Sunburned Peppers: How to Keep Burned Spots from Forming on Peppers

When you live in Texas, you experience much stronger solar rays, because of our location closer to the equator.

When I first saw the bad spot on the bell pepper pictured here, I sought information from a farmer. She told me, "Your pepper is sunburned, but you'll be fine!"

Well, that was some consolation. At least my pepper was not experiencing a blight or fungus. But what to do?

There is a product called Cloud Cover, which, when sprayed on the plant or its fruit, acts as a sunscreen, and prevents sunburn. I did try the product (or something similar), but I waited too late. You're supposed to spray it on the young fruit, for the best results.

Below is a photo of my pathetic attempts to shade the peppers on a hot July day. Hint: the shade cloth is great, but different attempts to rig it as you see here were not effective. The wind took care of my "tent". It wouldn't stay in place.

I now have experience, and I will once again try the Cloud Cover product when the plants are less mature.

If products don't work for you, take heart! As you can see, from the picture here, eventually your pepper plants will grow really big. What will happen is the upper branches and leaves of the plants will shade fruit on the lower branches, and you'll have some peppers without the ugly sunburned spots. Yep, it really does work out in the end.

Also, if you let your peppers produce a second time in the autumn, the sun should be somewhat less powerful, indeed.

Beau: Remembering an Old Friend

This is my little friend, Beau, who died two years ago.

I'm feeling nostalgic today, and I always liked this photo of him, which was probably taken in Spring 2007, right next to my pond.

Beau was a schnauzer/Lhasa apso mix and my favorite dog of all time. After I retired, I was finally able to take him on walks each day, and I believe the last six months of his life were much happier. He had my poodle for company, but I believe he also needed humans reassuring him and spending as much time with him as they could spare.

Beau was a calm, sweet, imperturbable dog -- with a temperament far more Lhasa than schnauzer, although he looked like a schnauzer in many ways. The only schnauzer personality characteristic that he seemed to have was making little grunts and groans of contentment when you petted him. Beau was fine around most strangers, but did not offer instant affiliation with them the way Tessy always did. In a large gathering, if my husband or I were around, Beau stuck close to us.

At the dog park one day with Beau and Tessy, a stranger remarked to me about Beau, "That dog is very protective of you." I had never noticed Beau's body language!

Beau died very suddenly at an animal care emergency clinic. Though I was sorrowful at his death, somehow I felt prepared for it. And I can confidently report that a sudden loss is better than a long, drawn-out illness with a pet.

Beau, the circumstances and story of my acquiring you from the animal shelter weren't promising to begin with, but you brought me much pleasure and company over the 7 years you lived with me. I'll never forget being blessed in your love and devotion.

Nylon Trellising for Climbing Garden Plants

Climbing and vining plants -- cucumbers, cantalopes, pole beans, etc. -- can be a problem when you have limited space.

I had heard of nylon trellising from Mel Bartholomew's book, but I could not find any in my nursery stores here in the Metroplex.

I finally went to Amazon, and found Dalen Gardeneer brand nylon trellising. I bought a 30-foot length to experiment with. As you can see from the picture, there is plenty of room in the trellis open spaces to stick your hand in, and start training your vining plants. I have nailed mine to my backyard fence, and fastened the ties to the nails. The picture shown is my yellow pear tomato plants and my one Better Boy hybrid tomato plant.

Particularly with tomatoes, there is always the newest thing that we hot weather vegetable growers must try. In the south, every gardener has his own method of growing tomatoes -- from tomato cages to the "topsy-turvy" tomato of television ad fame.

I have a feeling that my vines are going to be somewhat unruly, but I'll try anyway. Bartholomew says that the nylon trellising is very strong -- strong enough to support cantalopes and large squashes. But be forewarned. For that kind of crop, you're going to need a tremendous amount of strength and support. That means staking rebar in the ground, and slipping electrical conduit pipes over the exposed rebar to form a supporting structure. I think I'll stick with lightweight vegetables.

Here is a link to the nylon trellising product:

Spring is Here and So Is the String Algae in the Pond

I got my pond cleaned much earlier than usual this spring.

And the string algae also showed up sooner than I would have preferred.

I think that this type of algae is very common in the spring, but some years seem worse than others. 2011 is definitely a year for string algae.

Pond owners shouldn't panic when this happens. In the picture provided, the algae really looks gunky and yucky, but it will not stick around forever! As it gets warmer, it will decline.

There's not much one can do with this algae, except remove it manually. It's awfully difficult to do with your hands because of the slime, but you can get a large net or brush, attach it to a long pole, and then try wrapping the algae around the brush as you rotate the pole. Once you've captured a fair amount, try lifting the pole out of the water.

Is there a use for string algae, pond scum, sludge, or slime? Yes. Pond scum is a living, growing thing, with plenty of organic matter -- especially if you have fish in your pond. You can use the muck and scum as a compost for your nitrogen-loving vegetables. Vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, and chard will like the stuff, indeed.

Raised Bed or Square Foot Gardening Trends in America

No doubt about it. Intensive gardening, or square foot gardening, is growing more popular in the U.S. How do I know this?

The other day, I visited a large general store (also known as a feed store). Ordinarily, I wouldn't have any problem obtaining bags of earthworm castings. However, when I requested one bag, the store owner informed me that a lady had just come into the store and purchased every bag he had. I had to wait several days until their truck came by with another delivery.

The owner told me that "everyone is doing raised beds this year." And, yes, to get the 8 cubic feet of dirt required for a square foot garden, you need a fair amount of compost, assuming you don't make your own. You also need vermiculite and peat moss.

I also went over to Home Depot recently, and they have some lovely cedar square foot gardening kits for your raised beds, for $34.95 each. Personally I think this is a good price, especially if you're getting cedar. All of the lumber comes with pre-drilled holes for easy assembly. If you've ever assembled a box, you know how much this is appreciated! Also, the kits have those lovely corner pieces that look very professional and finished.

Hmmmm.... I just might have to buy a couple of them.

The Use of Nylon Net in Square Foot Gardening

Nylon net is a useful and versatile thing to have around the house. And, as I found out, around the garden.

I just planted this table-top square foot garden last week with green beans. Unfortunately, I found footprints in my garden, and some of the green bean seeds displaced!

Could it have been a squirrel? Well, either that, or a possum leaping down to the box. At least twice this week, the pesky possum that I saw a few weeks ago is back to terrorize my dogs -- and who knows what else. The possum could be using the table-top box as a jumping off point. In one of my table-top gardens, though, I found pecan shells, so that tells me that at least one squirrel is looking to bury a pecan or an acorn. In fact, I saw at least 12-14 places around the yard this spring where a buried pecan had sprouted.

Well, nylon net works quite well to protect the garden, at least when it is in that delicate status of germination/young seedling. You can water very easily, and your plants will get plenty of light.

What else is nylon net good for? If you can figure out a way to drape or tent it properly, it will keep cabbage moths away from your broccoli or cabbage. They can't lay their eggs that produce caterpillars unless they have a good landing spot on your prized plants.

On the other hand, if you want to see options to purchase or use nylon trellising for your climbing plants, go here:

Trellising for Plants

Yellow Squash or Zucchini Squash Casserole Recipe

Squash is just one of those vegetables which needs some seasoning or flavoring. In North America, we're not yet into the growing season for summer or crookneck squash (normally, that's early summer). If you are finding squash now in the supermarket, very likely it doesn't have much flavor, and it may have been grown in Mexico or in a greenhouse.

But, all is not lost. At any time of the year, if you locate summer squash or zucchini squash at the market, you can prepare this great casserole. I've been making this dish since my post-college days.

The beauty of it is that you can bake it in the regular oven, or even microwave this small casserole to get the ingredients to firm up properly.

Note: What I learned from my mother or sister, I keep very loose. Meaning, I'm not that picky and fussy about ingredients being exact. Over time, if I make a dish quite often, I simply eyeball my ingredients, and figure out what looks right! This dish nearly always turns out perfect anyway.

Here it is:

4 medium yellow crookneck squash (or 3 large zucchini squash)
2 to 3 T. chopped onion
1 T. butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Some grated cracker crumbs (Ritz or Waverly Wafers, saltines, or your choice)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut up the squash. Coarsely chop the onions. Put the squash and chopped onions in a saucepan with water, and boil it until the squash is just beginning to turn tender (don't overcook!) Drain the squash. Put it into a glass, pyrex, or Corning Ware oven dish (I use a one-quart dish).

Add the butter to the squash and mix until the butter is melted. Add the beaten egg to the squash and stir together. Salt and pepper the squash to your taste.

Add the grated cheese to the squash and stir everything together.

Crush the crackers. Sprinkle a layer of cracker crumbs over the squash.

Cover the dish, and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until everything is set. Or, put the dish into the microwave oven, and cook on high for about 5 minutes. If you like your dish very browned on top, you can stick it under the broiler for a short time to get the top crispy.

This dish makes about 3 decent-sized servings. Keeps well.