WOW! You guys are tremendous. I clipped the leaves of the mint to almost nothing and I moved it to a quarantine area. I will treat it with my garlic spray or DE and then wait and see what happens. I am new to Texas but not to container gardening. I am striving to find the balance of how much heat and water a Texas plant can bear. The soil drys out every afternoon but maybe it can go another day before I add more water. Thanks for the sound advice. LC

Chueh - Keep asking questions & trying. You will get it right, you really will! If it's warm enough, how about some mulch on the veggies to conserve water? I don't use it here, because it's too cool usually, but it might help you. Dean - If I can hijack the thread (sorry), I'd love to hear about your melons & squashes on trellises. I've done trellises for tomatoes, cukes, and obviously beans/peas. I do 2x2s with twine or netting, depending. It's cheap & adaptable. This year, I'm trying it for melons & squash. I'm having a bit of a problem as my garden is small (200 sq ft.) and the paths are narrow. I crammed too many trellises too close for being able to walk around easily. (Gardening is all about learning - in the fall I'll be re-doing the paths vs. beds - should have years ago. The plan I sketched out should result in only 4-6 sq. ft. lost space & much easier gardening.) My husband (also an engineering-type) has done the bulk of the work with the trellises. I'm not sure what happened, because they don't seem as sturdy as in previous years. We need to hammer them in more because we're both worried about the heavier produce. It could be because I keep backing into them, etc. (The paths really are narrow!) He keeps mumbling about (forget the term he used) bracing them with lines, like for a tent. Do you find that necessary? I think I'd just trip & fall on everything at that rate. Thanks, Tricia

rhizo_1, you asked about heat, sun and my begonias. I notice now that my picture must be from early May 2009, because the green at the top is the bud of the walking iris (see link to pics on my page). Begonias probably took more sun at that cooler temp. Today was 91 F, 32.8 C, & the begonias look tired & ready to have the patio awning pulled over them for the summer. Intermittent boiling sun & pouring rain today & predicted for several days. No way to get accurate reading on SunCalc, sorry. I once saw bonze leaf begonias in Houston at a La Quinta Motel, roasting in the sun between sections of the hot parking lot & looking happy. They looked like mine but the leaf had a slightly different shape. Thanks for your interest!

Check out the thread linked below for a really long discussion on this issue. It has pics of a comparison study going on between heavily pruned plants vs. normally pruned plants. Should answer all your questions. ;) Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Organic tomato magic thread...