The Edible Pepper Garden

In THE EDIBLE PEPER GARDEN, Rosalind Creasy demonstrates a variety of ways to grow both sweet and hot peppers (beds along the driveway,in the flower bed next to the street or in containers). I very much appreciated some of her tips about pepper plants such as warning the reader that temperatures can be either too hot or too cool, especially for potted pepper plants, and that PH balanced soil is important for happy peppy plants. Apparently, not only can pepper fruits experience sunscald, the pepper plant roots can literally be cooked on the south side of the pot. And, pepper plants like soil on the sweet side. I knew very little about hot peppers before 2004 (I'm growing them for my parrots who likes them very much), but I found most of what I need to know in Creasy's book. This spring, I purchased six pepper plants from Seeds of Change, and promptly mixed them up when I repotted them. Creasy includes many great photos and a section with pictures with text descriptions of the main pepper plant categories, so thanks to her I think I've just about sorted them out. This book is not an encyclopedia however, and as a result of my carelessness, I am still trying to determine the identity of two of the plants. Type matters, apparently, as Creasy says some peppers are best harvested green while others should be allowed to ripen. If you are interested in growing peppers in pots or garden beds, this is a great place for the novice to begin.

As a do-it-yourselfer of limited skill, I'm always excited to see Ros Creasy come out with a new book. She covers a lot of ground (no pun intended) in how to use peppers as a decorative plant as well as one to bring into the kitchen. Bravo!