always there for Follow-Up postings. ;-) -Babka