A plant with a leaf like a maple - could be Abutilon. There are several different sorts. Some grow well in baskets as they have cascading branches. I agree with dufflebag on the secateurs. They come in two styles - bypass or anvil. Left-handers can get them with handles to suit - just as they can for scissors. I'm ambidextrous and I know I'm not happy using my left hand with right-hand secateurs. You can also get them with a double action which can be really helpful for people without a lot of hand strength. There are very cheap ones - but they aren't worth it. And horribly expensive ones... :-( (They're the ones that end up in my compost bin. Don't know how!!!) The Wolf Garten range is often reasonably priced - or you may have a local product which is even better. Isn't it great being a newbie?! You can do the most outrageous things and ask the questions all the old hands are too embarrassed to air....;-). There are some really kind 'old hands' here on the forums: lindac and calistoga and pnwgal48. They often stop by on the 'New to Gardening' forum - and their own favourites. I've always found their advice to be excellent - and very plain. You can also use the FAQs (frequently asked questions) for specific forums. It can be worth the time - particularly if it gives you an answer that's relevant for your zone. For excellent 'before and after' bonsai pictures - google for Walter Pall's bonsai blog. Some of them are just 'oh, my goodness! I wouldn't dare!' but he takes truly useful photos so you can see what's been done. (I don't think I'll be up to using power tools for a l-o-n-g time, however.) With books - some can be downright confusing. However, a couple of books later and another author explains. Whew! I don't know how it happens, a bit like a child learning to speak, I suppose; but one day the jargon makes sense. It must just soak in ;-). oakleif (Vickie): go for it! There's one forum I visit and each month there's a thread for members to rant about anything. The only rule is - no one can offer advice or rescues or sympathy. (You have to be specifically asked in a separate thread for that.) And there's also a thankfulness thread. For the simplest things, even. I enjoy reading both of them. And having a grumble, or saying thanks. Feels good.

Fertilizing seedlings does move them faster, but there are also advantages in not overdoing it. If you're like me, you like to get a feeling for what's going on as soon as possible, and a bunch of dark green seedlings won't tell you much. If you let the fert wear off a bit you can see colors and markings at a fairly early stage. Too much, though, and they stop growing, so you have to find that happy medium. Of course if you're just growing out species and/or planning to keep all of them then it doesn't matter. This is only useful if you're doing hybrids of Neos or some other types with colorful foliage and plan to do some culling.

Tranger2, FEEDING VEGGIES WITHOUT OVERFEEDING NITROGEN: You can do it several ways. One way is to put a thin layer (1/2" would be fine but 1" would be better) of compost or composted manure on the soil surface. Then, layer the mulch of your choice on top. For mulches in the summertime, I use anything and everything I can get my hands on, including packaged mulch, grass clippings, and hay or straw. Then every time you water, the water will filter down through the mulch and through the compost or manure and feed the plants. This provides your plants with constant low-level nutrition. And, as the mulch breaks down it is decomposing and turning from mulch to compost, so it will feed the plants too. You can use organic fertilizers instead of chemically-based ones. Most organic fertilizers are drastically lower than chemically-based ones in terms of nitrogen content. There are many kinds of commercial organic fertilizers available, although you'll normally find a nicer selection of different brands in larger cities. You can use an organic water-soluable fertilizer like liquid fish emulsion or liquid seaweed, or some form of compost tea or manure tea (the teas can sometimes be purchased as concentrates you dilute down and use, or you can make your own). You can use granular organic fertilizers as a side dressing on the soil surface and watering will carry them down into the soil over time. Some of the common brands of granular organic fertilizers include Gardenville, Espoma and Rabbit Hill Farms. I especially like the Espoma products like Tomato-Tone, Holly-Tone, Plant-Tone and many other targeted products in that line for specific types of plants. They are low-nitrogen and also have minerals needed for growth. New in the Espoma line this year is the inclusion of Bio-Tone, their own patented blend of microbes, in the Tomato-Tone. The Tomato Tone, for example, has an N-P-K ratio of 3-4-6 and also is 5% calcium, 1% magnesium and 3% sulfur. I like organic fertilizers because they do not push rapid leaf growth at the expense of root growth and blooms (which, in the veggie garden, give you vegetables). I usually get my Espoma products in Texas because I'm very close to the border, but some people on this forum have found them in central OK and northeastern OK. One of the Home Depot stores in Texas that is close to us had Plant-Tone and Tomato-Tone last year, but this year they only have Plant-Tone. I get my Tomato-Tone at nurseries in the Denton-Lewisville-Grapevine area. I'm going to link the Espoma website so you can learn more about their products. Like I said, they are only one of many manufacturers who make organic fertilizers. You'll find others in your area. PEAS: If they are English peas (snap, edible pod, etc.), those are cool-season crops and would not be producing in this heat. If they are southern peas (crowder, cream or black-eyed types), they'll need to be fenced or the deer and rabbits will eat them. In my garden, it usually was the rabbits before we put up a critter-proof fence. HOLES IN LEAVES OF OKRA: In the current hot conditions, it is likely the holes are from grasshoppers if they are large. If they are very small holes they could be any one of many small leaf-eating insects. SLOW GROWTH OF PEPPERS AND OKRA: Both of these like heat and tend to grow well in it, although there can be extenuating circumstances that slow their growth. One such instance would be if they were planted outside when the soil was still too cool for them. Soil temps below 55 degrees stunt peppers and sometimes the stunting effect lasts the whole season, and soil temperatures 68 degrees or lower have the same effect on okra. Or, if your plants were set out when the soil was warm enough but then a late cool spell brought cold temps (a few days in the 40s for peppers or in the 50s for okra), that can stunt them. Other reasons for slow growth in okra include soil pH 6.0 and lower, overwatering and soil that stays too wet, or a lack of nitrogen. Other reasons for slow growth of pepper plants would be low fertility or low sunlight. WILTING IN SUMMER: Many plants show some wilt during the daylight hours in the hot parts of the summer. It is important to remember that wilt is a sympton of stress, but not necessarily a sympton of dryness. A plant can wilt because its roots are staying too wet. Most often, at this time of year, wilting is a sign of heat stress. The plants don't like the high temperatures and intense sunlight at this time of year any more than we do. If your plants are wilting because of heat stress and not because they are too dry, they should perk up on their own in the evening hours. So, don't be too quick to grab the hose and water when they wilt. Check the soil by sticking your finger down in it to see if there is moisture there. If the soil is moist, the wilting is not an indicator of dryness and you don't need to water. If you water every time they wilt, you're training the roots to stay close to the surface and that leads to more wilting. You want to water less frequently but more deeply so the roots will reach down deep in the soil. This will make your plants less likely to wilt. Mulching the soil heavily can help hold moisture in the soil and help keep the soil cooler and that will help reduce wilting too. There is nothing inherently wrong with using MG through a hose-end sprayer, but maybe once every other week and not once a week. If you're using it weekly, your plants are likely to have more green topgrowth than their roots can support and that contributes to wilting too. I'd stop using the MG in the veggie garden. If you do, you'll probably see less wilting and more production. If you want to continue using MG on your veggies on a regular basis, get the Bloom Booster one for flowers to encourage more veggies on the plants. SOIL IMPROVEMENT: If you have real sandy soil that is low in organic matter, it will get better every year as you add more organic matter to it, and I know that you know that. Read some of the things Jay (who posts here as Elkwc) has written here about how he improves his fast-draining sandy soil. Hope that covers everything. Dawn

Wow, that is going to be an amazing garden. I wish mine was as well laid out. I don't know how far north of me you are, but it might be that it is still a little cool for everything to take off growing. It sounds like your soil should be in good shape. Have you thought about giving them a little liquid miracle grow. My fall lettuce, Swiss Chard, and Spinach have just taken off in the last two weeks with the warmer temps. I did give everything a little Miracle grow last week. I am in the Lufkin/Nacogdoches area. I got my strawberries and blackberries this year from Simmons too. I can't wait for those first juicy berries. Mine all seem to be happy here in East Texas. Good Gardening!!!, Misha