natydoll, I can't remember if it was a New Guinea impatien or the hybrid Sunpatien that did ok(not great) in the spa. I may have also had dragon wing begonias in one of those pots that did well. Do not use the moisture retentive potting mix you linked. It uses the polymer crystals that will make it even worse. Again there may be some circumstances where one might use that type of mix and be semi-successful. One is a hanging basket with a coconut coir liner that breathes and evaporates lots of water from the sides of the basket in the summer sun. I have baskets like that in the full sun but my choice was to continue using the 5-1-1 mix and place a plastic liner with slits for drainage. One other thought is that you could amend the media that you have with "soil conditioner" or "pine bark mulch" to add more aeration. In our region soil conditioner is made from pine bark as well. I live in the southeast and both can be found at all the big box stores and nurseries in the atlanta area. Some of the pine bark mulch is not good however. Right now the Timberline brand of mulch is good but the Evergreen brand is bad. Just yesterday I noticed the Evergreen pine bark mulch at Lowes had large bark chunks with lots of sapwood. There is considerable variation in consistency and quality depending on where you live. I have even seen considerable differences in batches at the same store a month later. Both brands can be found at some of the Lowes and the Timberline brand at Home Depot. Soil conditioner($2.60 for 2 cu.ft.) is more composted than mulch so it might be a little better than pine bark mulch. You could mix between 2 to 5 parts of conditioner/mulch to one part of your existing potting mix. It's also recommended to throw in a little dolomitic lime to offset the possibility that the conditioner/mulch has a low ph(maybe a 1/2 tablespoon per gallon). Usually it's the addition of peat moss when making 5-1-1 that requires lime(1 tablespoon per gallon). Soil conditioner/mulch is partially composted and has had time for the ph to adjust upward. You may not even need lime when mixing in with your existing media. Best of success! Tony

you can actually stop them from making their tunnels longer (if you have reasonable number of plants. Feel the leave along the tunnel, near both ends. You may fill a bump. I you do, just squeeze the bump between to fingers(but do not rub, it will damage the leaf). If you fill pop - one bug less in your garden) May be in south this pest is not a big problem, but I lost whole my crop of beets two years in a row because of them, and now i just grow it under cover.

😊 I only use the eggplant to make Mediterranean dishes ( you probably havn’t heard or seen) one dish is made with roasted eggplant on fire then mashed and sautéed with garlic, turmeric, tomatoes and eggs, has a smoky flavor and aroma to it. ( another dish is with sauted eggplants cooked with lots of garlic, tomatoes, dried mint, turmeric and a dairy product called Kashk. Also eggplant stew with lamb...all are very delicious. I’m more used to cooking with the long skinnier eggplants ( less seeds).

I don't know what some of these post are talking about. A flea beetle is the size of a pin head, and they do not fly. However a can jump quite a distance for there size. Make sure there is no weeds or other vegetation around the plant. If you put down black plastic in a row and plant the eggplant through the plastic, that will help. One thing you can try is the sticky goo I use for the apple maggot fly. Use a piece of bright yellow plastic card covered with the goo. They are attracted to the color and will get stuck in the in the goo. Depending on the number of beetle, you might have to replace the card or clean it. Vegetable oil is use as a solvent for the goo and then some soap and water. reapply the goo. I would use a piece a card 4" x 6" at each plant.