Well, last year, I finally tracked down the Gardien planters from Consolidated Foam - and, as I'd hoped, they worked great! No drying out, less watering than terra cotta, and I can see that they protected my herbs better than tc, as a few are starting to come back. Like you keekush, I'm a "tc snob", too. The best thing about the Gardien pots is that they have a style that matches my many terra cotta pots perfectly! HOWEVER, I had to search all over to find it, and eventually ended up ordering the style I wanted from acehardwareoutlet.com - in packs of 6, which was the only option. And, they didn't have all the sizes I wanted. I've called Consolidated Foam, but they don't seem to know which retailers in my area carry their product. I'm in eastern PA, on the NJ border - anybody got any tips on where I can find more Gardien pots?

Since we live in Montana, where there is a shorter growing season for vegetable crops, we are trying to figure out ways to extend that season. The thing is that we don't necessarily want to bury the bed liner completely...looking for a way to provide some more insulation in order to possibly warm the ground up so that the plants can be put in sooner. Have looked into covering the plot with plastic, but have heard mixed reviews on the effectiveness of going that route.

Outlet? By the bridge? What is it that you're asking. Have you actually heard of a place doing this? 'Cuz if you are, I want to know, too! "By the bridge" is HUGE. Kinda like asking for something "along 95."

Your yard looks beautiful! I don’t know what grows best where you are, but what about Cordyline? It stays spiky (but is soft) and I think the color would be so pretty there. I plant them every year and overwinter them in my garage (D/FW, z8a). I have them and Dracaena Spike with other plants in front, full sun: And alone out back, afternoon shade: Last year, I had a row of them in a long, narrow Talavera planter, but can’t find pics I took (I have way too many photos on my iPad).