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Peppers are hot! Literally! Custom Search 
The only type of peppers you could find at your local supermarkets several years ago was the tried and true sweet green bell variety. Now there are so many types to choose from, it almost makes your head spin. The green bell is still around but the red, yellow and orange bells win in the produce department beauty contest. And their taste equals their looks.
With the growing popularity of torrid chilis and salsas, the variety of hot peppers has also increased with jalapenos, habaneros, Scotch bonnets, anchos, cascabels, cayenne, banana, and Hungarians being some of the more popular varieties. These varieties can all be grown in your home garden. These crops are extremely temperature sensitive and have varying maturity rates, so when selecting your seeds or seedlings be sure to take your local conditions into account. Not too many pests will bother peppers, but aphids can be a problem. To control them try using a spray of lukewarm soapy water. Importing ladybugs is another option. Peppers are more exacting than tomatoes in their requirements, but can be grown over a wide range in the United States. Being a tropical plant, they can not be planted in the North until the soil is warmed up and all danger of frost is over. In the South, planting dates vary with location; fall planning is practiced in some locations. Start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before transplanting or purchase seedlings from a garden center. The seed and plants require a somewhat higher temperature than those of the tomato, otherwise they are handled exactly the same way. Place a stake or a tomato cage to provide support for the plants. Mulching will keep the soil moist and the weeds at bay. The fruit can be picked once the fruit has reached the desired size. Green bell peppers can be harvested before they reach full maturity and are still green, but if left on the vine, the will ripen to a full red color and be much sweeter and have a higher concentration of vitamins B and C. Do not pull or tear the fruit from the stem. Use a sharp knife or scissors, pepper plants are easily damaged. In the fall, if you have some unripe fruit; pick the plant and bring inside to ripen.
Eggplant
Eggplants come in many varieties and colors and are a wonderful addition to any garden. Not only is it a beautiful vegetable, eggplants lend themselves to use in many recipes from many varied cultures.
In the South, the plants are grown in spring and summer; and in the North, only in summer. The more northerly areas, where short growing season and low summer temperatures prevail, are generally undesirable for eggplants. Sow the seeds in a hot bed or greenhouse or in a warm area outdoors about eight weeks before the plants are to be transplanted. Growing eggplants in raised beds or containers will help to start them in cooler climates. They must be transplanted like tomatoes. Good plants have stems that are not hard or woody; ones with a woody stem rarely develop satisfactorily. Space plants 2 feet apart within the row, with a space between rows of 3 feet. These plants will bush out and grow to about 3 feet high. Flea beetles are their worst problem and can be controlled with floating row covers. Start harvesting when the fruits are 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and continue until they reach 4 to 6 inches. The fruit should be shiny and firm to the touch, and as with peppers cut the fruit from the stem, don’t pull it off, you may damage the plant.
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