lished. Because peppers are tropical plants, they will
not grow in cold temperatures. If the weather turns
chilly, cover young plants with hot caps (quart can-
ning jars work well for this) and remove them when
temperatures rise above 70 degrees.
Sweet Peppers
Sweet peppers, also known as bell peppers, are
a garden favorite, second only to tomatoes. Basil is
second only to dill as a favorite herb. Sweet pep-
pers and basil make great companions both in the
garden and in the kitchen. Plant sweet peppers and
basil plants in late spring after all danger of frost is
past. You’ll be able to snip off basil leaves whenever
you want to add them to cooking, and once your
peppers start to fruit, you’ll have peppers and basil.
until frost.
Sweet Basil
Commonly called sweet basil, the culinary herb
Ocimum basilicum of the family Lamiaceae, this
plant was familiar to the ancient Greeks. Sweet Basil
is used fresh in cooked recipes and should be added
in the fi nal minutes of cooking because cooking de-
stroys the fl avor. Basil is most fl avorful if used fresh.
Fresh basil can be kept in plastic bags in the refrig-
erator for a few days or in the freezer after a quick
blanching in boiling water. Dried herbs lose much
of their fl avor so use fresh basil whenever possible.
During the Growing Season
Peppers like even watering, so once the soil has
warmed, spread thick, but light mulch such as straw
or grass clippings around the plants. Water them
deeply during dry weather to encourage root devel-
opment and remove any weeds. Though peppers are
a tropical plant, they will wilt and drop blossoms, if
this occurs add more mulch around plants.
If peppers demonstrate slow growth or pale
leaves, a feeding of manure tea will help. Most pests
do not bother pepper plants with one exception
being the pepper weevil. The worms of this insect
will chew holes in blossoms and buds causing mis-
shaped fruit. Hand-pick pests and drop them in hot,
soapy water.
Common Sweet Pepper Diseases
◆ Anthracnose infection which causes dark
sunken, soft, and watery spots on fruits
◆ Bacterial spot which are small yellow-green
raised spots on young leaves and dark spots
with light-colored centers on older leaves
◆ Early blight is dark spots on leaves and stems,
infected leaves will die
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