Thanks for all the replies.... Everyone- So, what what would be the difference between letting the leaves continue to decompose in their bins and tilling them into the garden next fall, vs putting them on the garden now as a mulch (matted leaves) then tilling them next fall? PT03- It's about 15'x20' (300sqft). I'm hoping to triple that by last frost but it might need to wait until next year. Can you (or anyone else) give me some recommendations as to how much area a volume of 75 cubic feet of leaf mold would cover (assuming my calculation of 4 ft diameter x 2 ft high bins = 25 cubic feet x 3 bins = 75 cubic feet is correct). kqcrna- Yeah, I thought I was making compost too for the reasons you give but I get where Dave is coming from also. annpat- So, even though I don't technically have leaf mold, you'd still put it on the garden. OK. Interesting you mention bags of leaves.... I still have a lot of bags of leaves lying around (from early fall) that I never got around to composting. If I just leave them in the bags, then in a couple of years they'll turn to the leaf mold you describe? Do you add moisture to the bags before/after you store them? Vent them in any way? Sounds a whole lot easier than the bins if you're willing to wait. Dave- So, the alfalfa that I added was only in an effort to speed decomposition? Remind me not to bother with that next fall. Everyone again... So how do you typically deal with leaves so that you can get them into the garden next season.... or some other system other than annual. Also please see my other thread about hay/straw mix that I was planning on using for a mulch. Why would I chose hay/straw over the leaf stuff I already have? Is one any better than the other?

Pelargonium can wilt if it's not getting enough water but also if it's getting too much water. The best thing to do is wait till the soil surface is completely dry to the touch (it can still be damp underneath), then water it thoroughly, then don't water again until it's the surface dry to the touch again. In my experience with them, wilting from drought is accompanied by slow yellowing/dieback of the older leaves, and the plant will gradually shift toward near-dormancy or dormancy with healthy firm stems but few leaves. So if it is wilting but does not seem to be losing the old, lower leaves to yellowing, there may be too much water. However, new plants often go through a bit of "shock" when they are in a new environment, with new levels of light, temperature, etc, and that can also cause wilt until it adjusts. If the plant is getting enough direct sun to produce lots of herbaceous new leaves and growth, it can handle excess water better, and you will have better luck without having to fine-tune your watering routine.

I live in a igloo with polar bears lol way up in northern Manitoba Canada. I won't see spring until May. On record, this has been the coldest winter yet. Tempature has been -45 -50 for the last two months. Brrrrr! I stopped watering the peppers for a week and all the leaves pointed strait down and curled up. I watered them last night and by morning they perked back to life! Ill try out the pollination and keep you posted;) Greatly appreciated! Ghostjuice.

I would first get rid of that odd round column by the kitchen(and the one across the room), and replace them with a square post so that it matches the one by the island and on the other side. It looks odd, like the builder couldn't get the square one and so just stuck it there. I like the Spanish Olive, tho it reads very grey on my monitor. But I don't see the Dutch Cocoa as the oomph. A very pink brown, and I think it will just fight with the dark floors and all the dark cabinets in the kitchen. If you love purple, consider doing a very rich purple, perhaps SW Soulmate. Then do a greener olive tone for the kitchen, to offset the wood cabinetry. I would love to see the second pix cropped so that everything to the left of the person in the ski jacket disappears. Then hang that vertical photo above the desk. Bring in some orange accents to the kitchen, which also work well with purple and olive tones. The cropped pix will bring focus to the brasserie and the buildings, and the orange accents will make the art pop from the wall. The area with the chaise, couch and coffeetable seems very crowded together. You ideally should have 14-18 inches between the seating and the table, and you don't appear to have that, at least not between the chaise and the table. I wonder if you would consider trying a rearrangement? I would like to see the couch placed where the chaise is now, with the sofa table behind it. Run the coffeetable parallel to the couch. Then place the chaise at a right angle to that, facing the fireplace and tv, with it's 'back' to the kitchen. Because you are using the chaise there, it shouldn't feel like you are isolating the LR from the kitchen, because the chaise has the low back. Move the low console at the left of the fireplace to the right side, so it doesn't feel crowded in with the couch there. I would love to see the first pix you posted hung where the mirror is now, on the left wall by the fireplace. The mirror doesn't really seem to fit there - it doesn't reflect anything but the opposite corner, and I don't think I see a table or anything below to anchor it. Could it find a new home in your entry or in the DR?