Ice seen on the mountainsides during a mid January walk on the Blue Ridge parkway (brrrr!)
This is the third and final 2021 planning series of blogs, focusing on peppers and eggplants. The two previous covered tomatoes, and everything but tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Note I said “initial” garden plans in the title - with thousands of options, I always reserve the right to make changes (and seeing what does and does not germinate always modifies my plans).
Sweet Peppers
I am going to focus on the usual set of sweet bell peppers from the last few years - final refinements to some dehybridization projects. From my work with Islander hybrid (aka Blue Jay), I will grow, all from seed saved last year, my current selections of Carolina Amethyst (already released, so just because I love it), Fire Opal, White Gold and Royal Purple. I will also grow out my work with dehybridizing the Stokes Chocolate Bell hybrid from quite a few years ago. It is currently boringly called “Chocolate Bell” but when I deem it ready it will get a more clever, enticing name. Finally, I will regrow my friend Darrel’s selection from one of my favorite sweet peppers, Orange Bell, first received in a SSE transaction decades ago. The working name is Orange Blocky Bell, and it will be from 2019 seeds.
My sweet peppers were a bit of a disaster last year, so I hope to do better with them by planting them in grow bags (not self watering containers) in a sunnier spot in the yard.
Hot Peppers
A nearby gardening friend sent me some fascinating sounding peppers in the super hot category. My curiosity means they will get spots in my garden. These are Pockmark Peach, Pink Tiger X Peach Bhut, Purple Orange Ghostly cross, and Count Dracula. I will probably also grow a Jalapeno, such as Pinata.
Eggplants
The focus here will also be on tidying up the dehybridization work from Orient Express hybrid. My three named selections, Midnight Lightning, Twilight Lightning and Skinny Twilight, are all in pretty good shape and will be grown from 2020 saved seed. I will also grow Mardi Gras, selected from a bee-produced cross involving Casper, which seems pretty much stable at this point.
Though they did slightly better than the sweet peppers, I will give the eggplants the grow bag treatment in a sunnier spot as well.
Late Addition Tomatoes
I received some treasured family heirlooms over the last months, and want to get them into the garden plans for this year. A variety currently named Bing (1920s), from Josh B (in my collection as tomato 7333), and a variety currently called Aunt Gladys (Melnick/Hall heirloom, #7262), and a version of Mortgage Lifter that the SSE sent me from its collection (Estler strain, #7203 in my collection) will all find a spot.
I will likely also be adding in some dwarf varieties, either from ongoing work, or released varieties I’ve yet to grow.
Seedlings to sell locally
My next task is to develop my locally available seedlings list. I probably won’t blog that, but will create a Word doc that I can send to local gardeners. I’ve got the first 10 bags of Metro Mix 360 ready to pick up at a local Ag supply store. 2021 Gardening is clearly underway!
From one of our January hikes in the Pisgah National Forest