Peppers are in

Mike P. planted the pepper seedlings on May 29, Memorial Day Weekend, three varieties:

Lady Bell, a sweet bell pepper from Busa Farm.

Carmen, a Mediterranean sweet pepper from Waltham Fields.

Jalapeno, a hot pepper, donated by a neighbor, Robin.

Mike planted the seedlings using a standard successful method:

1. 1. Scoop the soil out of the planting hole, a little bit bigger than the hole you need;
2. Throw in a handful of compost and a bit of fertilizer;
3. With some loose soil in the bottom to correct the depth, position two seedlings* so the soil lines match the surrounding ground level;
4. Fill the hole halfway with soil;
5. Fill the hole with water to soak the soil around the seedlings’ roots;
6. Fill the hole the rest of the way with soil;
7. Build a little dike around the stem to help catch water.

* We doubled up on pepper seedlings – two to a hole, an inch or two apart. Pepper plants are kind of “loose” and let a lot of sun through the leaves. Growing two side-by-side helps shade the fruit from sun scald, and practically doubles the yield in the space available.