E129: Growing Great Hot & Bell Peppers Even In A Short Growing Season with Tyrell Benton, Owner of Living Peppers Winnipeg
Episode 129: Listen here!
The Spring blizzard of the century is about to hit Manitoba. Stay safe, Grow Guiders!
Maggie and Dave kick off the episode by chatting about wild weather they’re about to experience, sharing some tips on how to properly prepare your gardens for the storm. They chat sowing poppies, frost blankets and staying safe in this storm.
Maggie’s Fav Thing This Week: City of Winnipeg 2-Year Chicken Keeping Pilot Program
Dave’s Fav Thing This Week: Osmanthus/Sweet Olive Plant
Listener Question of the Week: “I’m not a house plant gardener so didn’t know if I would connect with the latest ep, BUT the theme of shame/guilt did it! I really struggle with “thinning”. I am reminded of the quotation from “The Little Prince:” “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”
There is a level of responsibility I feel in planting a seed. “I chose YOU and am giving you this perfect environment,” and they grow! Then there comes this point of judgement: “you are good enough, and YOU aren’t.” Ouch. I have felt better putting the “unchosen ones” in the compost to have some role in the circle of life, but it’s still hard. I can hear my inner rationalist sigh, and feel him roll his eyes. I know I am anthropomorphizing. I know too I CANT sustain ALL plants i germinate to have “full and complete lives” (my rationalist just said “ugh, gimme a break!!” to my use of ‘full and complete lives’), but that process of thinning may be the hardest part of gardening for me.” — David Norenberg
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This week’s guest:
Tyrell Benton, Owner of Living Peppers Winnipeg
About Tyrell Benton:
Tyrell Benton is an expert in growing unique, rare, heirloom and wild genetics of peppers. He owns a micro-nursery, urban farm in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he grows a huge range of “Living Peppers” that he sells locally. He is passionate about his role as an “Earth Custodian,” caring for the planet in all aspects both at his day at job at Compost Winnipeg as well as in his personal life.
This episode covers:
Tyrell’s gardening background as well as his lasagna gardening and no-till methods
What being an “Earth Custodian” means
What his work life looks like at Compost Winnipeg, including his vermicomposting initiative
What makes good worm castings, what to look for and how to apply it to your garden
His source for unusual pepper seeds, pepperlover.com
The ideal time to start pepper seeds for Zone 3-4
Tyrell’s top tips for keeping peppers happy in the gardening throughout the growing season
Tyrell’s fav heirloom, hybrid and unusual peppers he likes to grow
His suggested pepper soil mix recipe
Whether heat mats are necessary for germinating peppers
Tyrell’s fav pepper recipes
This episode is sponsored by:
Cool Springs Press, a leading publisher in step-by-step, do-it-yourself books for both DIY gardening and home improvement. Chances are you already own a book published by Cool Springs Press in your home library, especially as a gardener. They’ve published hundreds of incredible gardening books, including a few by some of our past guests, like the book we’re highlighting today Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden by Jessica Walliser.
Thanks for listening!
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