When last we left our heros, on Sun, 29 Jun 2003 07:51:15 -0400,
Pat Meadows scribbled:

generously snipped

I'm starting Yellow Canary seeds next week, also MicroTina -
I got the MicroTina seeds (free) from the group at Utah
State University that is studying super dwarf vegetables and
grains.

http://www.usu.edu/cpl/outreach_seed_request.htm

I'll also be growing a miniature pepper this autumn/winter,
and spicy globe bush basil. Plus a couple of the
mini-tomatoes, and some Tom Thumb lettuce.

I'm always curious about new pepper varieties, are the
pepper seeds they sent you bred to be smaller, or are
they from a variety that is already smallish? I can think of
several that would do well in small pots, Prairie Fire or
Bird's Eye Peppers come to mind, as well as any of the
ornamental types. I grow the Bird's Eye Peppers and
Fish peppers in pots, although I wouldn't call a Fish
pepper a dwarf. I do have one in my front flower
bed because they're awfully pretty.

I'm fortunate enough to have a very large bay window that
gets sun from three directions - the whole affair sticks out
from the house. It's almost like a mini-greenhouse. The
window ledge is 2' x 8' - so I have 16 sf of growing space
all winter.

What will you do about the photo period? I visited a cough
friend up that way last spring, and the days were still so much
shorter than ours down South. He said it's dark by around 4:00
in December.

I'm not really sure how sensitive peppers and tomatoes are to
photo period, but I'm curious as to what results others have
had. Basil, of course, will grow just about anywhere and anytime
and mostly needs to be whipped into submission once in a while
or it will take over.


Pam, oh yeah, that reminds me, I need to pull up more volunteer
Lemon Basil, quick, between the thunder showers...



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

My apologies to Pam, I sent my answer via private email -
that was a mistake, I'd meant it to go to the newsgroup.

Pat


I'm always curious about new pepper varieties, are the
pepper seeds they sent you bred to be smaller, or are
they from a variety that is already smallish? I can think of
several that would do well in small pots, Prairie Fire or
Bird's Eye Peppers come to mind, as well as any of the
ornamental types. I grow the Bird's Eye Peppers and
Fish peppers in pots, although I wouldn't call a Fish
pepper a dwarf. I do have one in my front flower
bed because they're awfully pretty.

Sorry to be unclear - they only sent me tomato seeds, not
pepper seeds. I bought the pepper seeds from
http://www.seedman.com - they are 'Mini-Bell'.
I selected the Mini-Bell variety because I don't like hot
peppers, and this was one of the few sweet peppers I found
that is said to be 'mini'.


I'm fortunate enough to have a very large bay window that
gets sun from three directions - the whole affair sticks out
from the house. It's almost like a mini-greenhouse. The
window ledge is 2' x 8' - so I have 16 sf of growing space
all winter.

What will you do about the photo period? I visited a cough
friend up that way last spring, and the days were still so much
shorter than ours down South. He said it's dark by around 4:00
in December.

This is true. I'm going to - at first - happily assume it's
not a problem, that peppers and tomatoes aren't very
sensitive to it. You know, if it ain't broke....

But if it turns out to be a problem, we could hang
fluorescent lights from the top of the bay window area -
from its 'ceiling' if you will - to extend the hours of
light.

Alternatively - each afternoon I could just move the plants
over from the bay window ledge to the shelves with
fluorescent lights that we already have in the living room
(that's where I start my seeds - I have four 4'x1' shelves
for seed-starting). These shelves are right next to the
bay window: it wouldn't be difficult to do, especially if I
group the plant pots in larger containers.

I will probably feel that I need to move the plants out of
the bay window area at night when the weather is really cold
anyway - we draw lined draperies across the area at night,
to conserve heat in the house, and it gets pretty cold there
at night. Especially when it's below zero weather
outside...

Pat

When last we left our heros, on Mon, 30 Jun 2003 10:00:05 -0400,
Pat Meadows scribbled:


My apologies to Pam, I sent my answer via private email -
that was a mistake, I'd meant it to go to the newsgroup.

S'ok, we all miss click once in a while, and your name is
familiar enough that I didn't mistake you for someone
trying to sell me generic Viagra Without! Prescriptions!
for my penis, which was recently enlarged through the
application of ancient Taoist's seeekrit techniques.

I'm always curious about new pepper varieties, are the
pepper seeds they sent you bred to be smaller, or are
they from a variety that is already smallish? I can think of
several that would do well in small pots, Prairie Fire or
Bird's Eye Peppers come to mind, as well as any of the
ornamental types. I grow the Bird's Eye Peppers and
Fish peppers in pots, although I wouldn't call a Fish
pepper a dwarf. I do have one in my front flower
bed because they're awfully pretty.

Sorry to be unclear - they only sent me tomato seeds, not
pepper seeds. I bought the pepper seeds from
http://www.seedman.com - they are 'Mini-Bell'.
I selected the Mini-Bell variety because I don't like hot
peppers, and this was one of the few sweet peppers I found
that is said to be 'mini'.

Erm, I think it's the pepper that's mini, not the plant. I tried
to grow some a while back, and the plants were small as
opposed to a habenero or Marconi pepper, but not what I
would call dwarf. I tried the chocolate bells, and they were
tasty, but truely only a good mouthful per pepper.

A regular sized bell pepper that grows on a small plant is a
Buran pepper. It's a Polish heirloom that I got from Seed Savers.
www.seedsavers.com

I'd give them a big thumbs up! Good flavor, and popping out
peppers all over the smallish plants. They produced all summer
and into fall for me last year. This year they're covered in
green peppers, but I'm a believer in letting peppers get ripe,
so I haven't picked any yet.

major snippage

Alternatively - each afternoon I could just move the plants
over from the bay window ledge to the shelves with
fluorescent lights that we already have in the living room
(that's where I start my seeds - I have four 4'x1' shelves
for seed-starting). These shelves are right next to the
bay window: it wouldn't be difficult to do, especially if I
group the plant pots in larger containers.

I have an A-frame seed starting contraption that my father
built me. Top row has one row of Fluorescent lights, second row
has two, bottom has three. The shelves and lights come off so
that it can be folded up after the seedlings are planted. It's
a handy thing.


I will probably feel that I need to move the plants out of
the bay window area at night when the weather is really cold
anyway - we draw lined draperies across the area at night,
to conserve heat in the house, and it gets pretty cold there
at night. Especially when it's below zero weather
outside...


shiver Ugh, I'm a real cold wussie, I get whiney when it gets
below 40F. I'd rather deal with the heat and humidity now than
the kinda cold you get in the winter.

Pam, although one of my dogs would like to live in year 'round
snow.




--
Get your love some roses. There is nothing more romantic
than the gift of the decaying, severed sexual organs of
plants grown in mounds of cow manure.
- Demotivational Posters.com

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 22:27:42 -0400, Pam Rudd
wrote:

a good mouthful per pepper.

A regular sized bell pepper that grows on a small plant is a
Buran pepper. It's a Polish heirloom that I got from Seed Savers.
www.seedsavers.com

I'd give them a big thumbs up! Good flavor, and popping out
peppers all over the smallish plants. They produced all summer
and into fall for me last year. This year they're covered in
green peppers, but I'm a believer in letting peppers get ripe,
so I haven't picked any yet.

Thanks, this is good to know. I'll try them.

snip


shiver Ugh, I'm a real cold wussie, I get whiney when it gets
below 40F. I'd rather deal with the heat and humidity now than
the kinda cold you get in the winter.

Pam, although one of my dogs would like to live in year 'round
snow.

I'd probably like it too, I have no problems with cold but
detest heat and humidity.

We have two long-furred dogs, one a rough collie (Lassie
type of collie) and even in our relatively cooler summers,
they both need a lot of clipping or I think they'd die in
their heavy fur coats. Especially the collie - his fur is
more than a foot thick in places.

Pat