FAQ

HELPFUL
HINT
Sow cucumber seeds in the garden only after danger of frost has passed and you are sure the soil
will remain reliably warm. Cucumber plants are extremely susceptible to frost. For an earlier harvest
start a few plants indoors in individual pots about a month before your last spring frost date.
TIPS, HEALTH
& ALL AROUND
INFORMATION
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE
COMMON VEGETABLES
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DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE
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DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE
How to Grow:
Peppers are easier to grow than eggplant in cooler climates,
but are not frost hardy and do best in warmer areas. They have
two main subdivisions, sweet (bell) and spicy (chili). Hundreds
of varieties to choose from. The best for your area depends on
climate and soil conditions. All peppers prefer warmer climates
with lengthy summers. Some are specially bred to handle cooler
climates with a cover. Choose a spot with full sunlight. The soil
pH needs to be just above 6. In cooler areas, warm up the soil a
couple of weeks before sowing by covering the plot with plastic.
If starting from seed, sow in a greenhouse or under a fluorescent
light. Get them ready for planting outside by gradually exposing
them to outside air, starting with just daytime, until they are
fully exposed day and night. You need a cold frame to do this,
which is a shallow box outdoors with an air-tight framed glass/
plastic lid that can be lifted up to expose plants. Or you can
get acclimatized transplants from a trusted local nursery.
Amend the soil with nutrient-rich planting mix, aged
compost or manure. In warm climates with no late spring
frosts, plant outdoors 2 feet apart. In cooler climates,
cover plants with a frost-proof perforated plastic, called
a cloche. Pinch the growing end when the plants reach
roughly 6 inches and attach them to a skinny rod for
support. Tie side shoots for when they grow out to help
support the weight of peppers. Water as regularly as it takes
to keep the soil moist as they grow. Apply a liquid fertilizer
rich in micronutrients every other week. Harvest the peppers
after they plump up. Red and green peppers are of the same
variety. You can pick them when they are green or wait a little for
them to turn red. With others, harvest when plump and hold a
nice deep color. Hot peppers can be refrigerated, frozen or dried
in the sun to store for winter usage.
Insect Control:
Most damaging are aphids, spider mites, slugs and the white
fly. See Artichokes for slug and aphid control. See Strawberries
for red spider mite control. The white fly sucks the sap off many
plants. Like other flies, they are attracted to the color yellow. To
get rid of them, hang a thick piece of yellow paper or plastic
with a thin coating of grease, or use old-style flypaper. Make
sure to prevent it from attaching to the plants.
Tips:
If you are de-seeding many hot peppers to save seeds or to
cook, protect your hands with gloves and make sure not to
touch your eyes until after thorough washing. Capsaicin is
the powerful molecule that causes the burning sensation of
pepper. It is insoluble in water and stays bound to the tongue
no matter how much water is used to wash it down. Milk and
cheese can break capsaicin’s bond with tongue receptors if
it gets too hot. These varieties will grow in cooler climates:
Bell (sweet) pepper: Corona, Canape, Golden Summit, Sweet
Banana, Yolo Wonder, Perma Green and Merrimack Wonder.
Chile (hot) pepper: Hungarian Wax (hot banana peppers)
and Czechoslovakian Black. For warmer climates: Bell (sweet)
peppers: Cubanelle, Pimento, Aconcagua and World Beater.
Chile (hot) pepper: Cayenne, Anaheim, Jalapeno, Pablano,
Serrano, Black Cuban, Holiday Cheer and the very hot Chiltepin.
Human Health
All peppers are a great source of vitamins A and C, which
eliminate cell-damaging free radicals. Vitamin A also counters
the effects of cigarette smoke, which may help prevent lung
conditions such as emphysema. Bell peppers have the B
vitamins folate and pyridoxine. Both decrease homocysteine
in the blood, blocking the start of a process linked with higher
cholesterol and risk of heart attack or stroke. Fiber in bell
peppers helps maintain healthy heart function by lowering
harmful cholesterol. Bell peppers also have a carotenoid
lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin, all linked to lower risk of
many cancers when eaten regularly.
How To Grow Peppers
How to Grow:
Cucumbers grow best in a sunny spot with rich soil. Amend
the site with lots of compost or planting mix to achieve a pH
close to 6. Sow seeds twice in the year for two harvests. The first
one is in small pots indoors in early spring. Place two seeds to
a pot at least 3 inches in diameter. Thin down to the strongest
seedling if crowding occurs. Keep in a sunny location with
moist soil. They should be ready to plant in late spring. Place
about 2 feet apart. Make another sowing outdoors about 2 feet
apart. If still cold in your area, put cutoff plastic bottles over the
sowings to protect from night cold. You can grow cucumbers
on the ground or up along sticks. Making a thin tepee with
strong sticks looks cool, and it also keeps cucumbers off the
ground and reduces their risk for disease, rot or slug infestation.
If you plant them in the ground, space them out a little more
than 2 feet, as they will grow out like vines. To keep them
attached to the sticks as they grow, regularly tie them to the
sticks with thick string. When the seedlings are about a foot
tall, mulch with some organic matter. Also, trim back the
side shoots to encourage growth upward. Pinch the tops of
cucumber plants when they reach the top of the tepee. Keep
soil moist. Starting roughly half way through growing season,
begin fertilizing every few weeks. To produce more cucumbers,
harvest cucumbers when young and plant still contains
blooms. Failing this, entire plant stops producing.
Insect Control:
Popular pests of the cucumber bush include slugs, aphids,
and cucumber beetles. To deter slugs, embed a cup of beer
in the soil. Slugs and snails fall in and drown. If the plant is big
enough and aphids are infesting, spray them off with a strong
stream of water. Otherwise, plant French marigolds to attract
their predators (hover flies, ladybugs). Inspect all plants and
handpick any cucumber beetles when you notice them. You
can also wait until later in the season to plant when beetles are
on the wane. If they are especially prevalent, you can place row
covers over them or, as a last resort, spray with insecticide.
Tips:
Cucumbers are mostly water, so letting the plant dry out is not
an option. During dry weather, water deep into the soil.
Human Health
Cucumbers contain silica, a trace mineral, which we need for
healthy connective tissue (bone, ligaments, tendons, cartilage
and muscle). Silica also encourages healthy skin. Some use it
topically for swelling under the eyes, dermatitis and soothing
sunburn. Cucumbers are 95 percent water by weight, so eating
is a good way to hydrate. Cucumber adds some fiber to the
diet, aiding digestion. With vitamins A and C, cucumber helps
the immune system and the liver disarm free radicals that
cause cellular damage.
How To Grow Cucumbers