Limas are very prone to rotting, especially if conditions are too wet and/or too cool. Because of my exceptionally cool wet spring this year, I started mine indoors, with great results... "King of the Garden" was 100%. When starting beans under lights, I always use peat pots (usually Jiffy strip 32's, or pots for the largest limas), sterile seed starter, and boiled water. This reduces the chance of the seed rotting, or damping off. I do not recommend the use of inoculant for starting beans indoors, since I have had some poor results using it. If you don't want to use seed starter, I've also used play sand for beans with good results. The drainage is excellent, and the seeds have no difficulty breaking through. You need to transplant them quickly though (or feed them) since there are no nutrients in the sand. Watch for drying too. If you are able to control temperature, 80 F. degrees is ideal for most beans. Bottom heat works well, if you can supply it. You can also make a small temperature-controlled germinator, with a box of sturdy material, a baseboard thermostat , and an incandescent bulb at the bottom as a heat source (be sure the socket is protected from water!). I modified a small "Germanette" greenhouse for seed starting, adding lights above the shelves & a small thermostatically-controlled electric heater. Beans sometimes germinate poorly in peat-based mixes. Adding a little nitrogen to the water used to soak the pots initially will give the best germination rate. A relatively weak solution is all that is necessary; about 1 tsp. of liquid fertilizer per gallon. If the fertilizer is from an organic source, boil it with the water to ensure sterility. Be sure not to use too much water; I soak the pots in a flat over-night, then pour off any excess solution in the morning. Once the beans begin to germinate, get them outside as soon as possible. They get leggy quickly under fluorescent lights. This also avoids the necessity of hardening them off before transplanting. As with all peat pots, tear off any loose edges before transplanting, and be sure the pot is buried completely.

I agree with bboy and morz8. Azaleas need a moist, well-drained acidic soil. The other plants you mentions all thrive in a "sweet" (non-acidic) soil. You may have to use a raised mound or raised bed approach with an amended soil that is acidic. I like to use bags of peat humus to plant my azaleas. Fall is a poor time of year to plant in an area that has frost heaving. It doesn't give the plants enough time to get established. Plant heaving is also a sign that the plants were not mulched enough. The best way to avoid heaving the first year is to wait for the soil to freeze, then add mulch to keep it from thawing out. Also, without mulch, the root temperatures will get too hot in the summer. A third consideration. Azaleas have shallow roots and don't compete with other plants. The Vinca may be a problem, if not now, in a couple years. It is not a good ground cover for azaleas. Its roots are too aggressive. Last, too much fertilizer or fertilizing too late will keep them from hardening off for the winter. In general, evergreen azaleas take about 3 years to achieve their rated hardiness, which for Karens is -25F. The first 3 years of being field planted, I recommend using a wind break and sun break in the winter. Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow azaleas

Hi Joff: This has nothing to do with basil! I am a Canadian, recently transplanted in Guanacaste. Can you recommend any gardening books that would assist me in planning a garden and selecting plants? Most tropical gardening books assume that there is shade and lots of water. Not so in Guanacaste, as you know. I'm starting from scratch, including having to ammend the soil. And, need help and advice.

I haven't heard of Sta-Green, but if I had to guess I'd suspect the soil being too wet, or too heavy. Look up 'damping off' and see if that matches what happened. I'm super fussy with the soil I used for seedlings. I only use "pro-mix," also sometimes called professional potting mix. A few brands make such a thing, and I use Sunshine brand. They make a few different variations, such as this one: http://www.planetnatural.com/product/sunshine-mix-1/ Once the seedlings are up and growing, I sprinkle Osmacote fertilizer pellets on top to give some nutrients. Hopefully you can get to the root of the problem and get some good plants going.