(DF) POTTING OF THE PEPPER

Remember the one surviving pepper plant from the recent frost? It is still alive and well, but with another frost not far in the future, the hope of fresh, hot peppers into the winter hinges on that little plant. With this in mind, and with the soil dampened by rain from the weekend, the time could not be better.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to take a break from preparing foraged pears and play in the dirt for a few minutes. The process of pushing a tile spade deep into the soil all the way around the plant, (out beyond the roots, of course), and gently lifting the plant from the ground took only a minute or two. The plant was then placed in a hollowed out space in the pot of rich, organic potting soil. Garden soil was then placed over the roots and filled in around the stem to the level it had been in the garden. After a good watering, the newly potted plant was left in the garden for the rest of the afternoon to soak up the available sunshine.

Early evening came around, and I expected to see some sign of transplant shock, at least a few drooping leaves. However, there were no signs at all, only a very healthy looking plant, which I moved into the house for the night.

The whole transplanting process took less than ten minutes. The prospect of fresh red peppers through the winter is more than ample payment for that amount of time, and the addition of such a bright, decorative plant to the home is an added bonus.

Now, it's back to the pears, but more on that later.