Don't do "one plant per container" unless they are very very close. The plants need to pollenate each other. Do use Ray's EarthTainers and plant multiple plants in each. Add water and you'll have happy pretty corn like in the pictures. If you get the black smut fungus, contact me. It's a delicacy! But you are not likely to have the fungus using the containers and good new planting mix. Rick Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTainer

There are quite a few people here who have GE growing in their gardens. I bought two 3 years ago and have those two still growing nicely, must be my soil, light or whatever. I just bought two more cheaply. Here is some advice given by forum member 'dhaven' : "Some varieties are very picky about growing conditions, and unless they are planted in optimum conditions, they will either remain small, or fade away and die. The best example of this I know of is Great Expectations, which also happens to be my favorite hosta. A great many people have lost this one, sometimes more than once. I have three very large mature plants, and they are the prettiest thing in the garden. It took some experimentation, but there are three things that GE absolutely must have to thrive. First, and most importantly, plant it shallowly. It's going to be a very large plant, so the natural inclination is to plant it deeply, but this will kill it faster than anything else. Plant it so shallowly you are convinced that it will tip over, and you've got it right. Secondly, it likes a lot of light. Dappled shade is ideal, but it will take several hours of direct sun, either morning or afternoon. Third, it likes a lot of water. If you give a GE all three of these things, you will increase your chances of growing it into an absolutely stunning plant. If you want to try any of the hostas that have the reputation of being difficult, be prepared to try different locations and growing methods, and possibly go through several plants before you discover what works for that variety in your location. When you do find out what works, please share the information with the rest of us!" Bernd

ÂIs it true that winter rye cleans the soil of destructive nematodes, or adds beneficial nematodes, can't remember which.....? **** No, not true. Ebon rye has been suggested as a cover crop that might help lower the population of pathogenic nematodes. But I have many friends, especially in CA, who have bad Root Knot Nematode problems and several in the past have done controlled experiments with Ebon rye and found little to no difference. No, it doesn't encourage beneficial nematodes. Ppod, you don't have RKN problems where you live and you know I know where you live. LOL About TMV. As Dave said the strains of tobacco grown in the US , and that's at least for the past 20 years or so, are TMV tolerant. But Turkish tobacco is not TMV tolerant. Sudzy, in any case TMV is transmitted, or was, primarily by insects and these days any transmission is manual and occurs in large commercial greenhouses. But growing in one spot every year is not going to predispose plants to TMV b'c it's not out there to worry about any more. CMV is and many folks confuse TMV with CMV b'c the two viruses can exhibit similar symptoms. Growing in one spot can predispose to a build up of foliage pathogens, but I spoke to that in a post above in this thread. Carolyn

I've read about how certain herbs, such as basil and chives, may act as repellents for pest insects like aphids, so having some of these nearby may be beneficial. OTOH, having the two plants grow in the same container may cause some competition for resources, not to mention they may simply have different needs when it comes to water/moisture and fertilizer. I can't really say if that is a good idea ultimately. Perhaps you could simple lay small boards across the edges of two or more chile plant containers and put the smaller herb pots on there, best of both worlds?