Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Frankenpeppers?

So this year I think I may have bought a plant of Frankenpeppers. When I went to the Merrifield nursery in VA a few months ago to buy my pepper plants I bought two banana pepper plants.. at least that's what the label said. Fast forward a few months and I have this giant pepper growing that does not look like a banana pepper at all.

Can anyone guess what kind of pepper this is? My guess is an anaheim pepper. I am seriously hoping it is something sweet because we just found out one of our Cubanelle pepper plants is a spicy one.. thanks to yet another mislabeled pot.


So here it is, my 6+ inch long frankenpepper. Has anyone had issues with buying mislabeled pepper pots before? I've been thinking that because 3 of my pepper plants are not what they were advertised to be, that I will return to Merrifield and ask for some sort of store credit for the next growing season or something. How have you guys resolved similar issues? 



I am happy to say though, that after struggling with some disease/mold/aphids this season, my plants are growing like crazy and are very healthy. Just check out my lemons! The container lemon tree is doing great, so the $60 investment seems like it will pay off. I don't think I will get $60 worth of lemons just yet, so far there are 6 lemons growing on the plant. But the tree just bloomed like crazy again and I was told that if I bring the plant indoors during the winter, it will continue to produce lemons. So we will see what the total lemon count is for this year.


The tomato plants have been a hit and miss. The San Marzano tomatoes are not container friendly. They are a tomato plant best left for actual gardens and not balcony gardens. The patio tomato though, has been dropping tomatoes like crazy. I've already eaten two and I have another one ready for picking and 7 more still growing. Next season I will invest in Patio tomato plants rather than something like a San Marzano. It grows best on my balcony and the yield is worth the investment. 


Here are my Habanero and Spicy Cubanelle pepper plants. These aren't as big as my other pepper plants because I bought these not too long ago thinking I would have to replace my garden beds because of disease and aphids. I just picked the Habanero and had it with my spicy spaghetti recipe. I also used some of my lemon thyme and tomatoes for this. So yummy! I can taste the difference when I make this recipe using homegrown ingredients versus store bought. I can't wait until the lemons are ready and I can add those to this recipe! 


I will keep dreaming of the day when I can afford to buy a home with a huge yard just so I can plan a zillion different types of vegetables and fruits. Or maybe I should change careers and become a farmer? That would sure beat dealing with Washington bureaucracy! hahaha.

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