Spring Time: That Time of Year to get The Garden Going - Peppers, Potatoes, and Roma Tomatoes

Hello all! What a bright sunny day it is here in North Carolina. We've gotten past fake spring, and then the pollening, but now is THE real thing. Springtime is finally here, and for me, that means it's time to get the urban garden going.

In the past, I've always rented a couple of lots and planted some crops, but this year I'm opting for bags and containers as I officially begin my test year of growing the world's hottest peppers. If all goes as planned, I'll expand next year... more on that to come in the future. For now, let's take a look at some snaps from a couple of weeks ago and then compare them to today's. I'm still working out pest situations, but for the most part, we're good to go so far.

First things first, this is my first time planting potatoes in bags. However, I decided on Red Pontiacs based on how well they are allegedly suited for my region, and I started the process. Immediately, one of the five bags took off like a rocket, which led me to have to use a process called "hilling" to even out the dirt. See, you're supposed to fill the bag up as the potatoes grow every six inches...My issue was, of course, overgrowth by one, undergrowth by the other two in the bag. At any rate, as you can see, the bags are almost at the top now. I should be able to harvest these twice before fall, allowing me to harvest them and replant before the season is over.

Next up are my Roma's...which are just starting to do their thing. Within a few weeks, these bad lil' mommas will be producing juicy fruit for all of those who like them. Not to mention, this is the year I make my own hot sauce... again, stay tuned for more on that in the near future, as I've got something cooking over here.

Lastly, the assortment of peppers I currently have has already begun to mature. This year, I'm planting Carolina Reaper, Pepper X, Trinidad Scorpion, 7 Pot Douglah, Red Bhut Jolok, Aji Charapita, Dragon's Breath, Anaheim Chili, and Shishito Peppers. It's a tall task, but this test year could be the start of something bigger.

The photos below are all from last week. The peppers have grown some, I just didn't take more snaps this morning of all of them as I have about 45 pepper plants altogether now and it can be taxing in terms of being a complete pain in my ass on my extra time.

Much of what I have is either still in the germination or seedling stage, or resembles what I have here. No vine plants this year, but the herb garden is starting to take shape. I'll post more on that in a future post, as I'm sure I've bored you guys enough already. I'll also give updates as everything grows taller and starts producing. Thanks for reading...cheers!