Batten Down The Hatchs !!

Yeah, yeah... you're telling yourself, "Hatches is spelled wrong, dummy." In this case, I intended to not spell it with an 'e'. When I write, 'Hatchs', I mean hatch chiles. And authentic hatch chiles can only be found in one place: Hatch, New Mexico. Brought from South America, chiles evolved around the turn of the 20th century when New Mexican ranchers and horticulturists interbreeded different pods to create a heartier and tastier chile. They're used for many things and in many recipes. Green chile stew is my favorite.

Enough with the english and history lesson.

With the plants growing to full size and fruit forming on branches, Mother Nature and gravity will start taking a greater toll on the plants. I've found pepper plants need the most help in supporting their own weight.

When I first potted the plants, I inserted long stakes for support. This allowed the roots to grow around the stakes rather than the shock of jamming stakes into mature root systems later on. Now that the plants have grown, this weekend was my chance to utilize that support.

I use twine to wrap the stalks and large limbs to the stakes. It's pretty simple to do. I prefer to use a figure-8 method. Just wrap the twine around the stalk, cross it, wrap around the stake, and tie a knot. I think it provides good support but won't strangle the plant to the stake. It also allows room for the stem to grow bigger.

It's not plastic surgery, folks, but it does a pretty darn good job of keeping things from sagging.