"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan
Rat writes

Green peppers are just a little more tender than tomatoes. We always
grow ours in a greenhouse, but it depends on your locality. Don't pinch
out any side-shoots. Tall growing plants can be pinched off at the top
to make them bushier, but that is not essential. Give them a stake each
for support. Hand pollinate the first flowers on each plant.

Hand polinate .... new to all this veggie stuff - how do I go about doing
that ?
Tickle the inside of a flower with a very fine, small brush, or you can
use your fingers, or a feather etc. Transfer some pollen to another
flower and it will be pollinated most times. Once a plant has been
pollinated, it does not usually need doing again.

Also, I don't do chemical fertilisers - will these fruiters be happy
with
nettle soup ? I got quite abit of that hanging about.

Yes indeed. That's what we always give ours. It improves their flavour
and it helps to protect the plants from ailments. Don't overdo it
though, too much feeding or watering leads to mushy flesh texture.
Same goes for tomatoes etc.

Right. How much is too much, or is that a nebulous thing ?
I only apply nettle infusion as liquid feed to the plants once in a
season, twice at the very most. That is because I ensure that the soil
they are growing in, i.e. my own made organic compost, already has
plenty of nutrients in it. The motto is - feed the soil, not the plants
- then the plants take as much as they want from it when they wish to.

If any aphids arrive, I apply nettle infusion to the leaves. When the
aphids have gone, usually next day, the infusion becomes ingested into
the plant through the leaves. Then it acts as a plant tonic and provides
nutrients, minerals and trace elements wherever they are needed.


I reckon the bf will eat them off the plant if I'm not careful - he loves
them, so I probably won't have to freeze any. Thing is, I *don't*
actually
like them - I told you I sowed them on a whim ! Heheheheh. ;-)

That's gardening Rachel - best wishes to both of you.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Alan / Joan,

You've probably answered this a hundred times already! - I assume that
'nettle infusion' is an organic pesticide - how do you make it?

Cheers,


Andrew