There is no predicting what'll happen weather-wise out here. I never would have guessed it would have been so cool this past summer. It was very pleasant, especially when reading about the oppressive heat elsewhere. In addition to the beans, zucchini, cukes, and tomatoes, I'm taking no chances and also have planted peas, beets, onions, lettuce, and various asian greens. If it all produces, guess I'll have to give some away. :) Last year a few of my anahiem-type chiles kept bearing almost all winter and the plants looked great. They were in a warm spot that also got water run-off from some berries. Normally I would have just let them go after harvesting the bulk of fruits, but they did surprisingly well on their own. Perhaps that's why I'm tinkering again with growing summer crops now.

Thanks everyone! Nice to know I can probably get fines at Walmart. I will definitely check that out. I need to find a local source for a potting mix like the mix I'll-mannered is getting from Volusia Shed. I was getting a potting soil from a local topsoil company because it was $17 a yard and would go in the bed of my pickup truck but I now know that a recipe for disaster in a container (topsoil/sawdust/organic material/manure). I like the MG 3-1-2 but I'm still thinking a CRF might help if not applied too heavily in the mix. Also, I didn't add a calcium source so I find myself adding a teaspoon of hydrated lime around the base of each plant, watered in once a week to combat BER on the maters and peppers and help growth with the other veggies. My containers are 7 gallon and 10 gallon black nursery containers. Al said he didn't think that would be a problem IF I did pot-in-pot. I didn't get that far, it's all in the 7 gallon containers so maybe our Florida heat is becoming problematic for the soil. I work 0600-1430 so I can't water during the week until approximately 1530-1600. I may consider adding a watering system for AM watering but I'd rather not for now if possible. Gotta find a source for Perlite too...seems Scotty had posted that he found industrial bags very reasonably in his area. Keep coming with the favs for potting mixes. Sarasota Norm has had years of good success with Promix and I've heard good things about MG as long as you stay away from the moisture control product...never hear anything about Metro Mix here so maybe that's not available. Lamberts? Where can that be purchased and what's in it? Ultimately, I'd probably like to mix my own just for the best control over moisture in my "microclimate" of high humidity and NO frost. Again, thanks everyone for your input. All responses are more than appreciated. Tom

Sounds like my problem last year. I had a horrible harvest; they plants barely grew, and when they did, they didn't produce much fruit at all. Well, my tomatoes anyway; my cucs had an extremely heavy production. Is your veggie garden in the same spot every year (like me)? That could be the problem, from what I've heard. I tilled, threw down loads of commercial compost and fertilizers after I ripped out my veggies, hoping to rejuvenate the bed. This year I planted everything with earthworm castings and was watering the seedlings with sea kelp (I think; both were from Gardens Alive). Everything's much better this year than last, for sure...

Okay, here's my list! As you can see it's a real mix of veggies, herbs, and annual and perennial flowers. :-) (BTW - the formatting of posts sure leaves a lot to be desired in terms of flexibility and formatting it the way you want to! Oh well, hopefully it's legible.) AMARANTH Golden Giant Greek ARTICHOKE Imperial Star Purple of Romagna BEAN, FRESH Kentucky Wonder Empress Contender Asian Winged Red-Seeded Asparagus BEAN, SOUP Hutterite October Tiger's Eye Jacob's Cattle Gasless Speckled Cranberry Cherokee Trail Good Mother Stallard BROCCOLLI Packman De Cicco BROCCOLLI RAAB, Zamboni BROOM CORN SSE mix CARROT Scarlet Nantes Chantenay Thumbelina Purple Dragon CAULIFLOWER, Early Snowball CUCUMBER Lemon Crystal Apple County Fair Hybrid Mexican Sour Gherkin Early Fortune Richmond Green Apple Poona Kheera Thai EGGPLANT Fairy Tale Hybrid Rosa Bianca Japanese White Egg Thai Long Green Thai Dark Round Green ORNAMENTAL Gourd Mix KOHLRABI, Kolibri LETTUCE Black Seeded Simpson Salad Bowl Mesclun Mix MALABAR SPINACH MELON Noir des Carmes Delice de Table Early Silver Line Charantais Ambrosia Ananas d'Amerique a Chair Verte Tigger Collective Farm Woman MUSTARD, Southern Giant ONIONS (thanks to Dawn!) PEA Sugar Snap Oregon Giant Oregon Sugar II PEPPER Blushing Beauty Garden Sunshine Golden Bell Jupiter Sweet Banana Orange Bell Purple Beauty Tolli's Sweet Italian Bounty Hybrid Fat 'n Sassy Giant Aconcagua Giant Marconi Hybrid Golden Marconi Socrates X3r Hybrid Sweet Spot X3r Sweet Cayenne POTATO (all they had at the feed store...) Red LaSoda Yukon Gold PUMPKIN, Small Sugar RADISH Cherry Belle French Breakfast SPINACH, Bloomsdale SUNBERRY SQUASH, SUMMER z. Italian Harvest Multipick z. Eight Ball z. Black Beauty SQUASH, WINTER Waltham Butternut Potmarron Lakota Queensland Blue Buttercup Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Sweet Dumpling Gold Nugget Buttercup Rouge Vif d'Etampes TOMATILLO, Dr. Wyche Yellow WATERMELON Moon and Stars Crimson Sweet Blacktail Mountain ORIENTAL GREEN Shanghai Green Choy Extra Dwarf Pak Choy ANNUAL & PERENNIAL FLOWERS AMARANTHUS (ornamental only) Autumn Palatte Magic Fountains Coral Fountain ANGELONIA BACOPA BEGONIA Show Angels Mix Nonstop CALENDULA Triangle Flashback Flashback Citrus Smoothies Apricot & Oranges Pink Surprise Chrysantha Citrus Cocktail Porcupine CLEOME Violet Queen Rose Queen COLEUS, Giant Exhibition COREOPSIS COSMOS Cosmic Orange Bright Lights Polidor Mix Sunrise Yellow Garden Redcrest FOUR O'CLOCK, Marrakesh GAILLARDIA Arizona Sun aristata mix GAZANIA, Daybreak Petticoat Mix GERANIUM Inspire Appleblossom Horizon Rose Ice Orbit Salmon GODETIA GOMPHRENA, Strawberry Field HELIOTROPE Mini Marine Blue Wonder "garden" (heirloom) HOLLYHOCK Fig Happy Lights mix Single Mix Spring Celebrities HYACINTH BEAN VINE IMPATIENS, Fanciful Mix Improved MILLET, Foxtail White Wonder NASTURTIUM Caribbean Cocktail Alaska NICOTIANA langsdorfii sylvestris Tinkerbell Marshmallow Lousiana Piroque NICONDRA, Splash of Cream PETUNIA, Aladdin Nautical Mix POPPY o. 'Coral Reef' p. 'Angel's Choir' Danish Flag Imperial Pink Heirloom Corn poppy RUDBECKIA Cappuccino Spotlight Autumn Colors Goldstrum Cherry Brandy Prairie Sun RUELLIA SALVIA f. Victoria coccinea Coral Nymph SUNFLOWER Van Gogh Mix Arikara Mix Italian White PRAIRIE SUNFLOWER Ox Eye THUNBERGIA TITHONIA VERBASCUM Southern Charm Snow Maiden Copper Rose YARROW Summer Berries Love Parade ZINNIA white star Apricot Blush Whirligig profusion, Apricot profusion, Coral Pink profusion, double golden profusion, deep apricot profusion, white Bennary's Giant, Orange Bennary's Giant, White Bennary's Giant, Salmon Rose Bennary's Giant, Lime Bennary's Giant, Golden Yellow Bennary's Giant, Coral Bennary's Giant, Bright Pink Starbright Mix Old Mexico LADY'S MANTLE, Thriller HERBS - BASIL Genovese Sweet Poppy Joe's Thai Holy Kaprao BORAGE BRONZE FENNEL CATMINT Felix blue carpet Select Blue CATNIP CHIVES CHINESE CHIVES CILANTRO CULANTRO aka Vietnamese Coriander ECHINACEA White Swan Magnus Bravado Yellow (native wild) Prima Donna Deep Rose Prairie Splendor THYME English (vulgaris, sometimes also called German) and creeping LEMON GRASS PARSLEY SAGE common white broad leaf SUMMER SAVORY GREEK OREGANO Here's looking forward to it all going great guns and a happy planting season! Ada