OW, I sense you have a tendency similar to mine--you want to do everything as thoroughly as possible. :) Not necessarily a bad thing, but you can spend a fortune on a relatively small return, then have to do it over differently next year. My own favorite tomato growing technique, either in the ground or above, is to simply make sure that there is a suitable area (no container? Just prep an entire section of ground about 2' deep and introduce worms to the soil as well) and stick that 'mater plant in as far as it will go--in a container, I would not put the root ball on the bottom (trust me--ask me how I know), but rather about 2/3 of the way down at most. I'm very fond of my soil here--it has high concentrations of vermicompost (it's not just worm castings, it's also partially decomposed organic material) and small porous volcanic rock called DryStall, so it remains nicely aerated and relatively loose (although it can be packed). It grows ANYTHING. Tomatoes are 'hungy' plants; they feed and drink heavily, so make sure that you are giving them plenty to work with no matter what soil you have. It's not really as hard as you seem to be making it, is what I'm saying. Nice big containers, good soil and plenty of water/nutrients and all will be well. Or jam them in the ground if you have the drainage and same thing. I'm kind of wondering where you are that you think you might need a sump pump for runoff... :) I just took the hose and engaged in a little hydro excavation leading to where I wanted my extra water, and you know what? I didn't even need it. You might try that first to test the idea... KISS is your friend here, I think...but that's just me. :)

actually it sounds great to me. just make sure you line the tub with plastic. in your zone, you can put any of the sarracenia in it, any venus fly traps, there are several sundews and you could possibly do some darlingtonia. you could also mix it up a bit with habenaria or malaxia bog orchids. do it!

I accidentally burnt my Pinguicula by leaving it outside and frogetting to bring it in. Do you think there is any chance of revivng it? If so how? By the way I feed my Capensis some fruit flies but the leaf hasn't curled arount the fruit fly and its been two days now, is that natural? And for the seed pod do I have to crush it to get the seeds? My final question is how long does it take to grow a full mature Capensis from seed? Thanks in advance. -A new CP owner

carnivorous plants are pretty easy to care for. but their growing requirements must be met if you want to grow them successfully. 1) During the growing season ( Late February - Late October) these plants appreciate atleast 4 - 6 hours of direct sunlight, Yes Some shade is fine. They also love having their soil moist, also a semi-flooded condition can be benefitial. I grow my flytraps, sarracenias and sundews outdoors all year round, they love the full sun they recieve and they love the humidity in their soil. When fall and winter approach, flytraps, sarracenias, temperate butterworts and temperate sundews fall dormant during this time of year. Their soil must be kept moist but not soaked during this winter period.(feeding is not required either) But then after around february, they begin to grow again. 2) I never built an artificial bog garden before. But there's people in the forum that do have built bog gardens. they will gladly help you out. However, If i ever built one iwould still grow my plants outdoors all year round still. 3) No fertilizer is needed. Peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, sand, sphagnum peatmoss, live sphagnum Are the types of soil you may use for carnivorous plants. When watering your plants, ALWAYS use purified water, or rain water. Most locations have tap water that contains salts or chlorine. i personaly avoid tap water for my plants. You may fill gallons of water at your local supermarket for 25 cents a gallon. it's easier this way. Everytime you water your plants make sure that they have a tray below their containers. fill the saucer atleast 1 1/2" inch tall of water, then sumerge the pot/container above the water and let the container sink into the water slowly. This will keep the plants' soil moist at all times during the growing season. this is called the "tray method" watering. never allow your plants' soil dry out during the growing season(late february - late october) ***venus' flytraps, Sarracenias, butterworts, and sundews can definatly grow well in your Area, These Plants can be growned outdoors all year round. Nepenthes, butterworts, sundews, blatterworts can be growned indoors in a bright/sunny windowsill. I bought some carnivorous plants from online stores, but most of my carnivorous plants were bought in local hardware stores such as Home Depot. You may find reputable carnivorous plants nurseries online. Here's a few websites: www.flytraps.com www.cobraplant.com www.californiacarnivores.com