Pepper Party 4

A lot of peppers this year. Nuff said.

Garden Update

It's late August and the summer has brought a fair amount of excitement to the land of the fire escape. A view from below shows a summer of growth.

Much of the growth has been due to the wet summer we've had, and regular watering to offset the super hot days. Although, the rain has been hard to manage, especially for my compost when it comes in hard and sideways.

But most importantly I got fruit this year: Mostly cucumbers and peppers.

However the other day I found something peculiar. One of my tomato plants was gnawed to the stems. It was completely stripped.

After a quick investigation. I found the culprit.

A tomato hornworm. Turns out these are pretty damaging machines, as I had learned the hard way. Although fortunately for me, there are these braconid wasps out there who like to control the tomato hornworm population by laying their eggs on the worms and slowly eating out their insides. I didn't really believe it when I heard it until I looked out the window and saw it being done...twice...pretty intense sight to see.

But all in all, the garden is still well. If only I could grow some friggin broccoli...

Spring 2011 Garden

The garden is more or less complete for the season. I've expanded about 80% more than my previous year's surface area, now occupying more than half of the walkable area of the top level of the fire escape.

In here I have some Basil, Rosemary, Peas, a Pepper, a bunch of Fennel, Chamomile, 2 Easter Lilies, some cosmos and some duck foot ivy.

From left to right: in back in pots: Broccoli, Peppers, Chocolate Mint, random indoor plant, Sage; in middle planters: random stuff and String Beans, 4 each of Red and Green Bell, Cayenne and Jalapeno Peppers (that I got from Dad in Philly) , a Tomato Pot; Rain Catchment Bins; Compost...

To note is a funny "weed" I kept pulling out. It was obviously something that made it into my compost with a lot of seeds that eventually found themselves in pretty much everything I had planted for the past couple weeks. But I couldn't figure out what the darn thing was...

Yesterday morning I figured out what they were, as I was walking around a farmer's market in Madison, WI.

The plant caught my eye and I knew at once what had settled all over my garden. My roommate Dave had definitely put scrap zucchini in the compost bag, which had a whole bunch of seeds that would end up in the big compost bin and eventually get mixed in with soil to use. I'm going to get some of it growing in a pot or two and see if I can get some fruit out of it.

Pepper Party 3

I picked my first bell pepper. Since I started so late in the season I'll have to settle with a yellow one. That's the ripest it will get now that it's getting cold out. It was delicious though, nice and sweet...

As for my beautiful cayennes, I tried to dry one out in the toaster over but instead of drying it I...toasted it. 

Attempt #2 seems to be working. Just letting it hang out.

And as for the jalepenos, the late start caused me to yield only the smallest fruit that probably wont get much bigger at this point (except for that one I picked earlier)...

Oh well. But with the seeds I've saved from this years crop, and some better planning, I'm already looking forward to next spring.

Pepper Party 2

Recent pickings include the first cayenne I allowed to turn red and also my first jalapeno.

Both went to good use, ending up in a delicious quesadilla Eric made for at Exchange Bar & Grill.

Pepper Party 1

Out of the 3 types of baby pepper plants I brought to NYC from Papa Brock at home in Philly, the Cayenne has been the most productive. The first to bear fruit, it's also the first to be picked and used. You can, however, also see two little jalepenos on the left over there.

And what more could a guy ask for than to have his beautiful girlfriend then use that tasty pepper to make the most delicious heuvos rancheros ever?

I can't wait for the jalapeno.