Thanks for the info. The slimy mud dried out mostly by the next day. When I stuck my finger a couple inches in the soil it just felt cool/damp but not wet so I'm assuming that means it's draining well? When I started the soil was dry like cement as you described. Now it's a more loose & workable. I live on a friend's property, they no longer have horses but do have llamas. She said their poop (which looks like lima beans) makes great fertilizer so I'll gently work some "Llama beans" into the soil in the next week or 2. Somebody pointed out that it sounded like I was "loving" the raspberries to death so I'm going to leave them alone for now and only water them every 2-3 days instead of daily. As far as the peppers go I had no idea about the frost thing. My friend planted her tomatoes the same time as I planted my peppers and her plants are growing no problem.... so maybe over watering is/was part of the problem too? I think I'll just dig up the dead plants and go buy a couple of new ones from Lowe's acclimate them over a whole week instead of only a day and then see how they do once planted. Luckily my strawberry & zucchini plants seem to be holding up ok so I guess that makes my garden only a 50% failure LOL

Yes, please do keep in touch, our group of growers here on the forum are a great bunch of like minded folks, all willing to share our experiences....both in the success and failure department! Several of us from the less favourable climatic areas of the globe seek help from growers in warmer areas whose plants flourish and flower their heads off all year round. My plants live indoors x365 as temps here so far in 2018 have dipped to -7C overnight outside and we have a very short growing season. It is an occasion for summer outdoor temps to reach the mid 20’s here and we rejoice and dance around when it hits the 30C mark! My knowledge of your area is very minimal....what temps do you experience outdoors please, do you get distinct seasonal changes in temp and weather? I would have thought light wouldn’t be an issue but read you use a light source.....sorry for all the questions, just interested :-) Gill Edited to add...the forum is rather quiet at the moment as lots of us are experiencing winter and dormancy with our plants, please don’t be put off, things will speed up come spring.

Leaves fall and shed naturally from the bottom as the natural growth of new emerging leaves from the tips of the branches. These seedlings are managing to do their best under artificial light during the winter months here in my area. They will continue to grow and push new leaves as the main stem grows, so will the leaves. You will see the old leaf scars at the lower areas as they drop off. This is a natural occurrence as the trees grow. My trees here in the semi dormant period have no leaves. As they start to wake up they will push new leaves from the tips and then the branches wil grow along with the addition of new leaves. I'll post some pics for you!! Here are some pictures of a new inflo ( inflorescence) or grouping of flowers that are starting to push early here in Virginia. This is my JL Hawaiian Fire . You can also see the new leaves from the ends of the branches. This summer this tree will have lots of beautiful thick leaves along with longer branches to support the Foliage. I'm excited about this cultivar ... Inbrought this tree outside to give it a quick. Death of death air and a little drink... back inside it went since my temperatures will not allow them to be outside .. April 15 is my usually Go Date for that!! Here are a few from last summer Fuji Mist

Update: Hoping the upcoming tropical storms don't wreck havoc. Looks like there was another pod perpendicular to this one that didn't quite develop. Looks flat and empty. This plant is only 1 year, 10 months old ... I think little precocious for seeding. This is like a teen pregnancy, LOL!! The leaves have some yellowing but I am leaving them alone. The pod is stable, well attached, and developing fast. Lets hope the upcoming rains don't do a number on it. Maria Elena