TWENTY-ONE VEGETABLES - Start a Community Food Garden - page 130

PEPPERS
Capsicum annuum
Peppers come in a variety of choices, from sweet to hot and from round and squat to long and pointy.
Bell peppers are the most popular, though there is a pepper for every taste and cuisine, from sweet to
fiery hot.
Start Peppers thrive on a long growing season with full sun and warm weather. They are sometimes a
challenge to grow in cooler areas.
Grow Well-drained soil is essential, as standing water encourages root rot. Direct sowing of peppers
from seed works best in very warm climates such as southern Florida. In cooler climates, seedlings are
available at garden centers. Plant 12 inches apart, or 1 per square foot, with a layer of organic matter in
each hole, to help retain moisture. Stake plants that are heavy with fruit.
Harvest Harvest sweet peppers gently with snips or a knife. Do not pull on the plant. Picking some pep-
pers when green will encourage new growth. Depending on the variety, green bell peppers will become
colored (red, orange, yellow, purple) when fully ripe—a surprise for new gardeners. If frost is forecast,
pull up plants whole and hang upside down in a protected place; the fruits will continue to ripen. Hot
chili peppers are best when left to ripen on the plant.
Store and Serve Peppers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cored and diced peppers can be blanched
and frozen, or pickled like cucumbers. Hot peppers can be air dried by stringing them together and
hanging them in a dark area.
Peppers are best when eaten fresh from the garden. Chop for salads and salsa, or stuff with meat
and rice and bake (clean out seeds first). Peppers are delicious when grilled, or roasted in the oven with
other vegetables.
POTATOES
Solanum tuberosum
The potato is a starchy tuber from the nightshade family, and the uses, colors, and shapes of potatoes
are infinite. Potatoes fall into three basic categories: baking, boiling, and all purpose.
Start Potatoes are grown from small tubers called seed potatoes. They prefer cool weather and should
go into the ground in early spring. A small, whole potato or pieces of a potato with at least two eyes can
be planted.
Grow In a sunny site, dig a trench 4 inches deep and spread organic compost in the trench. Plant seed
potatoes a foot apart, with the eye-side up (or one plant per square foot if you are gardening intensively;
plan for additional space when you begin to hill the potatoes). Cover with loose soil. When the plant is
6 inches tall, and every couple of weeks, mound the soil up (this is called “hilling”), in order to keep