David, I suspect it's the difference in night temperatures that is the problem. As Lee noted, the Bay area (my daughter lives in San Francisco) is more "temperate" than New York in this respect: the nights here can stay quite warm and humid. I think that the plants don't get a chance to recover from their days exertions. Moreover the soil pathogens are encouraged by the moist heat and do their dastardly best to bring the plant down. Carlo Carlo A. Balistrieri The Gardens at Turtle Point Tuxedo Park, NY 10987 Zone 6 (845.351.2049) Visit: http://www.botanicalgardening.com/ and its BGBlog