I finally had 5 plants grow from seed this year and produce peppers but few made it to the red stage before frost. I harvested all of the yellow and orange peppers -not fully “ripe”. Is there any way to ripen indoors now?

In the ‘80s, Americans were searching for a safe alternative to sugar. Both Jim and I became true believers in this critical need. We knew stevia was a better alternative to diets high in sugars and artificial sweeteners—and it simply tasted great! We began working to create a formula which could be used as an alternative, but wanted to make sure it contained no artificial ingredients. This was no easy task. What happens when a man of modern healthcare meets the holistic healing wisdom of an ancient people? In the case of James A. May, a former healthcare executive, the meeting forever changed his life—both personally and professionally. Mr. May founded Wisdom Natural Brands®, parent company of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener and Wisdom of the Ancients® herbal teas.I have seed-starting soil mix. I’m not married to any particular brand or mixture: frankly, I’ve used them all, and they work just fine. The seeds’ environment has a bigger impact on germination than the specific soil mixture. If you’re new to seed starting, don’t stress over it. Long-time gardeners like myself can get wrapped up in our favorite brands and inadvertently put pressure on new gardeners to duplicate our set up or be doomed. It’ll all be fine.

The plants will produce ripe peppers about 5 months from seeding with an increasingly abundant harvest as the season moves into fall. Most importantly, though, I have several sizes of clear, domed trays, in which my newly sown seeds sit until they’re well sprouted. A domed environment keeps the soil moist so that you’re not watering your seeds twice a day. (The square tray shown above has a matching dome.) If planting in the ground, space plants 24″ apart in a sunny spot, and dig the hole large enough to accommodate the current root ball, with extra space to add fresh soil with a little bit of compost. Firm the ground around the plant and water well. Of course! Our Better Than Sugar Baking Blend bakes, measures and browns just like traditional sugar. You can substitute traditional sugar in your baking recipes at a 1:1 conversion ratio – for example 1 cup of sugar would mean 1 cup of Better Than Sugar in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Early in my gardening career, I regularly thumbed my nose at my last frost date, and got a head-start on getting everything in the ground around mid-March. But now, it’s not uncommon at all to have significant snowfalls and sub-freezing temps through April (as we did here at the end of April, as I’m preparing to publish this post). Temps in the 40s for a few nights is one thing; accumulating snow fall is another! Starting Biquinho Peppers from SeedBiquinho peppers ( Capsicum chinense) – pronounced bee-KEEN-yo – are a Brazilian cultivar, featuring small, 1-inch, tear drop shaped pods with a distinctive tapered point protruding from a rounded end. Red and yellow varieties of biquinho peppers When the seeds sprout, move under the grow lights. You can keep them under the dome for as long as they fit, to control moisture. Take a few days to harden off the plants outside: leave them outside in a sunny spot for several hours a day, or in an open window.