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Want Peppers in Northern Growing Zones? Give ’em a Hot Foot!

Up here Chez Siberia might be located as far as the USDA maps are considered, in Zone 4 – but our geography makes it a Zone 3 for sure, which means that growing things like peppers, melons, sweet potatoes, and long season stuff just does..not…work very well. Even when we start plants early and get them in the ground, many times, the soil is just not warm enough for them and they just sit there and sulk.

And when we have had frosts as early as half way through September, we can’t have them sit there and sulk. We need them to get going right away so that they form flowers and make fruit. For years, we tried everything and then, stumbled upon something that just worked great – putting them into plastic milk jugs. Last summer, we had plenty of room in the garden, so I put the peppers back into the garden and got…NO PEPPERS. So, this year, as a demonstration, I’m growing them both ways.

Three of the same variety of pepper plants went into the garden and right next to them, the three plants in milk jugs. The soil and compost are the same. I’ll give them the same care.

And I’ll bet you a nickel that the ones in the milk jugs will do a lot better.

I’ll keep you posted.

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