Q: What is the difference between green, yellow, and red bell peppers? Dave Baker, Conyers
A: All bell pepper plants start out with green or yellow-green fruits, which then progress through other colors to finally end up with red skin. Different varieties of bell pepper develop different colors between the green and red phases. Some go directly from green skin to red skin. Others go green to yellow to red and still others transform from green to orange to purple to red. Each color tastes differently, with the red pepper having the sweetest flavor.
Q: I found in my change purse some seeds that were given to me five years ago. They look like peas and are sooty black with a white eye. Is there any chance of germinating them? Lou Jones, email
A: They might be hyacinth beans. It won't hurt anything to wait until April to test them. When the time comes, dampen a paper towel, wrap the seeds in it and put everything in a resealable plastic bag. Put it in a warm window. Check the seeds in three to five days. If they are swelling and sprouting, that's great news. Loosen the paper towel to expose the white stems to light but keep the damp towel touching the black seeds. Continue to keep things damp until the white stems have made two green leaves apiece. Use scissors to carefully cut away the pieces of paper towel that do not have roots attached to them. Transplant each seedling into a small pot and keep them in the window until early May, when you can plant outdoors.
If the seeds do not initially sprout in the paper towel, wait a few days and check again. If nothing has yet happened, the seeds will never sprout.
Q: There are several areas around our condo grounds that are in semi-shade. I would like to plant at least 20 dogwood trees. We can only afford small ones. Can you recommend a source? Gordon Kenna, Decatur
A: The Georgia Forestry Commission grows millions of seedling trees each year for landowners to purchase for reforestation efforts across the state. They sell seedling dogwood trees to the public in small quantities. In my experience these bare-root trees are one to two feet tall when purchased but they grow rapidly. Order soon: there is great demand for new trees after the recent hurricane damage. Details at bit.ly/GAtree.
Q: I have access to a lot of crushed peanut hull granules. This is the inert material that broadcast pesticides are eventually applied to. Would they be good for amending my garden soil? Terry Richardson, Rutledge
A: This material seems like a perfectly fine soil addition. The hulls would behave like any organic soil amendment. They will slowly decompose in the soil. I think you would be safe to mix a 2-inch layer eight inches deep into your garden or landscape beds.
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