My parents had either a blackbird or crow (can't remember) that was highly destructive a couple years back ... Was cutting off the newly planted tomato plants and pepper plants near the soil line ... Was also destroying song bird nests and causing other problems.

elizabetheva Thanks. Yes the niche will be a media center though it is a little high. We have a 50" tv and I was thinking of having some nice shelves on either side for Cds and DVDs. That part of the wall was outside before, it had a built-in bench. We were unable to break the back of the bench so when we renovated, we had to straighten the wall and decided to create a niche above the bench. To the right of the niche, we want to build a metal and wood shelves. Hopefully with a few doors as the open plan doesn't leave leave us with a lot of storage. Oh and for the fun of it, here are a few before pictures. I think Olychick and cat_mom might like to see them. Yes it was quite the reno project and we almost doubled the size of the kitchen/living area. I will come back with pics of new kitchen this week end. Once installed, we might see better what to do. I am hoping our cabinet maker will be able to revamp an old buffet for the dining space.

Once the weeds and roots are dead, GG, there is no reason for their removal ... they will simply decay and return nutrients to the soil. Laur, while it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace at least part of the soil, it likely isn't vital. If you are a composter, adding some compost to the old soil would not be a bad idea. I often add/bury plant material and such in my balcony pots come fall after the frosts have killed the plants off (or when they have reached that "on the way out" stage. Most of it is rotted by planting time in late spring and that which isn't is gone by fall. As far as killing the weeds, if the soil is moist and the pots receive a lot of direct overhead sun, cover the pots tightly with a black trash bag. The heat will cook the weeds. Next fall, for large planters, try covering the soil surface with cardboard or 4-5 layers of newspaper wetted or weighed down so as not to fly away and to remain snug against the soil. Many weed seeds require exposure to sunlight to germinate. Those that don't will still likely easy to remove or won't be able to surface. In the spring, cut an X through the paper for each plant. Peal the flaps of the X back enough to dig a spot to insert the plant.

Containers - even on a rooftop deck - only limit the presence of slugs, snails and other pests. They don't eliminate them. Here in the PNW, we are known as the land of slugs (and snails) - the banana slug is our state mollusk :-) I grow all of my hostas in elevated containers (mostly metal plant stands) just to keep slug damage to a minimum!! And it is only partly effective......I swear sometimes these things just drop out of the sky!! I hand pick when I see them - and I check frequently - and use Sluggo for those I miss. Still not 100% effective but it is a big help.