Waiting for the spring!

Forsyth MO - Summer is now over and the air over southwest Missouri has taken on the distinct feel of autumn. And, while my brave little cherry tomato plant is still cranking out tomatoes, I can see the writing on the wall...

So, here comes what I call the 'dark months'. December through March have little to offer a man who like his veggies fresh off the vine. I'll have to content myself with produce grown in far off countries who may or may not have banned such fun pesticides as DDT. Were my country not constantly engaged in war, we perhaps could have constructed 'Megagreen Domes' under which hundreds of acres of fertile soil grow organic vegetables using the light from millions of LED's! Air would be circulated by giant fans powered by solar arrays with water coming from super condensers. Such a self-contained environment could even support select insects like bees that could help with pollination. You see, if you could divert the flow of trillions of dollars from a war machine, you'd have the ability to do such wonderful things.

That, as they say, ain't gonna happen. So, I find myself already in the planning stages of growing a future spring crop of peppers and tomatoes on my condo balcony. Last summer and fall, I did not have to buy any of these at the store and my pots produced just enough to keep me supplied.

See you all in the spring!

Red cayenne pepper, year after year!

Forsyth MO. – I have been growing cayenne peppers for some years now, all from one original plant I purchased from a commercial seed company years ago. Just one or two plants supply me with all the peppers I need during the course of a summer and fall! Then, sometime around mid to late November, I will germinate few seeds to grow over the wintertime and which will then be transplanted to large pots in the following spring. It's nice having the greenery during the dark days of winter when the reduced light allows for slow growth. By the time April comes around, I have some great starter plants ready and raring to go!

Banana peppers generation III!

About two seasons ago, I ordered a packet of Banana peppers from some outlet and successfully grew them to maturity. I found the slight heat to be a welcome addition to many of the dishes I like to prepare, not the least of which is as a spicy addition to my hot dogs!

And, being a frugal sort of fellow, I decided to try and use the seeds from these for a new generation. I planted them in the fall into a small dish with potting soil and surprisingly they germinated and then produced a crop of similar peppers the next summer. Wait a minute! Fall? Yes, I like to start peppers from seed in November under a modest grow light and then will repot them in the spring to go outdoors on my balcony. Doing things this way gives me some greenery to look at in the winter months which is nice. The plants grow slowly and haven't seemed to be held back in any way!

That was two years ago and here I am planting Generation III. After harvesting a bright red pepper, I let the seeds dry out for about a week or so and then will plant them in a soil medium to germinate. And thus far, they've reproduced plants and peppers that are just like the originals!

Condo living garden!

Well, living in a condo is a far cry from those days when I had myself a few raised beds in the back yard! However, it ain't all that bad as people I know who do have large garden are more than willing to give some produce to an old poor sot such as myself!

With such small growing quarters, I decided to focus on producing just a few varieties of peppers this year; a standard bell pepper, a few cayenne and a Bananarama style pepper grown from seed from a plant the year before! All them guys seem to really enjoy a balcony with western exposure!

Update: It's the end of July and my small pots of long red cayenne are bearing great looking peppers! What I love about peppers like Bananarama and Cayenne is that the seeds breed true from year to year!

Broken pepper plant rises up from the ashes!

Have you ever bought a plant at a nursery and then on the trip home, the little pot fell over in the back seat breaking the young plants main stem?

That happened to one of my bell pepper plants a couple of week ago and my first instinct was to toss it into the trash. But, for some reason, I didn't and instead keep watering it as though nothing was wrong.

Amazingly,that hard little rascal came back and now has some good top growth! It was almost like it was when I first purchased it! So, I'm thinking there's a moral in there someplace..... I'll track this little guy over the summer and report, from time to time, on how it fairs.

Update: July 1, 2016 - Wow! A full grown pepper plant!

Grilled cheese and soup. Perfect!

One of my friends mentioned that she was going to make vegetable beef soup and then have that with a grilled cheese sandwich. Gee, I thought, that sounded like the perfect lunch time meal for an otherwise chilly and icky Friday. And, so it was... Now, if it would just warm up outside....

Miracle Gro's AeroGarden!

What a wild idea! Miracle Gro's AeroGarden is supposedly a whole new way to grow herbs, flowers and veggies in a controlled environment using their patented Liquid Plant food with timed LED lights that turn on and off automatically.

I took advantage of a special offer to obtain one of their 6 pod units a week or so ago to see how well they would perform. I selected the 'herb collection' from among a group of different mixes of plants like peppers and cherry tomatoes! Over the next couple of months, I'll try and report on how this product works out!

It's December the 27th and I had my first harvest!