WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 9 FEBRUARY 28, 2014

Free Republic | Feb 28, 2014 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks.

No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I dry and grind these little devils for soups, stews and chili...

[Jed Eckert]

I have grown Cherokee Purple before, and they were delicious.

Good to hear. Did you have any major issues with fruit cracking? I hear this variety is more prone to it than normal.

[trisham]

I wondered what that was. What’s it for?

[rightly_dividing]

Sorry to hear of your sinus infection. They can get pretty nasty.

I harvested my Meyers lemon the other day. It took almost a year to ripen. Most of last season, I thought it might be a lime. Long story on this plant. I killed it 4 years ago, and refused to give up. Then it sprouted new growth from the rootstock 3 years ago, and budded this lemon last year.

I could probably waited another month, but got antsy and picked it when I saw yellow everywhere on it. We haven’t yet made a couple of glasses of lemonade yet.

[trisham]

I made a mistake last year; I didn’t plant any jalapenos or other varieties of hot peppers. For some reason, I planted only one type of hot pepper, and I wasn’t happy with it. It was hot, but it was a one-note hot.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Prevents stem rot and attenuates the amount of moisture at the surface.
Wife is a master gardener. She picked up this from one of her gardener classes.
We have had zero dead plants since starting the seeds.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We also grow paprika peppers (dry and grind in a coffee grinder) and have grown habanjeros. The scorpions (ghost peppers) are supposed to be hotter than the Mexican variety.

[trisham]

That’s an excellent tip. Your wife has my deepest respect. It was my husband who taught me how to garden, and I remember when we put out our first transplants. I asked him how he could tell the plants apart. I still remember the look he gave me. :)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I use the paprika powder on ribs or other pork products. The variety I plant is medium hot with a sweet “tang.”

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Get the “chick grit” extra small.
This is essentially ground lime stone.

[rightly_dividing]

That looks great! I need to try some T. Scorpions.

It reminds me that I should start some Ghost peppers seeds, too, like the 2 plants I already have are not enough.

[greeneyes]

Trying to ping you again.

[trisham]

Thanks! I’ve made a note for myself.

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the tip.

[greeneyes]

Nice looking beans. Do they taste like green beans?

[rightly_dividing]

I have an acquaintance that said he could not get any peppers hot enough for him anymore. I gave him some Ghost peppers and he cut one up on his food(I warned him not to) He was gasping for breath, drinking water from the faucet, turning red, etc. His wife has banned him from anymore ghost peppers.

[trisham]

Ah, ghost peppers! We have some dried whole ghost peppers in our pantry. I’ve never grown them, though.

[greeneyes]

Mr. Tobbaco Rebel in all his glory.LOL

[trisham]

I don’t know-this will be the first time that I’ve grown them. It should be fun to see how they do.

[greeneyes]

Nice pictures. Thanks for posting. Much neater than I am too.