These palms don't like to be pruned. They are one of the fastest growing of all the Chamaedoreas, and also one of the most prolific suckering Chamies (except for the Parlor Palm). They will get tall and if planted out in a warm climate, by that I mean 12-15ft or so like South of the Tampa/Orlando FL line or below, or in San Diego or LA where it rarely frosts can grow into huge hedges like a privacy hedge. Its a very good palm for indoor use if you give it enough light. I kept 2 that I got as trades last November, one was 6 ft tall and the other about 8 ft, indoors until March this year and planted them out only last week (my time flies, summer seems to have been here forever but I just now got the time to do that!) and they did well on twice a week watering (Tues/Fri) schedule. One even bloomed and set seed. I have 3 in my yard and 1 in the greenhouse by the stream just because I like it there, but don't have any photos. I will see if I can get one.

Thanks for the help! It's funny I was reading more about Zinnias and many places said they like fertile soil. I also read how roses like well drained soil and mine are thriving in slightly amended clay, about6 of them. It just goes to show ya never really can go by what the "books'say. I will amend these area maybe this fall but they are just way to long to deal with it now and I already have my work cut out for what I have started and haven't finshed from last year. I just don't have the money to buy all that I need to to amend it all or buy the plants for and I like to get what I've started already looking lush before I go starting anymore beds. So with all that said I've got some combos that I think I'm going to try and work with and hope they do well enough. Anything is better then what I have now! So Cosmos, zinnias, poppies, and yarrows (have some I can transplant). I think those will do nice to fill in the area and give me the meadow look I'm wanting (for now).

I think cooking water comes under the term 'grey water', which is water you wouldn't want to drink, but actually doesn't have anything more human-sickening than soap in it. Your plants just might think you are giving them a treat, since most cooking water will have traces (and thus nutrients) of the vegs that had been cooked. If you aren't already, switch to using soap (not detergent) for washing everything including dishes and people; a mild solution of white vinegar is an excellent rinse for soapy items. The used wash and rinse waters are quite satifactory for gardens -- remember that soapy water is an OG treatment to get rid of bugs in the garden.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. For better or for worse as I took all 24 tomatoes out and as I said I filled back in to the grade that surrounds the bed. It is close to what it would have been if I just removed the sod and put the bed on top. I tamped as I filled in so it would be as solid as I could make it with 20lb hand tamper and a 15lb patio block dropped from over my head. Some of the fill was a little rocky but I did get a couple some good sticky clay layers in there to fill in the all the voids and make it as impermeable as the surrounding ground. It was contoured with about a 2 inch drop both along the width and length dumping to the lowest corner of the bed which is above ground so it can drain out. I also put in a drain from highest to the lowest point hoping that would catch any excess and dump it out. Looking at my soil mix either it had way too much organic material in it or it was just that way because it was soaked, I remixed it with some top soil, agricultural sand, peat and vermiculite and through in a some gypsum in between some of the layers as I filled it back in. I put in some super phosphate to hopefully get some roots going quickly also. The bed was raised another 4.5" inches also to meet the bed on its right. The tomatoes are now back in their final resting place, I guess that sounds bad. Hopefully with the grade coming back up to meet the rest, the slope, the drain, the remixed soil, and the additionaly height the bed will drain properly and the tomatoes will come back to life. Some of them took it worse than others but I hope they make it, if not I guess I can sucker off the other 12 I have in containers and use those.