I'm so jealous!  My garden has to be protected from rabid rabbits and over-ambitious deer with an ugly chainlink fence... 

I've been seeing a lot of really fun and colorful beaded lamps lately.  The big chunky acrylic beads in bright colors are popular and fairly inexpensive on the big beading sites. 

I would recommend sealing slate if you're using it as a backsplash or flooring.  If you intend to use it as a fireplace surround or something that won't be touched a lot, you probably could get away with going natural.

Slate is typically very porous and you're going to get staining in high-use areas. 

Search around, there are some matte sealants that could probably give you a fairly natural look.  Something like this... http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/ProductCatalog/newcare/newenhancers/Matte.aspx

Best of luck with your decision!!

*Update*  I kept them covered well enough to end up with about 5lbs of potatoes!!  Couldn't stand the wait any longer after my plants started looking like they were dying... so out came the shovel.

Not a lot of final product, but then again I only started with about four seed potatoes.

Thanks for the help!

Love it!  What a most excellent use of those leftover jewel cases.   

We stand in awe of the Awesomeness...

I've used tile with cork backing, knitted, and wood w/stone inlay.  My best luck is the wood ones (although i'll admit I'm partial since I make them myself).  The knitted ones didn't soak up enough of the moisture and eventually curled up along the edges.  The soft ones also make good throwing-weapons so I'd get assaulted everytime I walked through the room..... *sigh*

My neighbors love their 'thirsty' tiles... a sandstone that absorbs the water.

Whatever you decide, make sure you're a stickler about using them (and getting your guests to use them) and in a flash no one will dare to set anything down on your lovely tables without a coaster!

I'm growning potatoes for the very first time and am coming across a lot of odd tips'n'tricks.  So I think I've concluded through my online research that I can stop worrying about covering the lower parts of the plants after they've started blooming, and I can pick a bit after they've stopped blooming.

I've been told to cover up any 'baby' potatoes that I see on the surface so they don't get sunburned... do they look like mini-taters?  Will I know for sure when I see them??  How long can they grow above the surface before they develop green bits? (Perhaps I'll actually have plenty of time to spot them and cover.)

I'm probably being too darn nervous... they're just potatoes after all.   

I painted my kitchen in a Valspar color called "Green Tea Leaves".  It's a little cooler than I'd normally go, but it turned out really nice.  I don't feel nauseated at all!!  

We were careful to only paint three of the walls green (the other one, and into the house, is now a nice complementing beige) and we left all the warm-toned wood we had alone.  

If you love your tile, I might recommend going tan/beige rather than attempted to sync the greens.

http://www.craftster.org/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=348240

If I understood your 'problem' correctly, I'd recommend something like this...

http://www.eti-usa.com/consum/envtex/envlite.htm

It is a pourable coating that will create a nice thick, but clear, top for your table.  I think you might have to pre-coat your paper though so that it doesn't yellow.  I have used one of their casting epoxies for small stones and I was really happy with the results.

This stuff can be pretty expensive so I watch for coupons from my local craft megamart and buy it then.