[CH] planning for spring; indestructible chinense

shan (shannolater@alumni.williams.edu)
Wed, 19 Jan 2000 14:22:56 -0700

Hi all -

I'm beginning to think about this year's garden.  I've just moved from zone
7 to zone 5 or 4 (can't find a map with enough detail to tell and can't get
throught o the extension) and from sea-level to 5400 feet.  The chiles are
going to be a challenge. . . On the favorable front, the frost-free season
is listed here as 162 days, last frost date as May 5, and the sunlight is
incredibly intense.  I'm also moving from `100% container chiles to some
suitable ground.  Not much, but I do have some south facing irrigated space
with excellent light, east facing with irrigation and probably 5-6 hours in
the summer, and mostly west facing which is a bit shaded.  Any advice on
short-season high altitude small-space gardening?  I'm going to try
wall-o-waters for the first time.

Indestructible chinense: this guy was brought alive & thriving in its tub
from Maryland back in October and when it arrived here it looked pretty
dead.  I decided to let the whole plant dry with pods in place, so put it in
the basement (which gets a little light) and ignored it until today, when I
noticed some feeble, pale new growth at the base - definitely alive, but
barely.  Excited, I put a grow light nearby for about 15 min and watered it.
Now, how can I nurse it back to life - give it all the light & food & water
it wants, or gradually increase these things.  Should I give it some of my
worm castings as a nice gentle boost?

-shan
shannolater@alumni.williams.edu