Aslanisthebest wrote:*pops in* I love reading this thread. Fantasia, all your posts make me drool.
Thanks
... I really want to get at least some kind of versatile tomato and jalapenos, since we use them quite a lot. The
Early Jalapeno Peppers look pretty good on there and
these hybrid jalapenos do too.
The latter pepper that you linked is going to be hotter than the first one, but if you don't mind that, that's the one I would pick because it looks like it will be a hardier plant as well as more prolific.
And if so, when should I start raising them in containers/planting them?
Are you starting them from seed or ordering a live plant? If you're starting peppers from seed, you need to order them now and "start seeds indoors 8 weeks before planting outdoors". You'll need to google your typical last frost date for your area to find out when it's safe to put them outside. I think I usually wait until it's no longer dropping below 40F at night.
If you're ordering the live plant, they'll ship it to you when it's ready to go in the ground based on your zone.
And, last question,
do they need anything specific like, a specific kind of soil, mulch, etc?
You can buy
soil test kits from pretty much any hardware or gardening store. I've seen them at places like Home Depot and Wal-Mart before as well. They're super easy to use as long as you follow the directions, and it will tell you what kind of nutrient levels exist in your soil (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and pH). If you have too much or too little of something, the local gardening center can help you figure out what to add to it to balance it out.
I'm still beginning, so I just would like one versatile tomato plant, somewhere in the Medium-Large range...
When I see "small spaces" I immediately know you're looking at a determinate tomato plant.
I think I've said it before on here, but I'll go ahead and say it again, a determinate plant will grow up, produce one set of tomatoes, and then die. That's why they're ideal for small spaces because they never get too big, and for beginners, that may be ideal. Indeterminate tomato plants (like the other three you linked) keep growing and producing all summer long and only die when they get hit by a hard freeze. If you don't keep them pruned, you end up with a massive bush that looks like this.
And, also, I remember y'all saying that tomatoes are very hungry plants. Is there any other alternative or better kind of food?
This is a question better suited for my sister, but I'm gonna go ahead and add my own two cents anyways.
I have never once given my tomatoes plant food. Instead, every year when I go to plant my tomatoes, I turn in a little bit of compost (specifically cotton bol compost... love this stuff) and that's it for the year. I think there is a tendency to overfeed plants, especially potted plants, but my theory is 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. If your plants are coming up and look healthy and are producing well, it doesn't need plant food.
Now last year I did have some pepper plants that at the end of summer were looking pretty light green/yellow and I should have given them fertilizer. I didn't cause I had planned on repotting them this spring but then I left them out during a hard freeze and killed them and that was that.
In terms of your mint, again, Ara can correct me if I've got the wrong chemical, but when I see large super-green leaves, they're getting too much nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates foliage growth, but reduces fruit production.
Are you potting your plants or are you planting them in the ground?
And, lastly, can these be planted in the midwestern/Zone 5 region of the U.S.?
Yes Ma'am.
I have an aunt in Grand Island, NE and an Aunt and Uncle in Ames, IA, all of whom are excellent gardeners and have no problem growing tomatoes and peppers.
And in answer to your strawberry question, I"m not good with them, so I'll pass that one off to someone else, but strawberries can overwinter provided their roots stay warm enough.
Hopefully I didn't overload you with information, and good luck on your plantings this year!
wolf wrote:Here's another question from me... I know others have asked it before, but are there any plants that are relatively small that can be grown indoors? Preferably fruits, herbs, or flowers.
Absolutely.
But that's outside of my area of knowledge so I'll poke my sister to see if she can drop by and give you some suggestions.