I refuse to buy bell peppers.  There are a few reasons.  One, I try to be a conscious food consumer and eat seasonably.  Two, bell peppers are really expensive and are imported from California or Mexico.  That is why when the first one of the season comes off of the plant and cooked into our dinner it tastes oh so good.  It’s the little things like this that make this venture so worthwhile.

The man, the myth, the legend, Dr. Calvin Bey came over today.  He toured the garden and had very nice things to say.  He looked at the pumpkin patch and said “These look much better than mine.”  Then I showed him the damage.  You see readers, there are these little critters known as stem borers, who chew into the base of the stem on any type of squash plant.  They eat the yummy insides and your beautiful squash plant turns yellow and dies a slow death.  I told Calvin that I just hoped the plant stayed alive long enough for the fruit to turn orange.  He looked at me and said “Yeah”.  He also said that he has been unsuccessful at maturing a pumpkin in this climate.  Right there is where the dagger entered my heart.  It still hurts.  That is my mission this year: Pumpkin patch.  It could be all sorts of things, I’m thinking because the weather here is somewhat tropical, it’s great for all of the bugs.  Last year at the farmer’s market, here in Fayetteville, I asked a farmer with gorgeous pumpkins what his secret was.  “I spray em’.”  Yeah, that’s pretty much the answer.  However, knowing what I know and doing what I do, that’s not my answer.  Is this the end of my pumpkin patch dreams?  Not sure yet, Paul says yes.  He told me to think about what I want to plant there next.  Doh!