Mad Hatter: A Hybrid Pepper

by Michelle L. Dauberman

Check out this fun 2017 AAS National winner called the mad hatter pepper (Capsicum baccatum).  First you'll notice its distinctive shape and then you'll be wowed and rewarded by its taste.  The consensus being that it's altogether sweet, citrusy and floral though there will be some mild heat as you nibble near the seeds.  This sounds perfectly divine to me if and when you are ready to take a break from the palate scorchers like the Bhut jolokia (aka, the ghost pepper).

These charming peppers were bred for varied North American conditions and the yields are high.  The habit of the plant itself is on the larger side and it is a vigorous grower.  You can expect a mounding, upright habit with a height of 36 – 48” and a width of 36 – 48.”  Like most other vegetables it likes to be exposed to full sun.

You can pick the peppers when they are a mature green or you can wait a bit and let them ripen to red.  If you wait you’ll be rewarded with a sweeter and richer flavor.  Generally speaking it takes 65 – 70 day to reach its mature green state and 85 – 90 days to reach its ripe red state.

Given this peppers unique shape and sweeter disposition it would be a fun addition to a children’s vegetable garden!

For more information on peppers check out these PSU Extension links:

Container Grown Peppers

http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fact-sheets/vegetable-gardening/growing-great-container-vegetables/peppers

Penn State Extension – Growing Peppers

http://extension.psu.edu/plants/master-gardener/counties/chester/how-to-gardening-brochures/peppers

Community Gardens in Salta, Argentina

By Linda and Sandy Grimwade

We are spending 6 weeks doing volunteer work in the city of Salta in northwest Argentina. It is a beautiful old colonial Spanish city with about 700,000 inhabitants. Situated at an altitude of about 4,500 feet in the foothills of the Andes, and only 90 miles from the Tropic of Capricorn, the city has a wonderful climate of mostly warm dry days and pleasantly cool nights. It is springtime, and trees are coming into leaf, bulbs are flowering and the barrows on street corners are full of wonderfully flavorful strawberries. Despite this favorable climate and pleasant situation, there are significant areas of the city where signs of poverty and poor nutrition are clearly visible.

Sandy giving a lesson on plants in Spanish

Under the auspices of the city government, we have started a project to introduce education about the benefits of home gardening, and to build small vegetable gardens in “comedores” -- food kitchens run by local people to give children in poor areas at least one good meal per day. The Argentine diet is heavy on protein, carbohydrate, and, increasingly, sugar, but fruits and vegetables are quite expensive, and there is little tradition of growing your own. Armed with materials from Philadelphia Master Gardeners and the Harvest for Health program (thanks to Jackie Simon), Sandy, with Linda’s help gave his first of 4 talks, in Spanish, to about 20 children and 12 parents in one of the comedores a few days ago. We then helped the excited kids to plant tomato, pepper and squash seeds in potting soil-filled cups, started cleaning out an area about 3 feet by 9 feet and building a low wall for a raised bed. 

Children with their pots of seeds

Over the next few weeks we are planning more short talks on caring for a small vegetable garden and will plant seeds of herbs, beans, chard and other greens, as well as setting out the seedlings once they have grown. We hope we will leave here with small gardens growing at several of the comedores and a group of enthusiastic helpers to keep them going. We are also planning to introduce some tasty vegetable recipes.

It is gratifying to be able to share our Master Gardener knowledge with parents and children who are so enthusiastic and willing to become involved.

News from the Edible Landscape Demonstration Garden

Cardoon in bud

Not only does the calendar tell us summer has arrived, but so do the plants in the demonstration garden. The bush cucumbers are beginning to flower and tiny fruits have just appeared on the vines. The tomatoes are growing rapidly and producing flowers; small husked fruits are also visible on the tomatillos. The cardoon is now almost four feet tall with thistle-like flower buds. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this attractive edible, cardoons (Cynara cardunculus) are a Mediterranean native closely related to the more familiar artichoke. Cardoons are hardy here in the Philadelphia area, liking organically rich, well-drained soil and full sun. While often grown as an ornamental, this attractive food plant has been part of the American vegetable gardeners' lexicon from the early 19th century. The edible stalks are blanched 2 to 3 weeks before the end of the growing season by tying the outer branches together and wrapping the base of the plant -- about 18 inches high -- with newspaper or burlap. At first frost, the stalks are harvested by cutting them just below the crown of the plant. The outer leaves are removed, leaving the white stalks reminiscent of over sized celery which are boiled or steamed. I am told they taste somewhat like artichoke.


Master Gardeners Eldredge Ragsdale and
Mary Ellen Post

Over the weekend we said a temporary good-bye to the collards and Chinese mustard greens. They have been replaced by a second cropping of cucumbers that will be trellised upon a simple A-frame structure made from garden stakes. Plans for the fall plantings are already well underway. Garlic has been ordered and seeds selected for the autumn harvest. These include various salad greens, snow peas and other cool weather crops.

We encourage you all to stop by the garden sometime soon.

Previous blogs on Cardoons    

Cardoons

Cardoon Recipe 



Urban Container Farming

Container Farming           Jody Lannen Brady     MG Class of 2012

I have a little, shady square of land behind my rowhouse. Unfortunately the ground is full of rubble dumped inside retaining walls. I wouldn’t want to eat anything I managed to grow in that soil.

It’s a common urban predicament: little space, poor soil and limited sunlight. What’s a vegetable gardener to do? Think “containers.”

Vegetables can grow in just about anything that provides enough depth and drainage. Last year I grew peppers and eggplants in wash tubs, herbs in large clay pots, tomatoes in buckets and lettuce in hanging baskets. You could also repurpose plastic bins, trash cans, wood planters or plastic bags for your “farm.”

Match the right plant with the right size containers. Extensive Service guidelines suggest at least 5-gallon containers for tomatoes (one plant per container) but a two-gallon container can support a crop of bush beans planted just a few inches apart. If the container doesn’t already have drainage holes, you’ll need to make them. For the planting medium, you’ll want a lightweight, porous potting mix. “Large pot” mixes   come with coarse material that won’t degrade as fast as peat moss, and they often include water-retaining crystals to help hold water. Garden soil isn’t a good choice for containers because of weight and drainage issues.

The small space requirements of carrots, radishes, lettuce, green onions and herbs make them ideal choices for a container garden. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants require larger containers but many varietals will produce well in pots, buckets and tubs. A series of  Extension Service publications lists suggestions. Vertical growers (cucumbers, peas, pole beans) are good limited-space choices, as well.

Watering is crucial; soil in a container will dry out much faster than garden soil. On hot summer days, some plants may require twice daily watering; though checking moisture levels once a day is usually enough. I’m looking into self-watering options for my garden this year: timed drip irrigation, underground olas and containers with water reserves.

With all that watering, adding nutrients is essential. Pelleted time release products like Osmocote can be added at planting. When the plants are in production mode, weekly liquid fertilizer that’s high in potassium and low in nitrogen can boost yields. Organic options include fish emulsion, kelp meal/extract and bone meal.

To keep pests under control, IPM tools suited to the container garden include proper spacing (allow for air flow between plants), mulching, companion planting, floating row covers and timely harvesting. Find these tips and more in the “Growing Great Container Vegetables” guides available on the Penn State website.

We ate from our container garden all summer long and into the fall. What will I do differently next year? Add wheels to the bottom of my largest—and heaviest!—containers. It took two of us to move the wash tubs last year when we needed to find them a better patch of sun.

 Happy container gardening!

Both hyperlinks: http://extension.psu.edu/vegetable-fruit/fact-sheets/growing-great-container-vegetables

Vegetables that grow in the shade

Ten Vegetables You Can Grow Without Full Sun

By Colleen Vanderlinden, from About.com Guide

When most people picture a vegetable garden, they imagine a spot that bakes in the sun all day. For some vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and squash, this is the ideal site. What if we want to grow vegetables, but don't have a site like this "ideal" one available? There are plenty of vegetables that will grow well without full sun. Those of us who have shade can grow vegetables, too.

Basically, a good rule to remember is that if you grow a plant for the fruit or the root, it needs full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, stems, or buds, a little shade will be just fine.

Keep in mind that no vegetable will grow in full, dense shade. The following crops will produce with three to six hours of sun, or fairly constant dappled shade, per day.

1.Salad Greens, such as leaf lettuce, arugula, endive, and cress.

2.Broccoli

3.Cauliflower

4.Peas

5.Beets1

6.Brussels Sprouts2

7.Radishes3

8.Swiss Chard4

9.Leafy Greens, such as collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale

10. Beans

In some ways, growing in a site with part shade is easier than growing in full sun. You won't have to water as often, and crops that are quick to bolt in hot weather, such as lettuces and spinach, will grow quite a bit longer given some shade.

The best thing about knowing that these crops will successfully grow with some shade is that you'll be able to get more produce from your garden. Even if you're lucky enough to have an area with full sun that you can reserve for a vegetable garden, knowing which plants will take some shade will help you get the most out of your space. You can use that sunny space to grow the sun-lovers: peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, corn, and squashes. The other crops, those that do well in the shade, can be tucked in anywhere. Grow some beets or swiss chard in your part-sun perennial border. Grow some lettuce or radishes in a container or window box. Make use of the space you have, in both sun and shade, and you can easily double the amount of vegetables you would usually get.

Having a shady garden doesn't mean you're destined to live a life devoid of fresh garden vegetables. By making the most of what you have, you can harvest lettuces, peas, and other tasty veggies from spring through fall.

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Planning for this years garden.

Garden Journals      
Should you or shouldn't you?
Michele Koskinen   Philadelphia Master Gardener

Seed catalogs are mailed, gardeners are clipping, using stickies, dog earring pages, making list, making a new list, it is winter doldrums waiting for spring. So how many gardeners take the time
to journal about their garden? I would think the really organized and serious gardeners know the value of journals. They have learned that gardening is an adventure in trial and error. Keeping track of the plants, insects, weather and growth habits of their favorites help decision making in the future. I have taken notes, photos, drawn maps and a used a variety of other tactics. I have them all, stuffed in a notebook with a rubberband. I do go through them but since I have no times or dates it is useless.

Note the color and divide for the fall.

This year I am vowing to be more organized. To know what I need to make my garden more productive and beautiful, good note taking practices are essential. If growing from seed keep the packet and detail date of planting and how the seedling matured. Map out perennials already established and look to see if they have similar growing habits, take a photo and use in selecting new plants in the future. Record the vegetables planted and how they produced and any possible problems with insects. Detail what needs to move in the spring of the following year. Nothing too involved just enough to jog the memory next year when I am planning my garden. I bought a notebook now to work.

Your journal should contain photos of the garden and notes with dates and observations. Why? Because if you are like most we forget from month to month year to year. Another idea is to take your camera or phone with you to photograph flowers or ideas you have seen in nurseries or in other landscapes. It is another way to learn about your likes and dislikes.           

Who Knew? Okra

Other People's Gardens----------WHO KNEW!!!!!!!!! 
 Patricia Beynan     Philadelphia Master Gardener 

As the gardens grew I saw tall green plants that were unknown to me.  They were growing to over five feet, waving in the breeze, and looking suspiciously like marijuana plants.  But nobody would dare grow that, would they?   Then they started to flower, and make pods. I finally figured out it was okra, known to me only from crossword puzzles. Used in gumbo, I think.  I asked the grower what she did with it and she told me it's part of her usual repertoire in soups and stews, and would occupy a corner of her freezer.  She pickled some, and even used the fresh leaves as a soup thickener.  Who knew?

New to Okra, try the recipe below.











Peppery Grilled Okra With Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

Prep: 15 min., Chill: 24 hr., Grill: 6 min., Cool: 5 min.

Photo by: Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Harget

• YIELD: Makes 8 servings
• COURSE: Side Dishes/Vegetables

Ingredients

• Cheesecloth or coffee filter
• 1 (32-oz.) container plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 pounds fresh okra, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Garnish: freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Line a wire-mesh strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth or 1 (12-cup) coffee filter. Place strainer over a bowl. Spoon yogurt into strainer. Cover and chill 24 hours. Remove yogurt, discarding strained liquid.

2. Preheat grill to 400° to 450° (high) heat. Combine strained yogurt, basil, next 3 ingredients, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

3. Toss together okra, olive oil, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl.

4. Grill okra, covered with grill lid, over 400° to 450° (high) heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until tender. Cool 5 minutes.

5. Transfer okra to a serving dish, and serve with dipping sauce. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living JULY 2009