Thai dragon pepper (Capsicum annuum)
I've been looking everywhere for this Thai dragon chili pepper. I've looked at several nurseries and they all seem to have only the more common peppers like jalapeno, cayenne, etc. Finally I dropped by this nursery near work and guess what I found! I bought three of them and it's probably going to be more than enough for the season. Last year I harvested a lot of them and ended up bringing it to work.
Thai dragon pepper is a very hot pepper and used mostly in Asian cooking. Be careful when you handle it because you'll definitely feel the burn. I don't know how many times I've forgotten about this and rubbed my eyes after touching these peppers, it's not something you want to experience! I don't know how my co-workers from India do it but they actually pop these in their mouth like they are popcorn!
It's very easy to grow, all it needs is full sun and moisture. Don't rush to harvest them because the pungency won't be as intense. Take a look at an interesting article from Organic Gardening magazine about different kinds of peppers that has bigger yields, earlier harvest, and more intense flavors.
Earthbox planting instructions
The weather has been hovering around 70F and that means it's time to plant vegetables! This year I'm going to grow Japanese Eggplants, Sprite Tomatoes, and Siberian Tomatoes. If you remember this is the first year I'm using the Earthbox to grow vegetables. I've read many good things about it and would like to try it myself. To determine what vegetables to grow and where to place the seedlings, refer to the Earthbox website. I'm growing two eggplants in one, and two tomato plants in another.
Ingredients
- Earthbox Garden Kit (includes one EarthBox, one aeration screen, one water fill tube, two fitted covers, four casters, 16 oz 7-7-7 plant food, and 16 oz dolomite)
- 2 cu.ft Organic potting mix (you can use any potting mix but I used Miracle Grow Organic Choice)
Steps
1. The Earthbox Garden Kit includes one EarthBox, one aeration screen, one water fill tube, two fitted covers, four casters, 16 oz 7-7-7 plant food, and 16 oz dolomite.
2. Install the four casters to the bottom of the EarthBox. This is optional but it gives you the ability to move the Earthbox around, it gets really heavy when you fill it with almost 2 cu.ft of potting mix!
3. Set the plastic aeration screen firmly to the bottom. Attach the fill tube and press it firmly to the round cutout in the corner of the screen.
4. Pack the two corner cutouts in the screen with moist potting mix. It's important to pack it firmly because this is how the plants get water. It's okay if you let some of the potting mix fall through the screen.
5. Continue adding potting mix until it reaches the top 2-3 inches of the pot.
6. Sprinkle the dolomite on top of the potting mix.
7. Mix the dolomite with the top 3 inches of the potting mix.
8. Add some more potting mix to cover the dolomite.
9. Create a small trough and then pour the dry fertilizer in a strip. The location of the fertilizer varies, refer to the placements guide. Cover the trough with moist potting mix and pat down. Do not mix the fertilizer.
10 & 11. Add some more potting mix until it is about 2 inches above the rim of the box. Align one of the round cutout holes over the fill tube and carefully stretch the cover over the top of the EarthBox.
12. Plan where you want to place the seedlings (refer to the placements guide). In this case, I'm planting two japanese eggplants.
13. Cut and "X" in the cover for each plant. The "X" should be the size of the rootball.
14. The eggplant in its place. Water through the tube until water comes out of the overflow spout.
15. This is the other Earthbox I planted with Sprite tomotoes on the left, and Siberian tomatoes on the right.
That's it! Just make sure it gets 6-8 hours of full sun. If everything goes well, all it needs is water for the whole season!
The Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
I read an interesting article about The Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora), it's one of the most low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants. I'm all ears about any plants that satisfies those two conditions. This is the first year I've tried growing the Moss Rose from seed. It's not really a rose but it's a succulent covered with bright flowers in shades of bright yellow, red, and white. You can plant them on the hottest part of your yard and they only need to be watered occasionally after it's established or if there are signs of wilt.
It's very easy to sow the seeds outside, just make sure you don't cover it completely with soil because they need light to germinate. I just sprinkle it on top of the soil and lightly press the surface so the seeds won't get blown away.
