Some Like It Hot!

   On a whim, I planted some hot peppers that Darling Daughter gave to me.  I had grown several types in the past and had good luck drying them for future use but my stash dwindled so it was time to try again.  She had started the seeds during the spring and brought me a dozen or so plants.  "These are Scotch Bonnets so be careful!" she advised.  Sounded like a deal to me since I had grown the Habaneros previously.  Those are about as hot and spicy as the Scotch Bonnets.  Careful was the word.

  Well, the pepper plants did not do much during the summer even though I took good care of them.  Now, however, they are full of peppers!  Each plant (even though small) has quite a number of peppers.  The stock shall be replenished...maybe....or maybe not.  Something is eating the peppers when they turn orange!  What in the world would munch on such a hot pepper?

  Early this morning, I found the culprit.  It seems that during the night, snails are coming from the mulch to eat the spinach plants and top their salad with a spicy bit of pepper.  The snails have been a problem for several years now.  We had bought sacks of mulch one year and those sacks were full of snails.  Ugh!  Thankfully, I am using the recycled hurricane debris as mulch now and the salt in it seems to do a good job of deterring the snails.  I guess it is time for a new layer of debris mulch around the plants.  I never thought anything would bother those peppers!