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February 2008
Lipstick, what a great name for
this fantastic pepper. The color reminds you of the colors of 1950's
Hollywood starlets' lips with the shine to go with it. Far from the regular
tasteless bell peppers in the grocery store, this gorgeous pimento type pepper
has thinner walls but just bursts with sweetness and flavor. If you
are wondering where some of these names come from, the seed developers are
constantly looking for the next catchy name to sell their seeds and many
can
get quite creative. There is a pepper called "Peter" pepper that I am
embarrassed to tell you what it looks like! An article on growing
Peppers follows and an article to guide you through the maze of crazy names,
like this Flying Saucer squash...
During the cold winter months things get pretty busy around here with staffing up and cleaning up, planting seeds and transplanting baby plants! We have a great crew this year and we are hopeful for an excellent gardening season.
All of our Herbs, Tomatoes, Peppers and Vegetable plants can be ordered now! Our first shipping date is scheduled for March 3rd, you may choose any Monday shipping date after that. Note that our recommended shipping dates are the absolute earliest date you should have us ship your plants and it is best to give them at least a few days time to acclimate once they arrive. Planting too early can be devastating and late frosts can come even after your "average last frost date". Because our plants are in such large pots, they can be held for up to two weeks before you plant them. Click here to read more about the best time to plant in your area.
New
this spring! Artichokes!
We are offering for the first
time,
Purple of Romagna artichoke plants which can be ordered now for early
shipment. These are not slips but healthy plants grown from seed in our
large 4 1/2" pots. Large, round-headed purple chokes that turn green when
cooked, are tender and tasty, perfect for warm season areas, or grow them in a
greenhouse to start. If you have at least 100 frost-free days in your area which
most of the country does, you can grow them but they will produce best in
coastal areas and zones 6-10. Read more about growing artichokes
here.
Note!
These plants are only available for a short time in limited quantities from
February 18th-March 10th while they last. Please order separately if your
tomatoes and peppers will ship later.
Seed Potatoes, Shallots, Garlic, & Bareroot Strawberries can also ship well before your summer vegetables for a head start on your garden. Order from our fantastic selection of these easy to grow plants and start your gardening season early this year. New Yukon Gold potatoes and two kinds of Fingerling potatoes can be ordered for shipment beginning March 3rd.
Growing
Tips -Growing Peppers
Peppers are not tomatoes. That seems obvious but for some reason we expect them to grow the same as tomatoes, same planting time, same spacing and same sunlight. Although they are in the garden at the same time they have some very different requirements. Both tomatoes and peppers like warm soil and although tomatoes can be planted anytime after your last frost, it is a good idea to give peppers a little more time to get the soil good and warm.
Raised beds warm up quickly and black plastic mulch can also help warm up the soil as well as protect the roots from heavy rain which can drown young seedlings. Adding Epsom salts to the soil will add magnesium which helps Pepper plants thrive. They will also need to have rich compost added to help the roots grow. Drip watering is the best way to prevent diseases and keep watering to a minimum which is especially best for hot peppers. Mulching is crucial for all peppers especially sweet peppers because their roots tend to be shallow. Regular fertilizer is important or use a slow release type which will last for the entire season.
The temperature range for fruits to set is limited like tomatoes but even more so. When nighttime temperatures fall below 60 degrees or above 75 degrees, flowers are likely to drop off because fruits have not set. Daytime temperatures above 90 degrees F. will also prohibit fruit set, but fruits will begin to form again when cooler daytime temperatures appear.
Spacing can vary by variety but most pepper plants will grow to around 2 feet in diameter. It is ok to have the top leaves touching slightly which will help shade the fruit and roots when the summer temperatures rise. Many people use commercial tomato cages to support pepper plants that can become top heavy when loaded with fruit, otherwise stakes, to protect them from high winds, can be helpful as pepper stems can be brittle.
Sweet vs. Hot
Sweet Peppers are generally able to grow best where the soil temperatures stay moist and cool in the summer months. The tops of the plants don't mind getting hot but the soil must remain cooler than the top leaves and branches. For sweetness the pH must be correct and moisture should stay consistently moist but not soaking wet. Good support for the stems is important because as the plants become full of fruit, they can be very heavy and break their own branches. Shading the fruit in hotter climates is also helpful to prevent sun burn damage. Ripening from green to red or yellow colors seems to take forever with bell peppers but it will happen when the plant is ready. Generally this takes about 80-90 days from the date you transplant but this can vary so be patient. Italian Roasting, Banana, and Pimento types will color sooner than bell type peppers. Peppers can be picked as soon as even a small amount of color is showing and they will finish ripening indoors with full sweetness and with less likelihood of insect damage.
Banana
peppers and Hungarian type peppers will taste more like green bell peppers with
their sharper flavor. Mature colored bell peppers, Roasters and Pimentos
tend to have less of that peppery flavor and more sweetness.
Hot Peppers sometimes grow upright as in the photo, but not always. Jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero and many others do not grow upside down at all and can be just as hot. There are so many kinds of hot peppers but most grow best in areas which have longer growing seasons which means that there are more days within the optimal range for setting fruit. The roots are best kept a bit drier than sweet peppers and will thrive even without mulching. You can pick them green, or let them color to full red, depending upon the flavor you like best. Sugar content will be higher once the color is formed. Keep in mind that peppers can be extremely hot and therefore dangerous to handle when cooking. Peppers are normally rated on a scale called a Scoville scale which indicates heat. (Always use precautions such as plastic gloves and breathing masks when handling very hot peppers and remember that water makes capsaicin worse, and soap is the best way to get rid of it.)
If you do need to grow peppers in containers, make sure that you use large pots, good potting soil mixed with some compost, (about a third). Water deeply and regularly, fertilize about every 6 weeks, mulch the top of the dirt because of their shallow roots, and give them plenty of sunshine. Plants may grow slightly smaller and may not produce as well in containers but the soil will also warm up more quickly than plants in the ground.
Weird
Names
There are many strange names
given to vegetable plants which makes the seed catalogs very fun to browse and
read. The names are generally chosen to describe what the fruits will look
like at a mature stage. Many times the names are chosen to describe
where
the seed originated such as
Black Krim, from the Crimean
peninsula in Russia and Ozark
for the mountains in Arkansas. Heirlooms can be named just about anything
once they are established varieties which come true to type for a certain number
of years. One of my favorite tomatoes is
"Stump of the World"
which may have old Christian Bible roots probably named around 1885 by the folks
that grew it back then. The seed saver was a devout Christian named
Ben
Quisenberry from New England who lived to the age of 95
and saved many seeds from extinction in his lifetime including the famous
Brandywine,
and Radiator Charlie's
Mortgage Lifter which has an
entire
story to go along with its name.
Kellogg's Breakfast is named for its golden orange color, like orange juice, and then there is Black Pineapple or "Ananas Noire" is named for the relation to the fruit as well as the color of the skin. Copia is named for the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts in Napa California and Garden Peach is named for its suede like skin and peach colored blush. Other tomatoes are named for their parents such as 'Big' Zebra and 'Black' Brandywine.
Vegetables tend to be named for their shapes such as 'Flying Saucer' squash which has the look of a cog and has dramatic coloring, 'Acorn' squash and 'Fairy tale' pumpkin although many are just named for their country of origin. The 'Winter Carnival' squash is fantastically named for its colorful skin. There are plenty of Italian names for tomatoes and vegetables such as San Marzano which comes from a small town of the same name near Naples, Italy, grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. It is the official tomato of the 'Vera Pizza Napolitano' (True Neapolitan Pizza) in Italy and no other tomato can be used. Peppers named Quadrato D'Asti Rosso which translated means Square Red from Asti which is an old commune in the Piedmont area of Italy. Of course it sounds better the way they say it...
In our catalog:
Our
Organic Gardening Supply Kit
Everything you need to grow
organically except the plants! This kit contains Worm Castings for planting,
Serenade Organic Fungicide, Neem II pesticide, All Purpose Organic Plant Food,
and Garden Lime. Also, a Garden Trake tool and a pair of gardening gloves. We
also throw in a free roll of Stretch Garden Tie Tape. This kit will set you up for
several years of organic gardening!
What says 'I love you' better than Tomato Plants!
The original 'Love Apple'...Order a Gift basket of Tomato plants or a Basket of Herbs to be sent to your Valentine! Just a short time after you celebrate Valentine's Day, we can send the plants to your favorite gardeners door at the appropriate time to plant in their area. Timely Gift cards can be sent announcing your gift so you get the benefits of the gift twice!
Happy
Valentines Day! We hope you find time to treasure the ones you love and show
them how much they mean to you.
Visit our website today for more helpful growing tips and
the best plants on the web!
Cindy & George Martin
