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"Fooled You" peppers and bittersweet garden news
Mississippi Gardens Newspaper and Web Column - June 21, 2004

Peppers are one of my favorite vegetables to grow and munch. I can eat about two or three cayenne a day; no brag, just fact. Peppers are fairly easy to grow if given plenty of sunshine, sufficient water, good soil drainage and moderate amounts of fertilizer. Insects may mercilessly attack my tomatoes, but the bell, banana and cayenne will produce abundantly.

Recently, a friend brought in some jalapeno peppers that were not faring very well. In fact, the plants were dying but had already produced a few delicious looking peppers. He explained that they were not hot. Rrrright. I've heard that before and so have you. Nevertheless, the name of this delightful jalapeno is aptly named 'Fooled You' and it is sweet without the heat. What's the point you say? I don't know for sure, but I really felt like a man when I bit that jalapeno right in half and then ate the whole thing. Never done that before. It was great.

Out in the vegetable garden the news is bittersweet. Gardeners know it's a marvelous time to harvest tomatoes, peppers and other veggie favorites, but it's also the time when the battle rages for control of our little Eden. The enemies are numerous, well equipped, adapted and aggressive.

Weeds are enemy number one. Just take a look at gardens in your neighborhood. The ones I've seen, including mine are under attack from crabgrass. It will completely overwhelm the veggies if something isn't done. My favorite remedy is not the hoe, but rather herbicide containing the active ingredient sethoxydim. It is found under a few brand names such as Poast and Grass Killer. It is also effective against Bermuda and Bahia grasses.

Insect pests comprise enemy #2. Damaging insects abound in our part of the country. Pests like stink bugs, squash vine borers, aphids and tomato hornworm may wreak havoc if left unattended. At the top of my list is the leaf-footed bug that feeds by piercing fruit and sucking the juices. The nasty creature spits in the fruit, too. I hate 'em. They can make pincushions of a tomato crop in short order. Insects like these are difficult to control and repeat applications of insecticides are sometimes called for. Inspecting plants for bugs every other day or so will help you notice a developing menace.

Diseases comprise the last category and can sometimes be worse than the previous two categories combined. Selecting resistant varieties, properly spacing plants, keeping plant foliage as dry as possible and the use of fungicides are common ways to prevent plant diseases.

Keep harvesting, garden in the early morning and late evening, wear insect repellent if needed and follow the advice of Winston Churchill, "Never give up, never, never, never give up!" Happy Gardening!

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