BetNC said:
Anybody got suggestions about which variety for this?

I saw a squash that was almost perfect spheres hanging from a trellis. I thought I put the seeds in a shopping cart which I can't access at work since it's on my laptop at home. I'll look tonight and see if I can find it. I haven't grown the squash before but I think you might like it.

BetNC said:
Do squash have the same water requirements as watermelon?

NewYorkRita is the water requirements for those Shistito peppers similar to watermelon? With my watermelons planted along a drip irrigation hose, can I intersperse the peppers nthere, too?

Squash do like a lot of water.

I would think watermellon would quickly choke out any pepper plants planted among them. Peppers like well draineing soil and lots of water but they want to dry out between waterings.

Bet NC said about squash: "Anybody got suggestions about which variety for this?"

The standard winter squash is Butternut, but some smaller varieties like Baby Butternut, HoneyNut, etc. might do better on trellises.

My wife's favorite is Delicata (she just roasted the last one I grew last summer and ate the whole thing before I got a chance to sample it!).

Acorn squashes mature fairly quickly and are good eating. I like Carnival, but there are dozens of other choices like Table Queen, Uconn and Honey Bear.

I don't grow many summer squashes but I'll tell you one to avoid, Magna. 3 plants, 1 fruit last year.

I have a free packet of Butternut seeds that I am going to try to grow on a day-bed frame that my neighbors gave me. The books say they can be 5 pounds! Same book recommended baby butternut

thommesM said:

I saw a squash that was almost perfect spheres hanging from a trellis. I thought I put the seeds in a shopping cart which I can't access at work since it's on my laptop at home. I'll look tonight and see if I can find it. I haven't grown the squash before but I think you might like it.

Ok, what I saw was a zucchini. I was thinking of Round De Nice which is about the size of a softball. At least I think I was. I still can't find the pic of the vine growing on a trellis with the fruit hanging down. That's the only thing I can find in my history.

What do you guys think is better: mix the manure compost I have in to the soil maybe 2 or 3 weeks before planting so organisms have some time to establish, or just mix it in at planting time? Or does it probably not matter and I should just do whatever is easiest for me?

I am changing way of doing things. I used to be about fertilizing each plant when I plant it... then I was all dig in the compost and make the soil all loose... now I'm put the compost on top of the bed. Don't dig it in. I don't pull the plants out either. I cut off the stems and try not to disturb the soil too much. I'm also changing my perspective of raised beds to the garden as a whole. The plastic and weed blocker are getting pulled up as soon as feasible. Chipped branches/wood, shredded leaves, shredded straw are going down in the pathways instead. Let the soil in the pathways gain fertility. I created raised beds because the soil was bad. I should have instead concentrated on how to improve the soil structure. I also just like the look of raised beds.

What changed my perspective? We have large oaks which makes growing grass difficult. THe previous owners mulched under the oaks. I continued that until I got tired of paying $1000 for mulch in the spring only to have the wife rake the mulch up with the leaves in the fall and having to do it all over again. So I started shredding the leaves with the lawn mower and putting that under the oaks. I like the look. It's free. The shredded leaves break down in a year. The soil is SO FERTILE. The oaks love it. Win. Win. Win. And this is what nature does. Minus the shredding. the leaves fall on top the ground. The leaves break down and create top soil.

This is what works for me and what is right for me. You're already winning because you are using compost. However it works for you is how you should do it.

So here is my list so far. A lot of these are new to me. Some of the veggies I've actually never grown. I will likely add to this some radishes, spinach, and carrots etc that I have from seed left over depending on sprout tests. Any other last minute recommendations?

Mizuna, Beni Houshi
Little Gem Lettuce
Purple Lady Bok Choy
Landreth Stringless
Chinese Shawo Fruit Radish
Desiree Dwarf Blauwschokkers Garden Pea
Shishito Pepper
Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry
Basil - Genovese
Lemon Spice Jalapeño
Ronde De Nice Squash
Basil - Genovese Red Freddy
Green Zebra Tomato
Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato
Broccoli
Cauliflower

It's fun to see how many of us are getting shishitos! And it's Rita's doing!

Oh yeah, Rita got me too, with Shishitos. Now I have a trip planned in late March, going to be away from my seedlings for about 11 days, darn it.

I get everyone growing Shishito peppers!!

Everyone will LOVE them.

A "Taco and Tequila" cantina just opened in a neighboring town. Scanning the menu I noticed two items that looked strange.
Queso Fundido with Shisito
Blistered Shisito Pepper, Lime and Ancho

I sent them an email hinting that pepper lovers might put a hex on them until they fixed the spelling.

What actually IS the correct spelling? I've heard that it's something that er, won't pass the filter. So I always spell it shish-ito.

@sallyg

WHen I go away and leave seedlings.
I water them well before , but I also leave a pan of water on the bottom shelf or near the seedlings.

Tried to google several different spellings...it always defaults to Shishito. By the way, the Wikipedia article says
"For cooking, a hole is poked in the pepper beforehand to keep expanding hot air from bursting the pepper. It may be skewered then broiled (grilled), or pan-fried in oil, stewed in a soy sauce- and dashi-based liquid, or simply eaten raw in a salad or as a condiment. It is thin-skinned and will blister and char easily compared with thicker-skinned varieties of peppers."

Thanks Don. Now I'm dying to hear from Rita to ask if she pokes a hole in her Shishitos before charring them!

Deeby said:Thanks Don. Now I'm dying to hear from Rita to ask if she pokes a hole in her Shishitos before charring them!

Your supposed to poke a hole in them if you char them whole. And I used to do that. But I didn't like eating around the stem. So I changed my method to cutting off the very stem end before cooking and then of course you didn't need to do anything else.

Shishitos are one of those peppers that taste good raw (at least to me). But char them and oh my gosh!! They become simply unbelievably fabulous when cooked.

@NewYorkRita

I saw on the Tomato Thread that you, too, don't start your tomatoes until March 1st. so when should I start those shistito seeds?? (I read . . somewhere. . that pepper seedlings grow so slowly, they should be planted a month BEFORE one starts their tomatoes.)

Since I also have Listrada something seeds, an Italian heirloom eggplant , when - in relation to my tomatoes- should I start those?

I plant out my tomatoes the first week or so of May (exactly always depends on those dratted soggy spring days), but I read that eggplant was more susceptible to the cold than tomatoes: should I plan on planting out the eggplant about 2-3 weeks later?

Rita, thanks, that's what I'll do. I don't like the stem ends either. I can't wait to check Home Depot for a plant. In California that could be soon.