My dirt is heavy hard clay with a heavy Bermuda grass lawn. I cut out the bottom of the pool and left about 18 inches of the bottom attached around the edge, otherwise the the sides will kick up and everything run out under the sides. After I filled it up, I realized too late that I should have turned it inside-out, so that the pale blue inside would have been the outside. I've sort of grown fond the the little fish on the sides now. ;-) I grew the tomatoes like this last year with just compost. The compost held lots of water bit it still dried out really quickly once the vines got big. Before I set out my plants, I added three 25 pound bags of Wal-Mart Special Kitty Natural Litter to each bed. I scattered it on top and then scratched it into the top bit of compost, and it has settled further in as I watered each time. It holds tons of water and the extra water retention has really helped this year. I had a few determinant tomato vines that had finished fruiting, so I replaced them with some new transplants about a week ago. The roots had gone at least 6 inches into the underlying clay soil. Before I filled the beds last fall, I mowed the grass as short as I could cut it, I then covered the turf with 2 layers of flattened cardboard boxes to smother the grass. The worms and microbes had left no sign of the grass or cardboard in only 9 months. My basil and peppers are about 3 feet tall now. I'm permanently disabled and live on Social Security, so I was looking for something for raised beds that was really, really cheap. Cedar 1x6s lumber would have cost me about $100 for raised beds that were 16 sqft. Before I started using these pools I was growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets. The 6 foot pool is 15 inches deep, which is almost as deep as the buckets, but gives more horizontal space as well as roots going down into the soil underneath. If you've got some space and not much money, I could not recommend the pools enough for raised beds. I was not sure at first if the round beds would be a problem, but the really work well. On Victory Garden recently they showed a community garden in San Franscisco where they used straw-filled burlap bags to form the border of their round raised beds. There is a picture below. They were really nice because you could knell or sit on them to plant, weed, and harvest.

There is at least as much maintenance using man made material as there is using wood. Deck Pros and refinish Co have said this from the begening. Mold / Mildew will grow on most anything including us if we stay still long enough. The define of low maintenance started right after the first stick of composite came off the drying racks and will not stop. Plain and simple an outside project requires work to keep it looking nice, look at it the same as your car left alone without any care its not going to look/ run all that good no matter how much you paid for it. Far as TT Decking/Rail systems go it is in the high end along with Moisture Sheild and a couple others. The install instrustions far as ground clearance/cross ventalation/spacing/sister joists.... must be followed to get any place near what the Co say will happen. It is possible to put a high grade finish on composite material, I have done this with very good results but doing this is not what the normal Wallet wants to hear so its not what the Co say. South American lumber..ipe,garapa,masenramduba.. left alone with no finish exposed to the sun will go gray/silver installed corectley this material requires as close to low maintenance as a person can get but same kinda deal its all in the define it has to be kept clean or its going to look like Sh!ttt in a few years. Like the Contractor that broke me in usta say " when I came to this Country you could get a 5 cent beer and a free lunch but there aint no 5 cent beer now and there is no free lunch so you might just as well go to Work!!! " Warren Ove sigh... J.

Hi no-green-thumb!~You really do have a lot of hidden potential. It has been a long winter; I am in IL, so I know how different winter and spring can look! Still waiting for plants to "pop" here, although a little green is finally peeking through. I did a paver installation in my landscape construction class. They need a gravel base, and proper grading. Their installation makes them more impervious to water than flagstone, which will heave slightly, so IMO flagstone is not the best choice for a patio right next to the house. They tend to be somewhat expensive. BUT the cost of installation of your existing patio included the flagstone itself, which you still have and can re-use, so don't despair! We have a flagstone patio in the far corner of my backyard, and I think that could look lovely with your forest backdrop. It is really not expensive to do, just labor intensive. Many nurseries have staff that might be able to do the job or recommend someone, so if DIY is not an option, you should get several bids before proceeding. Or, this is what I would do if it was MY yard... I think it would be best if you had a deck installed; one without steps, just a walkout that extended from the corner all the way to the purple fence to the left of your ac unit. Replace that panel with six foot cedar fence panels, to hide the AC from view. To add interest, stagger the fence heights. The deck would have an octagonal cut-out for the tree, and low wide steps to the flagstone path connecting it to the cement patio. The flagstone path would be wider at the steps and narrower towards the patio, but it would be at least three feet wide, four feet would be better. I wouldn't touch the stone edged bed of hostas and ferns, except to maybe trench the edge slightly, so that the stones "sink" and are no longer a problem when you mow. I really dig (no pun intended) the natural stone and flagstone combination. However, the wooden deck and cement patio are both more practical surfaces for grilling and eating, more sure-footed. I agree that the cement patio is one logical place for your existing grill. Since that was also expensive to install, why not re-use it? Have you seen these type of gazebos, they're a great way to define the eating area from the lounging/bar area closer to the house? They are designed to be taken down and stored in the winter. Here is a link that might be useful: Gazebos

I'd find a local carpenter that is licensed and trusted to come over and evaluate the deck. 18 years isn't that old if the wood originally used for the structure is treated. The carpenter may be able to diagnose and offer some simple repairs to make it structurally sound again. Make sure he or she pays close attention to the way the ledger is attached to the house, it is almost certainly not to code on an 18 year old deck, but this is an easy remediation with new tie-style anchors assuming the wood is sound. You may be able to get away with just some structural repair, a decking replacement, and a new railing. If you go this route, while the decking is off make sure and have the tops of your structural components flashed. It will insure they remain in good shape for a much longer period. Also, no matter what, $64K for the size described is insane. It should be less than half that. Decks are NOT complex carpentry beyond knowing the basic structural safety requirements. A good team of carpenters could assemble that sucker in a few days of work, including concrete footing work, plus maybe $7,000 in materials if you go for cedar. Last time I checked galvanized nails weren't made of gold.