Hi I'm in Palm Beach county the northern limit of 10. greenhouser Afaid so lol. The only frost proof place is Key West. Doesn't do it every year and have only experienced one hard freeze .27 for four hours though it got to 22 by the lake. We once had a snow, 77/78 as I recall. What a sight that was lol. Has never done it again . Since I'm so close to the gulf stream I'm usually about 5/ 8 degrees above the inland parts of the county Last year the low was 37 while 42 the year before. Cold fronts usually last 3 days with each night progessively warmer. The coldest daytime I remember was 53. It's kind of interesting as in order to frost the cold air must come straight down the peninsula and it must be dead calm. and perfectly clear. Other wise the warm ocean raises the temps.as well as cloud cover prevents radiation. So the next day is always brilliant sunshine with an incredible rise in ground temps while the air can stay cool. My first attempt at heating the GH was using sheet plastic. Worked beautifully during the night with a low of 30. I went to work before dawn and was so thrilled the GH was toasty 60 lol When I came home it was 140 degrees inside while outside was 62 lol. I lost everything lol. My new system will work !! gary

I live in Palatine, and was unsuccessful w/ this plant a few years back. It was a small plant from Forest Farm, barely survived the 1st winter, didn't grow much during the summer, then died after its 2nd winter. I read somewhere to give this plant west exposure so it won't wake up too early in spring & be injured by late cold snaps. (obviously mine died so maybe this was bad advise?) If you're wiling to try it, I'd suggest planting in spring so it's roots have a better chance of establishing b4 winter & reduces chance of heaving, especially if you go with a small size. Important to note - we had alot of huge old Walnut trees surrounding the yard & I think this was planted b4 I learned what havoc juglone can create. So maybe it's not juglone tolerant...? And I remember seeing this plant in local nurseries just after I yanked up the dead one - maybe Knuppers in Palatine, or Platt Hill?

Hi Sun, Are you feeding the tomatoes at all in the early part of the season? I am not a container expert by a long shot, but I do read posts by the folks that grow a lot of container tomatoes (I am considering trying it in my hoophouse to extend the season), and almost without exception the successful container growers do feed their plants in containers very regularly, some on a weekly basis. Are the plants you are growing determinates? Determinate or "bush" tomatoes grow to a compact height, usually under 4 feet tall, and they bear their crop over a short time period, then die back or go dormant. Some varieties will have a second smaller crop later (perhaps it is related to the length of the growing season, I don't get a second crop in my zone 5 garden.) Also, many tomatoes will have poor fruit set when the temperatures and/or humidity are high. Tomatoes grow best if daytime temperatures range between 70°F and 85°F, with nights in the 55-75° range. Tomato plants can tolerate more extreme temperatures for short periods, several days or nights with temps outside the ideal range will cause the plant to abort fruit set and focus on survival. According to the University of NV, "...temperatures over 104°F for only four hours can cause the flowers to abort." They should know, h*** is right next door... :-) To be able to suggest what might be wrong with your plant (if it is something else), it would be helpful to know more about the environment it is in. So, here are the "usual" questions: What growing medium are you using? How often do you water? Have you checked the moisture of the growing medium or soil 3-5" below the surface? Is it dry, just right, or soggy? Are you feeding the plants? How often? What are the NPK values of any fertilizers you are using to feed it? Do you mulch? If so, with what and how much (how deep)? Are there any other plants near the problem plant that are not affected? Can you post pictures? The more information you can give us, the better the chances that someone can give you an accurate diagnosis. You may also want to browse the container forum which I've linked below. (Sorry if they sent you over here.) Betsy Here is a link that might be useful: Container Gardening Forum

I have had mine a year, its grown maybe 7 or 8 new stems. I was rooting a stem cutting, after 9 months or so it had a nice tuber, but I gave it to a friend who wanted a start. Absolutely am in love with mine, in the winter I keep it near a West window, and the rest of the year keep it much further away from windows, further than any of my other plants. I love how tolerant this one is. One fine xay I hope to stumble across a little variagated specimen.