I ruled out herbicide damage. I talked to my neighbor and he doesn't use any herbicide plus my peas are healthy and producing like mad and the bush beans look good so far. I read they are highly susceptible to herbicide. I posted some pics. JFHunter Your plants look healthy and vigorous. I have the 20-Gallon Smart Pots. What area are you in and when did place the tomatoes in the pots? Do you just use liquid fertilizer? How quickly does your potting soil "dry" out and do stick your hands in and feel it? The problem could be that I didn't use potting soil in the smart pots. I used a 50/50 mixture of Sweet Peet and compost from green materials. The mixture does seem to drain very well when I water but it does feel moist right now. But, we have had a ton of rain in the last month - 9 inches by my rain gauges in 30 days and 2 inches just yesterday and it hasn't had a chance to dry out. Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Peet

Hi MKitten and ALL! I had the opportunity the other day to go through my bin(s), actually I have two small fish container bins instead of the one I mentioned above. I also have a 3'x 8'x 4'high outdoor compost bin that was the original source of the worms I presently have. I've been vermicomposting indoors for the past 12 months. Anyway, the other day was the first time I actually dumped the smaller bins out in 8 or 9 months to check on the possibility if I had the pot or white worm problem you mentioned. All of the worms I have seem to be "red". I did notice what appeared to be dirt was compacted clumps of soil. I had to use a putty knife to clean out the bottom 2" or 3" and the sidewalls. I noticed the soil wasn't, or didn't appear to be mud. I was able to break the clumps down easily with the palm of my hand or fingers and there were a number of babies within the clumps. I did find a number of larger adult reds that apparently has kept the bins producing. (Can I ask what is the life expectancy of these worms?) And, was this black soil actually compacted castings over the year of composting? I added dry leaves, coffee grounds, shredded newspaper, small pieces of cardboard and an over-ripened banana and one week later the soil is fluffy and not nearly as "wet" (which was another problem I was experiencing.) The worms seem to be more active and coming to the top of the container as they previously had before. From other posts I've read it seems these worms don't like to be disturbed during their foraging. The 2 containers I have are 15"X 11"x 4.5" high. At what point of time do you think I should stop feeding and start the process all over using this size of container? Thanks for your help and concern! Jim

Perhaps one may have had a good root system to begin with while the other may not have had as good as a root system so it is now "working on it". I have had some hydrangeas whose growth has been very slow compared to others that are planted nearby. Go figure. I give them at least three years to make sure all is fine. One thing to think about too: the potting soil mix in the potted plant probably drains better than the soil of the one planted in the ground.

In my zone (7b) will I have to bring them inside during the winter ? I had several planted in large whiskey barrel planters that came back good as new ==>>> they are not houseplants.. and will fail.. if you meant indoors ... they have a requisite cold dormancy ... besides.. if the others made it outdoors over winter.. why would new ones need anything different ... they survive down to z 3 or 4 ...why you think your z7 is somehow too cold for them .. is bordering on trying to love them to death ... after they go dormant ... tip the pot in its side.. and go hibernate ... and even better if you can place the pots.. where they will stay out of winter sun.. so they dont come out of dormancy in some weird mid winter warm spell .. the only other real concern.. is too much water in your potting media ... when the plant is dormant.. that is why you tip them over .. but you might also think about how to reduce water in the barrels.... ken