Pepper Gardens: 101

Pepper gardens are a good beginner garden because peppers can be grown relatively easy in a little bit of good potting soil. They can be grown in the ground or in a pot. They are a third of the "holy trinity" according to our Louisiana neighbors, along with celery and onions. Peppers can be used in a large variety of dishes including; chili, gumbo, pasta sauce, peppers and eggs, hot pepper jelly, Mexican dishes, etc. You get the idea. Not only can your garden be productive, you can also make it aesthetically pleasing. You can plant bell peppers in a variety of colors and other pepper varieties of different degrees of heat. My pepper plants produced a very good crop this past summer and this spring I will be reworking the garden to include more varieties. Even though they have become dormant, with the right care, they should come right back.

The sweetest peppers are those that are left on the vine until they turn red. Even jalapenos can ripen to red. Be sure to watch them carefully because they can ripen from red to rotten very quickly.

First, you must prepare your plot. To do this, stake out the amount of land you want to use and begin by turning the soil and cleaning it of weeds, rocks, foreign materials, etc. I recommend a 10' x 3' plot because it is large enough for a nice variety of peppers and small enough so that a beginner can handle it.

Once your ground is ready, mix in a good potting soil to give your plants a head start. Water lightly to make the soil easy to handle. Then begin planting your pepper plants about every 12 or so inches. Mix and match green, yellow and red bell peppers with chili, jalapeno, banana, and even habanero if you are adventurous.

Once your peppers are planted, water them thoroughly every day at the same time. Pepper plants grow quickly and produce even more quickly. Never water in the heat of the day; the sun could burn your plants.

• Use fertilizer for healthier plants.
• Make sure to keep an eye on your plants to ward off pests.

My favorite way to prepare the excess peppers is to clean them and put them in a bottle of brine. I usually use pepper juice from a bottle of Greek peppers. It is mild enough so that it does not add any heat to your peppers and it has enough vinegar to keep the peppers for a long time.