Lori Borgman: When nature and nurture intertwine with the peppers

Lori Borgman, Tribune News Service on Jun 24, 2025

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I may be only one bag of Miracle-Gro away from going officially overboard on the whole garden thing this year. I blame it all on a long, hard winter. My survival kit during snowbound months with no sun and sub-zero temps consisted of chocolate and mail-order seeds.

Starting seeds indoors was how I convinced myself winter would one day pass and spring would again return. I threw myself into the project with such passion that I even bought a grow light.

Grow lights are small but mighty purplish UV lights on flexible arms that can illuminate an entire room. The lights were so bright that, from the outside, the upstairs of the house looked like a cannabis farm.

Not wanting to be awakened at 2 a.m. by a SWAT team, I cut the grow lights and started moving seed trays to follow the sunlight each day. Morning sun poured in by the fireplace, noonday sun filled the family room and the days ended with seedling trays perched on cookbooks, catching late afternoon rays in the kitchen.

The things we do for love-and garden-fresh vegetables.

On a visit to Monticello, we saw the fantastic greenhouse room where Thomas Jefferson cultivated seeds and kept detailed notes. My maternal instinct prompted me to begin keeping notations on seed development as well.

March 20: Roma tomato beginning to crown. Soil dilated to 2.

April 1: Shocker! Twin peppers birthed over night!

When we went out of town for a long weekend, I asked if the plants could stay with one of our girls. She gave me the look. "We watch your kids," I said. "Surely, you can watch my babies."

I wasn't so far gone as to leave page after page of written instructions, however, I did call a few times. I had separation-vegetation anxiety.

And I may have asked her to send pictures.

And I may have texted: "Tell the herbs Momma will be back in no thyme and let the basil know I'm rooting for him."

Silence. No response. I think she blocked me.

What I didn't plan on was such a hearty crop. We now have a small vegetable garden overflowing with cucumbers, pole beans, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and red potatoes.

They are so robust that they all scored in the 95th percentile at their last well check.