In times of Economic Uncertainty, GROW and SAVE!

Planning for the future is important.  In the words of Jack Reacher (Lee Child), "Hope for the Best.  Plan for the worst."  While we cannot predict the loss of income, unexpected medical bills or car repairs, we should plan ahead and prepare the best we can.

I've been asked, "How much money can you actually save by growing food?"
That's a great question.  First, it depends on where you live (seasons) and next, how much you plan to grow.  With most projects, there are start up costs and time involved.  Let's start off simple with 2 plant varieties
I chose 2 easy varieties: Arugula and Bell Pepper
Check out more of the crazy and unique varieties at Mary's Heirloom Seeds.  
Like PURPLE Basil, GREEN ZEBRA Tomatoes and LEMON Cucumber!

ARUGULA

At Mary's Heirloom Seeds, a packet of Arugula seeds is $3.00 and contains 300 seeds.  Even if only 90% of those seeds germinate (almost 100% of mine grow!), that still leaves 270 plants!
For this comparison, we're going to share a very economical option for growing greens 

Grow Your own:
Sterilite 18 gallon bin: $9
Organic Potting Soil: $9 a bag
Arugula Seeds: $3
Total: $21 for 270 Arugula Plants (much more than a bunch)

Purchased at my local store, organic Arugula is about $1.99 per bunch.  Let's compare:

270 homegrown bunches of Arugula $21

270 store bought bunches of Arugula $537.30

If you save your seeds...The savings are incalculable!


PEPPERS

At Mary's Heirloom Seeds, a packet of Cal Wonder Bell Peppers is $4 for 35 seeds. Again, even if only90% of those seeds germinate, that's 31 plants!
For this comparison, we're going to share a very economical option for growing peppers 

Grow Your own:
Sterilite 18 gallon bin: $9
(a 5-gallon bucket works and it costs $3)
Organic Potting Soil: $9 a bag
Pepper Seeds: $4
Total: $22 for 31 Pepper plants
What if your harvest is "not-so-good?"  That's okay!  Save the seeds!  A pepper plant can produce 1-20 peppers (sometimes more depending on the variety)
For this, we will say that each plant produced 3 pepper (sad, I know).  That's still 93 pepper!

Purchased at my local store, Organic Bell Peppers are 2 for $3.  Let's Compare:

93 homegrown organic Peppers $22

93 store bought organic Peppers $139.50

SO MUCH MORE savings if your pepper plants produce more peppers AND you can save your seeds!

Are you seeing the pattern here?  Growing Food saves Money!  Growing your own Food means you know exactly what and how it was grown and you can grow it organic with no cancer-causing chemicals or pesticides.

Did you know the WHO, the World Health Organization, just classified Gyphosphate a carcinogen?  That's cancer causing!  What is Glyphosphate?  It's a key ingredient in Monsanto's Round-Up and it is IN THE FOOD, WATER & AIR thanks to the millions of tons of Glyophosphate used every year in the US.

Are you ready to get growing?  What would you like to grow?

Would you like FREE SEEDS?  Check out our latest special for free seeds at Mary's Heirloom Seeds

I GROW!

Other than those points, remember that growing food—or any plant for that matter—is an exercise that connects you with nature. The goal is to enjoy the process, to learn and to have fun! 

**UPDATE:  After only an hour of publishing this article, the feedback is amazing.  From a friend and customer: "That amount is just the tip of the iceburg.  I have been giving away a ton of stuff to neighbors and I cannot eat/freeze it all right now.  Another savings is the "junk" stuff (end pieces, etc) gets fed to the animals which cuts down on the feed bill"

If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask!

HAPPY PLANTING! 
 

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Planting Heirloom Peppers from Seed to Harvest

When to Plant Peppers 

Purple Jalapeno

If you live outside of Florida:  Start seeds indoors under bright fluorescent lights in early spring, eight weeks before your last spring frost date. If possible, provide bottom heat to keep the plants' containers near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the seeds stay slightly moist. Seeds should sprout within three weeks. Transfer seedlings to larger containers when they are about six weeks old.
Don't set peppers outside until at least two weeks after your average last frost date, during a period of warm weather. Always harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor weather a few hours each day for at least a week before transplanting them outdoors.
If you live in Florida, plant Peppers in January-early March.

Starting Peppers from Seeds 

I recommend soaking your seeds in water for up to 24 hours.  This has increase the amount of seeds that germinate and how quickly they sprout.  Use organic potting soil if you are seed-starting indoors or in small containers to be transplanted outside.  Whether you direct sow or plant in containers, plant pepper seeds approx 1/4 inch below the soil. Pepper seeds germinate in as few as 7- 21 days.

How to Plant Peppers

All peppers grow best under warm conditions, but gardeners in cool climates can keep peppers happy by using row covers. Choose a sunny site that has fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Loosen the planting bed to 12 inches deep, and thoroughly mix in a 1-inch layer of mature compost. Dig planting holes 12 inches deep and at least 18 inches apart, and enrich each with a spadeful of additional compost. Partially refill the holes, and situate plants so they are planted slightly deeper than they were in their containers. Water well. 

Chinese 5-Color Peppers

Harvesting and Storing Peppers

You can eat peppers when they are mature yet still green (green peppers), although the flavor and the vitamin content of peppers improve as they ripen to red, yellow or orange. Use pruning shears or scissors to snip ripe peppers from the plant, leaving a small stub of stem attached. Bumper crops can be briefly steam-blanched or roasted and then frozen, either whole or chopped. Peppers are also easy to dry. Dried peppers quickly plump if soaked in hot water, or you can grind them into powders for your spice shelf.

Pepper Growing Tips

Be careful with nitrogen when preparing your planting holes, as overfed peppers produce lush foliage but few fruits. Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer only if you're growing peppers in poor soil.

In cool climates, use black plastic mulch in addition to row covers to create warm conditions for peppers. In warm climates, use shade covers during summer to reduce sunscald damage to ripening peppers.

Provide stakes or other supports to keep plants upright as they become heavy with fruits. Cover surrounding soil with a mulch of clean straw or grass clippings so ripening peppers don't come in contact with soil, which can cause them to rot.

Always wear gloves if handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes or nose. If you do handle hot peppers bare-handed, immediately scrub hands with soap and warm water, rub them vigorously with coconut oil, then wash them again.

Pepper Pest and Disease Prevention Tips

Tobacco etch virus (TEV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and potato virus Y (PVY) can infect peppers grown in warm climates. Transmitted by thrips and aphids, these viruses cause leaves to become thick, crinkled or narrow and stringy.

Margined blister beetles may suddenly appear in large numbers in midsummer, especially in warm climates. These large beetles are black with gray stripes, and they devour pepper foliage. Handpick beetles, making sure to wear gloves to prevent skin irritation.  

Pepper weevils can also be a serious problem in warm climates. Clean up fallen fruit daily to interrupt the life cycle of this pest, and trap adult pepper weevils with sticky traps.

 Diatomaceous Earth is another great Organic solution to pest control.
DE kills aphids, white flies, beetles, loopers, mites, snails, slugs, leaf hoppers, and harmful pests. Sprinkle DE around the base of the plant as well as on the leaves. 

Companion Planting for Peppers 

 Tomatoes, parsley, basil, geraniums, marjoram, lovage, petunia and carrots. Onions make an excellent companion plant for peppers. They do quite well with okra as it shelters them and protects the brittle stems from wind.
Chili peppers have root exudates that prevent root rot and other Fusarium diseases. Plant anywhere you have these problems.
Hot peppers like to be grouped with cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, tomato, okra, Swiss chard and squash. Herbs to plant near them include: basils, oregano, parsley and rosemary. Never put them next to any beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or fennel.  

Serrano peppers in the front and back, surrounded by Green and Purple Basil

Sharing Here and Wildcrafting Wednesday

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Growing Hot Peppers

When to Plant Peppers

If you live outside of Florida:  Start seeds indoors under bright fluorescent lights in early spring, eight to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date. If possible, provide bottom heat to keep the plants’ containers near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the seeds stay slightly moist. Seeds should sprout within three weeks. Transfer seedlings to larger containers when they are about six weeks old. Don’t set peppers outside until at least two weeks after your average last frost date, during a period of warm weather. Always harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor weather a few hours each day for at least a week before transplanting them outdoors.

I have a screened-in patio and plant seedlings in small containers. I leave them on a shelf on the patio.  It get's plenty hot in Florida so water regularly but DO NOT over-water.  I've had success with most of my seedlings (all except the radishes because it was too hot when I attempted to grow them).  I prefer not to coddle my plants because they'll be out in the garden soon and I won't be able to protect them every minute of every day.

How to Plant Peppers

All peppers grow best under warm conditions, but gardeners in cool climates can keep peppers happy by using row covers. Choose a sunny site that has fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Loosen the planting bed to 12 inches deep, and thoroughly mix in a 1-inch layer of mature compost. Dig planting holes 12 inches deep and at least 18 inches apart, and enrich each with a spadeful of additional compost. Partially refill the holes, and situate plants so they are planted slightly deeper than they were in their containers. Water well.

Harvesting and Storing Peppers

You can eat peppers when they are mature yet still green (green peppers), although the flavor and the vitamin content of peppers improve as they ripen to red, yellow or orange. Use pruning shears to snip ripe peppers from the plant, leaving a small stub of stem attached. Bumper crops can be briefly steam-blanched or roasted and then frozen, either whole (for stuffing) or chopped. Peppers are also easy to dry. Dried peppers quickly plump if soaked in hot water, or you can grind them into powders for your spice shelf.

Pepper Pest and Disease Prevention Tips

Tobacco etch virus (TEV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and potato virus Y (PVY) can infect peppers grown in warm climates. Transmitted by thrips and aphids, these viruses cause leaves to become thick and crinkled or narrow and stringy. The best defense is to grow resistant varieties, such as ‘Tam Jalapeño.’

Margined blister beetles may suddenly appear in large numbers in midsummer, especially in warm climates. These large beetles are black with gray stripes, and they devour pepper foliage. Handpick beetles, making sure to wear gloves to prevent skin irritation. Use a spinosad-based insecticide to control severe outbreaks.

Pepper weevils can also be a serious problem in warm climates. Clean up fallen fruit daily to interrupt the life cycle of this pest, and trap adult pepper weevils with sticky traps.

Pepper Growing Tips

Be careful with nitrogen when preparing your planting holes, as overfed peppers produce lush foliage but few fruits. Use a high-nitrogen fertilizer only if you’re growing peppers in poor soil.

In cool climates, use black plastic mulch in addition to row covers to create warm conditions for peppers. In warm climates, use shade covers during summer to reduce sunscald damage to ripening peppers.

Provide stakes or other supports to keep plants upright as they become heavy with fruits. Cover surrounding soil with a mulch of clean straw or grass clippings so ripening peppers don’t come in contact with soil, which can cause them to rot.

Always wear gloves if handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes or nose. If you do handle hot peppers bare-handed, immediately scrub hands with soap and warm water, rub them vigorously with vegetable oil, then wash them again.

Growing Sweet Peppers

Peppers take up very little space in the garden, less than a tomato plant, in fact. You can always squeeze in a sweet pepper plant or two, no matter how small your garden space. Peppers even grow really well in containers or planters!

Green, red, orange, and yellow: these are the colors of sweet peppers! Right? No, there are tons of varieties of sweet peppers. Almost any color imaginable: purple to black, blue, white and even chocolate brown sweet peppers!

Preferred Growing Conditions

You’re probably seeing the similarities in the best growing conditions for vegetable plants: full sunlight and the soil should be well drained, fertile, and rich in organic matter. Sweet pepper plants are no different. Except, in really hot climates they could use a little late afternoon shade.

Compost is your best bet to work into the soil, whether you’re planting in a raised bed, row garden, or container gardening. Compost is rich in organic matter, and makes your soil a different ball game. No joke. Try it. Compost is an easy way to prepare your soil for successful vegetable growing. Peppers, also, like greensand added to soil to help with drainage.

How to Plant Sweet Peppers

Sweet peppers are a warm season crop, needing a lot of warmth to ripen on the plant. Make sure if you start seeds indoors, you will need to do so 8-10 weeks before they are ready for transplant.

Reality check, folks! You have to be on your gardening game to remember to get these started this early.

Usually, this is when you’re starting to think about planting the garden.

Spacing these plants will depend greatly on the variety. Generally, pepper plants need 18-24 inches between plants, and 24 inches between rows. Here’s a great tip with bell peppers: plant a little closer together for more successful plants. Reducing the spacing between plants helps prevent sunscald on the fruit and prevents weeds.

Companion Plants for Sweet Peppers

Growing these companion plants around sweet peppers will be helpful: tomatoes, geraniums, and, petunias.

Some plants actually are bad to the health of sweet pepper plants.

Avoid these plants around sweet peppers: beans, kale, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.

Maintaining Your Sweet Pepper Plants

Water your sweet pepper plants regularly. Blossom end rot can be caused by inconsistent watering. Mulching around sweet pepper plants will help control moisture loss, too.

When to Use Organic Fertilizer

Fertilize sweet pepper plants when transplanting, and then again after the first fruit is produced. Be careful not to over fertilize. Over fertilizing sweet pepper plants can cause blossom end rot.

Focus on overall plant health and fruit production with fertilizers. Stick with something low in nitrogen. Try something with seaweed or fish emulsion: these are low in nitrogen.

Harvesting Sweet Peppers

Your best bet is to let them ripen on the vine. That’s how to get most flavor out of your pepper. But, if you wish you can pick them and let them ripen off the vine to sweeten. Who knows, maybe you like sweet peppers not so sweet? They’re still good this way, just maybe a tad bitter like the green peppers.

Sweet Pepper Pests and Diseases

Insect pests, typically, aren’t too big of a problem for sweet pepper plants. But keep an eye out for aphids, pepper maggots, and pepper weevils. Aphids will be the most common. Begin to look for them at the popular aphid hangouts: under leaves and along juicy stems.

Make sure to use organic pest control around food sources. Pepper plants are more likely to have trouble with sunscald, blossom end rot, and blossoms dropping off than garden pests. Prevent those pepper problems by adding compost to the soil, consistent watering, mulching, and planting slightly closer together to protect fruit from the sun.