I watered about half as often as before and the plants did better than previous years. She is going to try placing the mats up the sides as well as on the bottom of the pot this year. Mari Briggs mulched her entire vegetable area with grass clippings to keep the weeds down last year. It really helped, but the pepper plants probably would have liked bare ground for the heat to rise up on them to have the fruit develop faster. And since it s seed starting time, here s a really handy stratification hint from Kathryn Mascaro that is an incredible space-saver.
Place seeds along one half of the filter circle.
Fold the filter in half with the seeds inside, then in half again to form a wedge. Seal the filter in a sealable baggie. Mark contents, date and how long the seeds must stratify on the baggie. Store in the veggie bin of your refrigerator. After the stratification period, plant seeds in moist seed-starting mix as usual.