Congrats Frank. This has been my first year for Tomcot too. It was disappointing here. Mind you, few cracks and no BR, but flavor was disappointing (specifically sweetness). However, we had torrential rains, which can ruin fruit flavor. The best tasting cot so far is Sugar Pearl, but as mentioned in a previous post, the spray regimen is ridiculous. I still have a few Harlgo and Harlayne to ripen. However, I'm looking to pull all the apricots out and put in peaches. I'm tired of fighting what doesn't work here, without heroic measures.

I can tell you about the ones I've grown, though my climate is much different from yours. When you think about what to plant with rosemary, look for other woody, drought tolerant Mediterranean herbs. Lemon grass, being an Asian herb, needs much more water. I've planted mine (started from grocery store stalks) in between the artichokes, and here and there in places with varying degrees of available moisture. The ones growing best are in gallon hydroponics pots inside a trough that gets afternoon shade and an inch or two of bottom water a day. Lemon Balm very does well in shallower containers and full sun. This is another plant that I grew to the point of being rootbound, before dividing, and ended up with 4 or 5 plants from one start. It is drought tolerant, but like all herbs, it likes drainage, and grows better with regular water and haircuts. Lemon Verbena wants warm, warm, warm weather. I don't know how it overwinters in your zone, but probably not at all well. I keep watering my last year's (maybe dead) LV that i left in an unprotected outdoor container because we are still having cool nights and the plant SEEMS to be well rooted. At least it doesn't come up when I give it a hard yank, but it's not showing any life at all. This plant is so temperature sensitive that it will drop all its leaves at any sudden change, but will come back once the temperatures stabilize. If you have that problem, don't worry. if your plants are looking differently sick, then worry. If the root ball seems overly moist, try repotting to a dryer mix. If you want to keep the plant around next fall, do what I should have done and clip it down 2/3, bring it inside and let it redevelop as an indoor plant. Or take some growing tips and root them in smaller pots. But, alas, I haven't met Sweet Cicely yet. jan

raisemybeds, How about KBX? Same great tomato, in a less disease-y potato leaf foliage. Gary

What a lovely, little Mandarinquat. Glad to hear that you liked the flavor of the fruit, at least. I am sure in the future you will become better at judging when the fruit are at peak ripeness to pick. I know being a relative newby with citrus that it is just intimidating trying to pick your first fruit and guessing when it is at the perfect peak for ripeness and flavor. I was that way with my first Nagami Kumquats and Sudachi Mandarin fruit. I left my first Sudachi fruit on a bit long and it was not quite as juicy as it should have been. I admit, I also loved seeing the beautiful fruit hanging on the tree and I hated to pick them off! :D Lol..