Bell Pepper Seed Germination Blues

Of all the seeds that I work with each spring, pepper seeds are one of the most challenging. While most of the other vegetables I start from seed generally germinate within a few days, those pesky pepper seeds take their sweet time with germination periods that can extend into weeks. Bummer!

I've been told that one way to obtain the most rapid germination is to control the temperature. After seeding my trays and then placing them into plastic baggies I have an insulated enclosure (an old mini fridge) that contains a small twenty-five watt bulb and a temperature sensor. I plan to leave the trays in the enclosure with the light on until I get a reading in the high seventies. (Hopefully, because the enclosure is insulated, it will hold this for a number of hours before I need to give it another shot of heat from the light bulb). Information obtained from the Internet tells me that the optimal temperature for most pepper seeds to be 77F. So, that’s what I strive for over the next nine days which is the average amount of time it takes for the seeds to germinate at that temperature. (The only other factor to make sure you control is the use of sterile starting mix. The warm temperatures are also ideal for bacterial to get a foothold which can sometimes kill the seedlings right after they emerge).

So, for this run, I’ve placed two 6-cell starting trays that have been seeded with Cayenne and California Wonder pepper seeds into the enclosure and will see just how long it takes for them to germinate. Once they are up and growing I plan to get them hardened off and out into the sunlight as soon as possible.

That brings me to another problem I’ve encountered recently. The last batch of seedlings never got that large even though I coddled them, watered them and made sure they got plenty of sunlight. That’s when it occurred to me that the sunlight might have been part of the problem. Not the light so much as the heat generated when it hits the dark plastic of the starting tray themselves. I have developed a theory that perhaps the roots are getting so warm, it damaging the plants ability to grow. To that end, I plan on painting the trays white this time around to see if I get better results. Failing that, It could be the potting mix or even the size of the containers that are causing growth to be stunted. Lastly, it’s possible I suppose that the seed may have been of poor quality.

Alice's Famous Chili

One afternoon while I was looking through some old books I had stored in the basement, I came across a real gem from my distant past. It was a book called Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook and contained a collection of recipes that Alice May Brock used in her Brooklyn New York establishment made famous by Arlo Guthrie in a song and then later in a movie of the same name directed by Arthur Penn.

The book and the recipes therein were written in the footloose and fancy free spirit that so characterized the times. It was published in 1969 by Random House and was an instant success for a whole generation of hippies and flower children like myself. One recipe that caught my interest was Alice’s Famous Chili which I have produced exactly from the book.

“In half an inch of oil or bacon fat, sauté until soft: 3 chopped onions, 3 chopped green peppers, and 3 large cloves of finely chopped garlic. In another pan brown 1 or 2 pounds of chopped beef. Drain the fat from the beef and add the beef to the onions and peppers ( or add the onions and peppers to the beef). Now add 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes, 1 can of tomato paste, and 2 to 8 tablespoons of chili powder. (You can always add more chili powder later, so start off easy). Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, a sprinkling of salt, pepper and paprika, 2 bay leaves, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of basil and a pinch of cayenne or some hot chili sauce. Simmer all this for at least half an hour until it is good and thick. Then add 1 or 2 cans of kidney beans. Serve this on rice and top it with some chopped raw onions. (Makes 6 to 8 servings.)

While I’m a little leery of using a half an inch of any oil in a recipe, I do want to give this recipe a fair shake. To that end I’ve decided to do a You Tube movie some time soon which will appear on the Danomanno Channel.

On Cayenne Pepper and Christopher Columbus

The hot, biting taste of the fruit from the cayenne pepper plant first came to Europe when Christopher Columbus brought some plants back with him from the New World. The plant which was known by the Caribbean natives as Aji had apparently been growing in the tropical climate of South America and the islands for thousands of years. Yet, somehow it had escaped the attention of ancient civilizations like the Chinese and Greeks as no mention of the plant ever appeared in any literature. No, it was first mentioned by the writer Peter Martyn on the return of Columbus to Italy in 1493. As a herbal with a bite, the popularity of the plant was immediate and spread across Europe quickly.

I personally like to grow Cayenne every year in my raised beds here in southwest Missouri for a couple of reasons. Not only do they add a little heat to my chili recipes, but ounce for ounce, Cayenne pepper contains more vitamin C than about anything else I could grow: 369 mg per 3.5 ounces. Also, the fruit is very rich in vitamin A coming in at 21,600 IU’s for the same amount.

As a rule, I will grow about six plants to maturity each season. Then, I will dry whatever fruit I don’t use immediately. These are ground into a powder and stored in a herbal bottle for use as needed. I usually get enough from the six plants to last me through the winter. I have to tell you my favorite thing is to mix the powder with seasoned salt which is then sprinkled into a bag of potato chips. What a treat!

Forsyth Readers - Please check out my new Blog at ForsythBiz

I have created a site called  www.forsythbiz.blogspot.com to cover events and businesses that have to do with Forsyth Missouri. Please give it a quick look and let me know if it's useful.

Spring Storms and Raised Beds a Good Match

After a very quiet March and April weather-wise, Nature came back with a vengeance on April 24th as a strong area of low pressure sweep across southern Missouri spawning tornadoes that brought down trees and even spawned pea sized hail at my location in Forsyth Missouri. I heard from the Weather Channel that apparently other states had it even worst as 10 people had perished in Mississippi. I’m so sorry to hear that news.

My raised beds survived the hail, and the rain that fell, (about two inches) was welcome as the month of April 2010 had been on the dry side to this point. I spent my morning at a swap meet that was plagued from the start with the in-clement weather. It was one of those days where one minute you had sun and the next you had rain falling on your head. I really have to appreciate the efforts of organizers like Ginger Davidson and Bill Bishop who work so hard to get vendors to attend only to have things go sideways. I understand from a cell phone call to Ginger that when the storm hit, it almost lifted their tents completely off the ground! Only by them hanging on were they able to save them. Bill Bishop, who is no lightweight, was reportedly lifted off his feet at one point! I’m glad I had left a short time before this mess hit.

The beds in my back yard came through all this in fine style and I’m happy to report that the cool night and warm days, as of late, have produced a record crop of radishes with the romaine lettuce and spinach coming on like gangbusters! I’m always reminded that a little too much rain is better than a prolonged drought anytime! Now, as I am approaching the end of the month. My focus now is in the transfer of some tomatoes and peppers that are now in starting trays. Assuming the local deer don’t get to them, I will have a nice planting of California Wonder, Blockbuster and Cayenne peppers. For tomatoes, I’m going with Brandywine and Early Girl varieties this year. As April turns in to May, I will more than likely augment these with whatever I come across during one of my visits to local Garden Center like the Home Depot.

Romaine and Radishes!

This promises to be a really great growing season down here in southwest Missouri. We’ve had ample rain and the last few weeks have seen almost perfect growing conditions. The nighttime temperatures have been in the fifties followed by daytime highs in the seventies and low eighties. As a result my early radishes and romaine lettuce have really taken off!

The radish seed I like to use is a variety called Cherry Belle and the lettuce is called Little Caesar from Burpee Seed. I’ve been growing both for some years now and enjoy the crunchy taste of the fresh radishes and fullness of body you get with romaine. Both of these are now growing in my small cold frames (the windows have been removed) and in the open raised beds out back. My seeding of lettuce back in October is why I’m enjoying lots of fresh romaine salads right now. This is especially nice considering the cost of a head of iceberg lettuce at the market right now. Now, while I do not have this down to a science, I have been lucky enough to grow just enough plants, spaced the right amount of time apart to insure a continuous supply through mid summer. At that time, I hold off planting any more lettuce until mid August when I can get in yet another crop and then a late planting in October so the small plants have a chance to grow big enough to survive the winter months.

Do you have the Obama Countdown Widget?

Do you have the Obama Countdown Widget?

Diamond Back Band CD Release Party!

Romaine is for real!

While I’m waiting for my main bed lettuce to develop this spring, I have been harvesting romaine lettuce from my small cold frames that are in the front yard. The variety is called Little Caesar and they are sold by Burpee seed. I currently have about 6 mature plants and ten more that are just beginning to take off. The neat thing is I have been eating lettuce out of both cold frames for the entire winter and now on into spring. While none of these plants are as big as what I will get from the raised beds later on, they still taste great and each little head is enough to make two full salads. The picture here shows the leaves from a 58 gram head that was harvested earlier today. I generally will add these to salads that are a hodgepodge of whatever is in the frig along with what I can scrounge out of the garden. Right now, that would be radishes, green onions, chives and carrots from the previous season.

Romaine lettuce is a very hardy plant that is much more nutritional than the traditional iceberg lettuce you get out of grocery stores. I would recommend everyone try growing some.

Planting Carrot Seed

Of all the vegetable seeds I’ve had the most trouble with in the past, carrots are right up close to the top of the list. They are very tiny, need to be planted close to the surface where they can dry out and are difficult to space evenly. But, once they get to growing up in size they are a little worry crop that can be left in the ground all winter and still be harvestable in the spring. It’s the getting them to germinate thing that can be a challenge.

What has worked well for my raised bed garden is the proper selection of variety (I have a heavy soil garden and soil will choose a short variety like Short n Sweet from Burpee Seed). After making a trench in the bed, I fill this with a good potting mix like Miracle Gro Potting Mix available at stores like the Home Depot. I then spread the seeds by hand as evenly as possible along the trench. I usually try for one seed every two inches or so. After that trying task is done I will add a little more potting soil over the top and will then pat it down. Finally I will take whatever paper I can find (newspaper works great) and will cut it into strips that are then laid length wise along the trench. The paper will act to help keep the seeds moist while still allowing some sunlight in. Next, I water the whole affair and then make sure to check the area daily to insure it stays damp. I also make it a point to plant some radish seeds as marker plants. That’s it! In about a week or so if you peak under the paper, you will hopefully see some tiny carrot seedlings poking up among the much larger radishes that germinated rather quickly. (The radish seedlings work great at holding the paper up off the ground so the tiny carrot seeds can have space to grow). Once I know I have achieved good germination, I go ahead and remove the paper. (If the sky is clear, I will sometimes wait for a cloudy or rainy day to do this).

The Short n Sweet carrots are not that big, but they do grow well in tough soil and taste just marvelous.

An April Salad

Even though I do not have a lot growing in the gardens at this time, with a little mixing and matching of veggies from the store I can still have a pretty decent salad. In the picture here I have assembled a salad using a little bit of iceberg lettuce, olives and celery to which was added romaine lettuce, green onion tops, chives, parsley and carrots all from my raised beds. Total calories was about 250 and the taste fabulous.

Garden Report for April 10. 2010

After a cold night down here in southwestern Missouri, where the temperatures dipped down into the thirties overnight, I have to say that the following day was a gem. That seems to be the modis operandi in spring. A really brutal day of rain and cold is followed by warmth and fair skies. April can be like that. The good news is that cold weather crops like broccoli and romaine lettuce really love this kind of wacky treatment. Add radishes and onion sets to that also. I had the great pleasure of harvesting my very first radish today. It was a Cherry Belle radish and after cutting off the top and adding a little salt I can tell you that the crunchy, salty taste is everything that is good about spring to me.

So, as of this date (April 10th) in the year 2010, I have the following crops growing in my two four by eight foot raised beds; Little Caesar romaine lettuce, Cherry Belle radishes, white onion sets, bush beans, Kennebec potatoes, spinach and parsley. Also, in growing trays I have some plants grown from seed including; Thai Hot peppers, Bananarama peppers, more Little Caesar romaine lettuce and a just seeded tray containing Early Girl and Brandywine tomatoes. Wow! I can hardly wait for those beauties. I have a special place in my heart for freshly grown tomatoes. One of the greatest pleasures of gardening in the spring is the harvests you realize in the summer.

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One plant I am tracking this year are the seeds of Great Northern Beans I sowed from a package I purchased at a local store. I have planted them in a couple of spots and will be most interested in seeing if I can produce some dried beans at the end of the growing cycle. I am intrigued as to what kind of production I will realize per plant. Bean, if you have followed some of my earlier blogs are one of just two veggies that can provide all the essential amino acids we need to survive. The other is rice. Combine these two and you have a combination that can allow for survival during hard times. Not that I’m really worried that the United States is headed for dark times. I really believe that our 121 trillion dollar debt will be repaid (with interest) and that everyone will greatly prosper in the years ahead…I also believe firmly in the possibility of pigs flying.

Growing Tomatoes in Pots

Ever since I moved to my current home in southwest Missouri, I’ve had to grow my tomatoes in pots. It’s not that I don’t have enough land, it’s because every year right when my garden sown plants were loaded with fruit, deer would make nightly excursions in small commando raiding parties. Their targets were always the same. I would arise one morning and all my pepper and tomato plants would be eaten to the ground! I mean they would eat the entire plants. Stems, fruit and all.. I could not believe it until one year when I actually caught them. So, rather than fight nature, I elected to start growing some of my tomatoes in containers. Over the years I discovered some things that work an some that don’t.

Make the container or pot large enough

One thing about tomatoes as a class; they drink a lot of water especially when bearing fruit. Another issue that comes up when growing these guys in a pot is the fact that they can become root bound and so any water you give them can tend to flow right through without being retained by the soil. So, it’s paramount that you select a good sized pot to begin with. I generally opt for pots that are at least twelve or more inches wide and deep. When filled with mix, it give each plant about a cubic foot of soil to grow in. Also, when choosing a pot, go for plastic and make sure it’s a lighter color. The dark colored pots can really heat up in full sun and boil the plant’s roots. Not a good thing.

A proper soil for containers

If you just go and heap in some garden soil into a pot you’ll be asking for trouble. Weight is one concern as a cubic foot of regular soil will weigh in at about 90 pounds depending on the moisture content. At the other end of the spectrum, I don’t go for the so-called soil-less mixes that are basically inert (vermiculite?) matter mixed with fertilizer. If you are wondering why, just read this blog on soil structure. My choice for a soil mix is a blend of ingredients that together make up a cubic foot of potting mix include; two one gallon buckets of soil (provides active bacteria, yeasts and fungi) from the garden, three buckets of  Miracle Gro potting mix, a bucket of builders sand, and a bucket of vermiculite. I mix these ingredients together evenly in a wheel barrel and then, before placing then into a pot, I make sure to add some stones or even Styrofoam chunks to insure good drainage. The end result is a pot that you can move, but which has al the ingredients to grow up a great tomato crop. For anyone wondering who much soil or mix a one gallon bucket holds, it’s 1 gal(US Dry) = 0.155557 ft³. So you need about seven buckets to equal a cubic foot. Don’t try and get too scientific on these proportions. The key to a good growing mix is to have a medium that has plenty of air pockets in it so the roots can breath properly.

Choose verities that are suitable

No matter how well you selected and assembled the correct growing pot and soil mix, you can still find yourself in problems if you don’t pay attention to the kinds of tomatoes that do well in confined spaces. Of the two major types of tomatoes; determinate and indeterminate, you will want to choose the determinate variety. These are tomato plants that get just so big, produce a crop and then are done for the season. They are often referred to as bush tomatoes. To save time (6 weeks) and work you can buy your determinate plants at garden centers like the Home Depot. Just be sure to indicate you want a determinate or patio variety of tomato. One of my favorite types of tomatoes for pots, hanging baskets or trays are cherry tomatoes. They will grow just about anywhere and provide small mouthwatering poppers all through the growing season.

Beans as Transplants

According to everything I’ve ever read, beans are supposed to be difficult to transplant. However, that has not been the case here in my raised beds located in southwestern Missouri...

Note that I’m also pushing the season for these guys, a bit, when we are still not past the last average frost date of April the 15th. But, since I was experimenting with Great Northern Beans (purchased at a local grocery), I figured what the heck. My recent experiment involved using a wet paper towel, onto which I had placed ten beans, to see if they would germinate. After just 48 hours they all did and rather than throw them out, I elected to plant them out into one of my small raised beds. Well, as you can see, they are actually growing. Encouraged by this, now I hope to raise them to maturity to see if they are a pole or bush variety. If they turn out to be bush beans, I then plan to sow more later this spring directly into a four foot square area. I should be able to produce about 36 plants spaced equally about six inches apart. I want to get a feel for how many dried beans I can produce and what they would weigh. From that information, I could formulate how many bean plants would need to be grown to meet the needs of one person for one year. That is assuming that this hypothetical person also has a supply of rice or other foods to combine with the beans.

Great northern Beans are a nutrient dense food that, I feel, belongs in any Survival Garden plan. When combined with rice, a person could easily survive on eating just these two foods (along with a supply of water of course). That’s because, between the two of them, they supply the nine essential amino acids that the body cannot make it self out of the twenty one it needs to be able to survive.