Thanks for the feedback. I'm hearing from everyone that this isn't the ideal garden situation because of sunlight and the close proximity to the trees. Next year, we may relocate the garden to an area away from the trees. I'm not sure if that area gets more sunlight, I will need to evaluate that a little closer. The current spot does get quite a bit of sunlight though - the sun rises to the back right of the garden, and as it gets to the top of the sky its towards the right of the garden. I'd say it gets sun from 12-1 until about 7PM at least. At 6:30 today it was still getting direct sunlight. I have an updated picture. One tomato plant (the one behind the first row one) is slowly dying...although the first one is still growing strong. Jalapeno, squash, and cucumbers are still producing quite well. I'm keeping the jalapeno's on the plant until I notice cracking/coloring to test out the different stages and flavors. About how long until you start to notice the change in color? And we have some bell peppers starting to grow too...probably about 4 that are ping pong ball size. Here's a picture of our cucumber plant that is starting to get some yellow leaves...any idea what may be causing this? Its only started in the past week or so, but I think we need to get it figured out soon! So far, we had about 10 cucumbers, 10 squash, 5-6 tomatoes, and 3 jalapenos (although about 20 are currently growing). Happy gardening!

Is this the Yates Spray you're using? http://www.yates.com.au/products/disease-control/concentrates/yates-rose-shield-insect-disease-spray/ If so, it says the fungicide is systemic, meaning it absorbs into the plant and incorporates into the sap to provide the protection for two weeks. Spraying more frequently than that can damage foliage and over expose you, your pets (if any) and anyone else coming in contact with the chemicals. If your roses continue mildewing after the systemics have reached their "sap levels", you have other issues at work. Water stressed plants can also experience diseases because of the stress. You can force them to mildew even when the conditions aren't proper for the disease by keeping them too dry. Not necessarily that you aren't watering enough, but the reflected, radiated heat from surrounding surfaces "cook" the water out of the plants. Perhaps the pots are over heating from the air temperature, direct sun shining on them or the radiated/reflected heat from walls or the patio floor? Growing other plants in the pots with them also increase the competition for water in those soil balls. The traditional conditions favoring mildew are cool and damp. If your roses are mildewing when it's either hot and humid or hot and dry (and nights aren't cool and damp), that sounds like water stress induced mildew to me. Are the roses mildewing worst closest to either direct sun exposure on their pots, or closest to the hottest walls where the sun shines most directly, for the longest period of the day? If they are, that also helps point the finger toward water stress induced mildew. Might these also have the ground cover growing vigorously in their pots? That ground cover is using water the rose seems to need to help prevent the mildew. Yes, some roses are much more susceptible to mildew than others. Your local rose garden center/nursery should be able to point you toward those varieties. You can also find out that kind of information about many roses on Help Me Find-Roses. You can make a list of what's available locally, then check Help Me Find to see if there are statements about their disease resistance on the site. But if you've used your systemic spray properly for several weeks or longer and these are still mildewing, the other possibilities I've offered could easily account for why the problem isn't clearing up. You may want to take a look at their placement on the balcony to see if by moving them around, you might alleviate some of the greater heat these might be experiencing. You may also want to consider removing the ground cover and any other companion plants from the pots of the roses which continue mildewing. You might also need to increase the size of the pots they grow in. If they're too small, the plant will consume all the water they can hold, or it might cook out too quickly, leaving the plant "thirsty", inducing it to mildew. Once thing is certain, I would not suggest using the Yates more frequently than the label instructs. You should have enough of it in the plant sap after several applications and a few weeks for it to begin working. It won't remove the mildew on older foliage which already show symptoms, but it should prevent the new foliage from mildewing as long as it is used properly. I hope it helps. Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Help Me Find - Roses

Yup, 2" per foot for the ceiling... ...porcelain over natural stone... ...and for the generator, different generators can be placed in diffeent areas. Some need to be co-located near the shower, others can be 10, 20, or 50 feet away. The generator also needs to be sized for both the physical size of the steam shower and the thermal characteristics of the six sides of the cube that make up the shower. You;ll find info on most manufacturer's websites. You want a VAPORPROOF membrane...not just waterproof, but vaporproof...behind the tile on all six sides of the shower cube. And all plumbing penetrations should be sealed to the membrane. You want your lights to be vaporproof too. You usually won't have a vent fan within a steam shower, it'll be located just outside the shower. Were you to have a fan within the steam shower, steam vapor drive can do nasty things.

It's a challenging Hoya, but worth trying to get right. I've lost mine and intend to find another EA plant. They ARE beautiful, but when they get "unhappy", the leaves yellow and drop. I wish I could tell you the ideal care. I grew some very nicely in semi-hydro for awhile, but I eventually let it dry out too long (or something...) and it bit the dust, too. It seems like it doesn't like to dry out too much, and it doesn't like a lot of heat. I think it's one of those that wants unchanging conditions. Next time I grow it, I will leave it in the same spot in bright conditions where it will be temperate all the time. I have a feeling that is the key... Put it in one spot and leave it there, water before it gets too dry... Denise in Omaha