Alison, Opportunity meets heavily germinated flats. The last twenty or so flats I had were all "killers", there was little brown earth showing. I had green carpets of seedlings. So, it had to be a massive redo in order to accomodate what I had. The moscheutos seedlings were all self-sown, I had sowed several a few years back and they reseed abundantly. I had several, several yearling hibiscus that were waiting for a bed to happen for them. This was the opportunity I had to get them into a row. So that's how it started--with a row of the moschuetos. I looked behind me to see all those flats and then I grabbed the red hibiscus and put them in down the whole line, and they are planted in doubles--I had enough to put two seedlings into each back line planting hole. Then I started to fill in with seedlings from the moss-like flats. I was tearing out huge chunks and made them into smaller hunks (not quite an inch diameter) to fill in around the plants, with hunks going in every four or five inches. All my flats were made from foil lasagna pans, some had two varieties in them but the last were all singles. Across the lawn from the hibiscus border is a bed I made with a fig tree in the middle and surrounded by eight volunteer PL toms along the bed edges. The underplantings are a central ring of malope (I think) to surround the fig, and the rest is hunk-o-parsley. I did a flat with curly parsley and it was as thick as moss. I like flat-leaf parsley better but all of this may change my mind because I have never had so much before. We will be eating a LOT of parsley here, lol. Maybe with tomatoes too should they all crop well this year. T

The Genesis is something like $700, more than I wanted to spend on a grill. I got the Spirit EP 310 for $400 at Ace about a month ago. I don't think Webers come with a cover typically, you have to buy them separately.

Cooks' Illustrated did a gas grill comparison and included a TEC which had infrared burners. It was a few years ago so maybe things have changed but they did not like the infrareds. Very hot, good for searing and flame ups since anything that drips from the food hits the burners. I saw some models just the other day that had a small searing infrared burner and regular burners for the main cooking box. That sounds like a good idea. Now if you were talking infrared rotisserie burner which is to the side and not below the food, well then I can attest that mine works well. I have done rotisserie chickens on my Weber Summit with it (it is the only burner on) or without (using main burners) and only slightly prefer the rotisserie method. It is a desired feature in my book but not a must. As for grates, both iron and SS will sear your food given your grill is nice and hot. Here is what Weber's FAQs have to say about it. From Weber.com: "Q. Which are better, stainless steel, porcelain-coated cast iron or porcelain enamel cooking grates? All have their merits, so it is mostly a matter of personal preference. All require little maintenance and give great sear marks. Porcelain-coated cast iron grates will hold the heat longer so you donÂt have to cook with higher temperatures. Stainless steel grates have a longer warranty, followed by porcelain-coated cast iron, then porcelain enameled. Replacements are readily available for all styles."

Glad to hear you are happy. The Webers get good ratings from Consumer Reports, as well. However, it's not quite the same type of grille as the Members Mark or the Virco, which have a more "professional" or restaurant quality appearance. I admit that looks were a large part of my decision to purchase the Virco. That it works well is of course very nice. I see no problems with the rotisserie other than the left hand warming shelf support interfering with the thumbscrew. Apparently this is a problem on one run of the Vircos. I fixed in in about 10 minutes with a dremel tool. For me, no biggie. The spit on the Virco is very strong and thick and looks like it could easily hold a 20 lb turkey. However, the Virco is not easily transported. It has high quality wheels, but the whole thing weighs about 200 lbs so I'm not planning on loading it into the truck and taking it to picnics. That's just not what it's designed for. Another good grill in the sub-$500 price range is the Great Outdoors grill series. These have 25 year burner warranties, and sound like they are excellent as well. Again, not a restaurant quality look, but like your Weber a well built functioning unit. In terms of temperatures... I frankly don't understand the preoccupation with temps over 500F. I don't think these extremely high temps are necessary or desirable for good cooking results. Searing can be done at 450F, indirect, or on the grill for direct heat. Roasting or smoke-roasting (which is what happens when you lower the lid) is best done at temps at or below 325. The rotisserie gives great results - the chamber only heats to about 150F - but who cares about that as long as the food is cooked properly?