Rjinga, Regardless of what you do to your area, that kudzu factory next to your property is going to be a pain until it is cleaned up. So, were this my property, my goal would to be to make my area so beautiful the owners of the kudzu factory would be shamed (hopefully) into doing something about their area. Until then the battle will be uphill but possible. Based on my experience with soil and weeds such as you are the proud owner of, I will answer your questions in this manner: 1. The weeds will always grow, that is not the focus. What we want is for the weeds to not grow in our planting beds and paths. The main benefit of lasagna beds it that the bed offers the best growing medium for our plants in such an area as you have now. Once the area is covered with the beds/mulch the new problem for the weeds is to find a way to grow through the barrier that now covers the weeds. Those weeds that make it through can be easily pulled regardless of when you actually plant in the beds. 2. I allow my plants to dictate when they need water, not on some imagined time schedule. I definitely would never overhead water that area, only the beds would get water by way of soaker hoses or some other drip watering system. IMO, compost alone does not provide enough nutrition for vegetables, thus I always feed my microbes extra nutrition to feed the vegetables. 3. Yes, you really do not need to remove the plants/weeds before making a lasagna bed. I would cut them down as low to the ground as possible before building the bed, however I would leave all the cut materials in place to add organic matter to the soil. Something fed those weeds/roots to make them grow, why remove that food only to have to replace it later? Trust me, you will need lots of leaves or other brown material to reach your goal. Again, the goal is not to get completely get rid of the weeds (impossible to do), but the lasagna beds and mulch will slow them down to such a rate of growth management will be a lot easier. With some types of weeds you have, yes, they will be eliminated as long as one doesnt get the bright idea to have the area plowed/tilled to stir up dormant weeds in the ground. And too, there can be weeds/seeds in the compost you acquire or the soil you have at the ready to spread later. The purpose of a lasagna bed and the use of mulch are to cover the soil with a layer of mulch so thick nothing will grow through it unless it is planted by the gardener. The lasagna bed will create a dynamic living organic growing platform that will allow maximum plant growth and a barrier for anything that is already within the soil below the bed. In a case such as yours to build a bed only twelve (12) inches or less is a waste of time, the weeds are too strong; a bed of at least twenty-two (22) inches or more is better insurance. The bed will shrink, but by that time most of the weeds will be dead below it. And too, the paths between the beds will have to be thick (at least four (4) inches to start), with more mulch at the ready if weeds grow through that barrier. The kudzu not on your property is out of your control, however, you can make sure there is no fertile ground for the kudzu to root; that is the purpose of the mulch. You are starting with very fertile soil, evident by the healthy growth of the plants (weeds) you now have. Adding organic matter in such a way as to allow one to choose what will grow is the ultimate goal. I trust what I have offered will help in some way Blutranes

Thank you for the nice comments. DH and I designed our own house and FIL drafted the plans. We took many trips to Greenwich, CT and took hundreds of pics of stone and clapboard houses (think Stepford Wives). We started building our (much smaller) version in 2005 and are now in the decorating phase. We're missing a lot of moldings (crown, chair, wainscotting) but they will come in time. I'll take a pic our our exterior tomorrow and post it. The focal point inside our house is our kitchen with large mantel and double islands. I'll post those pics when the kitchen is a little cleaner. :0) Eating Area of Kitchen Foyer view from entry Foyer view from Living Room DH built the staircase himself totally from scratch. He did all measurements, bent the handrail, and even made all of the treads and risers from the scrap wood leftover from our flooring. We're both house fanatics and the funny thing is, you would never guess we live in this house if you ran into us on the street.

I did, as it was recommended. Pure acetone! I tried fine steel wool, tried everything. It came off in spots here and there. Where it came off turned dark like copper will, if I polished it the sections which it came off would sort of match the lacquered parts. Just a mess. Mine was similar to Annie's, but taller. I used it for stews and at Christmas time for a mulled cider. Looked beautiful on the table and with candle light, until the lacquer started wearing off. After my futile attempts to clean it, I no longer used it. It looked horrible! The smaller pans were cleaned professionally by William Sonoma where I bought them. Was not cheap! Maybe they have improved things since then. Hopefully! jane

Hey Ted, I have had great success with feed and feed places compared to your retail stores. There stuff is fresh and rotates out pretty quick so a new batch comes in pretty regularly. I would stay away from any online stuff unless you getting a good deal online and picking it up at the local store. At this time you may be getting last years stuff online and you just don't know if it is old or maybe it got wet. Just some things to think about. For the best all around fertilizer since you have no preference would probably be 10-10-10. I use this unless for just a good feeding in the landscaping and lawn. Hope this helped. Jack