Weeding the Web

The Gardener - a ghost story

E F Benson is best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels, 1920s' social satire which was beautifully enacted in the TV series by Geraldine McEwan, Prunella Scales and Nigel Hawthorne.  However, he also holds the distinction of being one of that small band (possibly of one, as I can't yet think of anyone else) of authors who have placed a gardener at the heart of a ghost story.  So, in honour of the day, why not print out the following, light the fire, draw the curtains and settle down for a mild thrill?

Preserving Your Pumpkin (and making cheesecake)

Just thought I’d slip in a quick one about Halloween as so many of you will be choosing your pumpkin and lovingly carving a masterpiece into it this week. You can make your carved pumpkin last longer by following the instructions at Pumpkin Patches and More. You’ll need bleach and Vaseline. 

And, instead of making the ubiquitous pumpkin soup with the innards, how about trying this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake?

For anyone confused by the use of American cups in the recipe, 1 cup = approx 8 fluid ounces, which = 125mL (for more measurement conversions, don't forget OnlineConversion. If you try the recipe, let us know how it turns out.

 

Growing peppers over winter

If overwintering this year’s pepper plants doesn’t appeal, you might instead like to consider Emma Cooper’s approach.

When she last posted on the subject, Emma had sprouted pepper seedlings earlier in October. Given that the difference between a good gardener and a not-so-good is about a fortnight, why not give it a go now? Although it's rather late, if you have good light and a heated propagator, you should get something started.  Regard it as an experiment and let us know how it goes!

Emma transplanted them, repotted as needed, and gathered her first fruit the following June. Given that mine have only finally ripened in the last month, that seems darn early to me!

Incidentally, I managed to buy a pepper plant last spring. If anyone has the remotest idea what it was that I bought (see picture), do let me know.