My outside vegetable garden didn’t happen this year. I started basil and bell peppers inside, then waited to plant because a friend planted outside too soon and their peppers all died. Then it got hot (it’s Texas y’all), and the raised bed needed an overhaul because it isn’t draining, which is a yucky job in the heat. So now it is September and my peppers and basil are still in the window. The pepper leaves are a rich dark green and the plant is fruiting. What is pollinating them inside? I’ve actually had more fruit set inside than outside. Hm.

The seeds I started were labeled Bell Pepper Carnival Mix, and I am getting some different colors: red, green, purple. The peppers are quite small, probably because they are still in their starter pots. We picked and ate the pepper pictured above and were surprised at the heat, not like a bell pepper at all. It also is shaped more like a fresno pepper. So I’m wondering if my Carnival mix was a pepper mix rather than a bell pepper mix, or if smaller fruit from restricted growing conditions makes for a hotter pepper. Hm.