Vegetable Gardening Book Suggestions for the 2020 Holidays 

Below is the 2020 edtion of my recommended books about growing vegetables in your backyard. This year I have added two new titles to reflect  increasing interest by some folks  either about just expanding their  backyard gardens or actually setting up  small farms of up to a couple of acres as their minds speculate about finding to a more isolated, albeit, a more sustainable existence...

If your mind is flirting with this, then take a close look at the Mefford and Fortier books noted below. Otherwise, my core collection remains unchanged covering an array of titles providing different approaches that gardeners of varying experience or atttention spans might find useful.

Like tried and true vegetable varieties, most of these books are not new, but remain in print or readily available from used book dealers because they continue to  serve gardeners well. 

I compiled my list  from examining a number of  "best" book lists from various gardening sites that I trust, personal familiarity with some titles and the personal recommendations from gardener friends.  Most of the entries appeared on at least two lists, and a few titles appeared three or more times.

I did not use either Amazon or Barnes & Noble lists as sources although I did use these sites to view  sample pages of some titles.  The books are available from these sources, but if you do become motivated to give one or more to a friend, I  suggest that you also check used book sources such as abebooks.com, alibis.com or  bookfinder.com etc. for lower prices. Happy shopping and gardening...

• Brie Arthur - Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden. St Lynn's Press, 2017. 

• Susan Ashworth - Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. 2nd ed. Seed Savers Exchange, 2002. [If you are unfamaliar with Seed Savers, find out about it now at seedsavers.org.]

• Mel Bartholomew - All New Square Foot Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space. 2nd ed. Quarto Publishing Group, 2013. [Many a backyard gardener consider this to be their 'best' vegetable growing  bible. Actually, any edition will do.]

• Andrea Bellamy - Small Space Vegetable Gardens. Timber Press, 2014. [Don't have a yard or can't get to a community plot, then how about using a roof top, patio or windowsill - great ideas here.]

• Eliot Coleman -  Winter Harvest Handbook:  Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009. [n.b. Coleman  authored the classic, New Organic Grower (now in its 3rd edition). This one assumes you have a lot space for gardening.]

• Derek Fell - Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. Rodale Inc., 2011.

1. Fortier, Jean-Martin Fortier - . The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-scale Organic Farming.  New Publisnger's Society, 2014.  A translation from French and first published in Quebec, Canada.  The focus is on farms of up to 1.5 acres that can be sustained without depending upon motorized equipment.

• Brad Halm & Craig McCrate - High Yield Vegetable Gardening: Grow More of What You Want in the Space You Have.  Storey Publishing, 2015.

• Toby Hemenway - Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture. 2nd ed. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009. [In case you are not familiar with the term, 'permaculture' is about establishing and using techniques that promote sustainable and self-sufficient agriculture.]

• Craig Le Houllier - Epic Tomatoes: How to Selet and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. Storey Publishing, 2015.  

• Wendy Kiang-Spray - Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine. Timber Press, 2017. [This is specialized and (warning) includes recipes; but I like Chinese food and Timber Press is very selective in its offerings.  To learn a little more about the author and the cuisine, checkout her blog: greenishthumb.]

• Ron Kujawski and Jennifer Kujawski - Week-by-week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. Storey Publishing, 2010. [This book has now appeared on other lists. I reviewed it in February 2018, and now find myself referencing it regularly.]

• Bret Markham - Mini Farming: Self-sufficiency on 1/4 Acre. Skyhorse Publishing, 2010. [This might tempt you to buy that vacant lot next door...]

• Tara Nolan - Raised Bed Revolution: Build it, Fill it, Plant it - Gardening Anywhere. Cold Springs Press, 2016. [The author, a Canadian, founded Savvy Gardening that promotes innovative approaches to both ornamental and vegetable gardens.]

• Deborah L Martin -  Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden.   Rodale Press, 2014.   If I had to give one book to a city person who somehow found herself either with a backyard or stuck in the country and thought it would be nice to grow vegetables, this is the book I would give her. It's straight forward and the reader will not feel overwhelmed by information.

• The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth Friendly Way. Rodale Inc., 2009.

• Andrew Mefferd - The No-Till Organic Farming Revolution: High Production Methods for Small Scale Farmers.  New Society Publishers, 2019.  

• Barbara Pleasant - Home Grown Pantry: A Gardener's Guide to Selecting the Best Varieties & Planting the Perfect Amounts For What You Want to Eat Year Round. Storey Publishing, 2017. [The author is a regular contributor to Mother Earth News and winner of three Golden Globe awards from the Garden Writers' Association.]

• Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Rodale Inc., 2009 ["Rodale's own  gardening bible has been a mainstay for organic vegetable growers since J. L. Rodale published the original in 1959.]

• Edward C. Smith - Vegetable Gardener's Bible. 2nd edition. Storey Publishing, 2009. [A Vermonter, Smith has been writing for 30+ years and gardening for more. He also has a "bible" on container growing published in 2011.]

• Jessica Walliser - Container Gardening Complete. Cool Springs Press, 2017. [The author is a regular contributor to Savvy Gardening, a women's owned company out of Canada covering  all aspects of gardening.]

And,  in these times,  remember: 

No man is an island entire or itself; 

Every man is a piece of the contient, a part of the main,

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less... - John Dunne

 

GARDEN PREPARATION: MAY 

                                                           THINK INSECTS - You need more than you think

Most of these critters are beneficial. Source: USDA

All too frequently, I fear,  a few new gardeners, who may have never before put a spade into soil, might think all  insects  with the possible exception of pollinating bees, are pests. Another frequent error of beginnig gardeners is  that some of their tilling methods kill both benevolent soil insects and microbes residing in garden soils either by burying them deeply or by compacting the soil so that they can neither dig out of it or make  a home by burrowing into it.  Why does this happen?

Gardens, of course,  are  not natural environments.  Most of our ornamental plants and vegetables are not native, and usually our yards are either devoid of or are not adjacent to  natural areas where  birds and insects can reside.  This means that gardeners are compelled to try to impose their own "balances of nature" in their yards and gardens.   

One  consequence is that lots of money gets spent  on insecticides to protect plants from being devoured by particular (usually also non-native) "bugs" that have specialized to  feast on specific  vegetables.  Unfortunately, these chemicals - even the "organic" ones - usually also kill benevolent  insects along with other useful arthropods in additon to the real vegetable villains. These collateral casualties typically include ants, millipedes, springtails and spiders.  This document  from the  U. S. Dept. of Agriculture  identifies some of the most common and overlooked critters that get murdered.

So, what should a conscientious  backyard gardener do to minimize  environmental damage  as he/she prepares their future weed patch this spring?

Here are a few things to keep in mind to reduce your guilt load and help nature:

• Start doing low tillage - If your garden in already established, stop rotor-tilling or deep spading. Just work the top couple of inches or even better, add compost and/or straw on top.  Eventually,  you will be able to just add a mulch. Your back will grateful.
• Increase the mulched areas around your shrubs using natural products: forego the shredded  and dyed automobile tires.  Shredded tires last a long time, but they also contain various heavy metals.
• Use more native plants for landscaping to attract birds & beneficial insects.
• Feed birds - Although we  prohably don't want to attract more caterpillars into our vegetable patches for the sake of our feathery friends, birds should be in our gardens because are very effective insect controllers. I have feeders set up near my garden, and the birds tend to top off their feeder meals with insects for dessert.  I have not used insecticides for decades.
• Minimize use of commercial insecticides and petroleum based fertilizers.  I am glad to see more organic products gaining shelf space in garden centers.  Using less of these products in our yards is collectively, perhaps, the most important envionmentally friendly thing we can do.  

End of this month's soapbox.... 

Enjoying Early Greens & Saving Space

 Submitted by Nancy Scott, Rensselaer County Master Gardener

Photos by N Scott

It certainly has been cold, windy and rainy these past few weeks.  Veteran gardeners have been waiting for spring to really start. Inside, many people have been coddling tomato, pepper and other warm weather veggies, under lights. But hopefully, some of you have been able to get a few lettuce, spinach and pea seeds in the ground.

For the past 5 years I have been growing veggies in various sized planters.  I looked to the guru of smaller planting spaces, Mel Bartholomew of Square Foot Gardening fame, for guidance.  I’ve embraced most of his ideas, but for me, his tenet of just a few plants in a square wastes a lot of potential for some vegetables. When I plant greens, I’ve found sowing a bunch of seeds and then thinning them is a lot more fun and gratifying.

One example is lettuce seeds. In an area about I foot square, I widely sow at least 20 seeds.   About 2 weeks later, I sow another area and continue as the season progresses.  As the plants begin to come up and start to crowd each other, I start thinning them.  Eventually, you’ll be left with a few plants with the proper spacing. These can then be allowed to grow to maturity. The same can be done with spinach, beets, chard, kale, radishes, arugula, escarole, and probably many more.  Yes, tiny radish seedlings are tasty.

When harvesting, simply snip the plant off, leaving the roots (and dirt). Wash the leaves, drain, refrigerate and add to your salads or stir-fries.   This method does require frequent maintenance, but seeds are much cheaper than transplants and you get to harvest much more! Enjoy.

And Remember...

"Nature does have manure and she does have roots as well as blossoms,

 and you can't hate the manure and blame the roots for not being blossoms." -  Buckminster Fuller

Bee Hotels 

Most gardeners I know are very aware of the decline of pollinators, and many have made an effort to increase the nectar sources in their gardens available to these insects. However, some of my gardener friends are less aware how the loss of available habitat compounds the environmental challenges these bees face. In fact,  the  compulsiveness of gardeners to tidy  up their beds every years adds to this problem.

Loss of habitat particularly affects  native bee species. Most of these bees are vey small and live solitary lives. Seventy percent (70%) of them burrow into the ground and thirty percent (30%) tunnel  into the stems of herbaceous plants to lay their eggs for next year's generation while a few choose to bore into soft woods. 

Here are a few ways backyard gardeners can make the lives of these little critters  that are looking to make a homestead a little easier  by: 

Bee hotel awaiting guests.

Planting more native plants (although nectar is nectar, native bees really need the native plants  with which they evolved in order to leave a posterity); 

Delaying cleanup of native plants at the end of the season until later next spring (e.g. leave that milkweed, goldenrod or blackeyed-Susan stalk alone); 

Installing a few bee hotels around your gardens. These can be made from scrape wood. The hotels I make combine soft woods and the stems of herbaceous plants.  The bees don't mind living shoulder to shoulder with different bee species; and, most importantly, they are not aggressive either to their neighbors or to you.

Reducing the expanse of lawns by utilizing more native plantings, especially ground covers, and increasing areas for  leaf litter and other detritus.

For more information about bee hotels, see this document from Michigan State University.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea (Lingonberry or cowberry)

Recently I've been thinking  about how I can reduce the size of my  small lawn and make our landscaping  more environmentally friendly. In deference to my neighbors, I don't feel compelled (yet)  to create another vegetable patch in my front yard, but adding native plants that might also provide something edible   would be ideal. 

After exploring various options, I've determined  that  Vaccinium vitis-idaea (Lingonberries) might be the answer. It occurs naturally in northern parts of North America and Scandinavia; and as an evergreen growing only to 12 - 18 " in height,  lingonberry  would compliment the rhododendrons and mountain laurels  already thriving in front of the house. 

I considered its cousins, Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry) and Vaccinium crassifoliuim (Creeping blueberry), but these are unsuited for my location.  American cranberry needs a bog environment that ideally has layers of sand and peat to survive, and creeping blueberry seems relegated to the milder climes of the southeastern states.  The Albany Pinebush might be for it suitable, but our winters are still too severe.

As a member of the genus Vaccinium, like blueberries, lingonberries need well drained acidic soil. A check of soil pH showed that my laurels are now growing in moderately acidic soil (pH 5.6 - 5.8)  while and the immediately adjacent  lawn area is slightly acidic (pH 6.4 - 6.5). Given these values, I plan to increase the acidity in the lawn area simply by adding peat moss  into the soil along with  sand to improve soil drainage. In the long haul, I will continue to add coffee grounds and Christmas tree needles as part of my mulching regime.  As for being edible, although lingonberries are part of Scandinavian cuisine,  I'm just hoping that some native fauna will take a liking to them.   For more information about growing lingonberries, see this  website by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Grey Water & Rain Water

I grew up in a rural area that now  is totally suburban; the farms and dairies  I knew as a child are long gone and replaced by seemingly innumerable condos, apartments and McMansions.   But when I was growing up,  my family depended on a well for water and we always worried during summer dry spells if its supply would hold up. Our house was situated on a hillside, and there was a ditch along the up side of our lot to channel runoff away from the house. Except for the spring, this ditch was usually dry; and during these times I remember my mother frequently taking the dish water from the kitchen and pouring it into one area of the ditch.  This was done, as she said, "to feed the worms."  

Keeping this section of ditch moist seemed to work because it was where my father and I would dig for bait when we wanted to go fishing.  The dish water, however, was never used in the vegetable garden or in the several concrete and cobblestone urns that sported flowers - usually geraniums and petunias.  For the vegetable garden and those urns we used rain water collected in large wooden barrels placed under the down spouts of gutters.  One of my jobs was to use this rain water to keep the flowers   and certain vegetables, mostly tomatoes, moist.  The watering cans I used  held 3 gals (24 lbs) of water. I didn't mind lugging them around, but I did not like reaching down into those barrels when the water level got low because clouds of mosquitos seem magically to ascend from the water and chase me.

Why, you might be wondering, am I writing about this? Because recently someone asked me if they should use their dish water on their vegetable garden instead of just pouring it down the drain.  

The short answer is no.  Dish water is grey water. It is not considered sewage. It does not come from the toilet, but grey water does contain very dilute amounts of some of the same contaminants.  

Dish water can include  fats, meat scraps and other organic wastes that can feed very unfriendly bacteria or even attract larger unwanted pests.  Household grey water typically  includes waste water from kitchens, laundries, bathroom sinks and showers and/or bath tubs; and that is why household grey water  ideally requires its own filtration system if it is to be distributed to a garden.  That distribution system, however, should be  either an underground or surface soaker network to avoid the grey water from contacting the edible parts of plants.   Now,  I doubt if my mother ever thought about dish water as grey water; probably she dumped the dish water  in the ditch simply because  the ditch was close to our back door.  For a little more information about grey water and how to use it, consult the  Greywater Action Organization .  

Another way to reduce the amount of metered water you use on your garden, consider collecting rain water, but remember to keep a mosquito proof cover over the barrel.  More information about collecting rain water is available from this Cornell University link.  Also, check your city's or town's website because many of them in the Capital District are offering discounted programs for you to buy rain barrels as part of their ongoing conservation efforts.

Book Recommendation:  Seed to Seed

Spring is upon us. Probably you are now thinking about sowing seed and maybe you're also thinking about starting to saving  seed from your favorite vegetables at the end of the season. I think that probably very gardener has been tempted to save seeds from that perfect squash, pepper or tomato at some time.

Your motivation might be to enjoy that great flavor again; maybe it's economy (I can save seed money); or maybe it's "I can help preserve heirlooms for everyone in the future even in my own little plot."

For those of us with small gardens trying to produce that flavorful vegetable again next year, however, is probably the most common motivation. Seed saving sounds easy, and it might be easy assuming that you have the right kind of seed and the right conditions. However, like most things, it's worth spending some time  trying  to find out about what  you don't know before finding out that you don't know much about it.

So if you really want to try seed saving this year, the Bible on seed saving is Suzanne Ashworth's Seed to Seed (Seed Savers Exchange, 2002).  On the most elemental level you will need plants that are not hybrid varieties and your plants will need isolation. Isolation can be achieved by not having nearby gardeners or by curtaining them from other plants in your garden that might cross pollinate with your veggie favorites.  These factors and many others are covered in Ashworth's book. The book identifies some of the most popular heirloom types that you might want to try as well as enumerating the major  organizations dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties and distributing their seeds.  I am not a seed savor, but Seed to Seed now has a prominent spot on the bookshelf.

And remember:

"Rain is good for vegetables, and for the animals who eat those vegetables,

and for the animals who eat those animals." - Samuel Johnson

GARDEN PREPARATION: APRIL

Garlic getting a head start.

SPRING - To see daffodils blooming, garlic sprouting, weeds awakening and woodchucks  roaming  does remind me that some things still seem to be mostly predictable in this world... 

I had almost become reconciled with the idea that I would not be be able to start  tomatoes and peppers under my cellar's grow lights  when three weeks ago my spouse and I decided to cancel our spring travel plans.  With our trip canceled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, I now find myself anxiously waiting for a shipment of last minute ordered seeds to arrive so that I can get back to a familiar task.

And, between a few early spring showers I have also been able to spend some of my hunker down time in the garden.  I have been able to move mulch around on planting beds to expedite the soil's warming, relocate trellises and frames for cucumbers and peas and to finish spreading compost.  Each of these activities make me realize how fortunate I am to have a vegetable garden to work in; but in case  you have a slightly neglected vegetable patch, here are a few things you can do that might make you feel slightly less squirrelly:

• Get outside! Finish spreading your compost or spading  the remains of last fall's cover crop into your planting beds.

• Check your soil's temperature and moisture level. Your soil might feel warm enough to the touch, but it's better to stick a thermometer into the ground to check it. Remember, also, that soil tends to be  quite wet in early spring. Pick up a handful; and if it slowly crumbles like a strudel topping on muffins when you open your hand, then it's okay for your precious seeds.

• Finally,  give in to that urge to plant something. Although early April is still pushing it for most spring vegetables in the Capital District, you can sow peas and spinach.  Just hold off on the radishes, lettuce and beets until at least mid April. But, gardeners beware - because although  it is true that the last frost of spring has been moving to earlier dates in May, the average date of the last frost for our area remains May 15.  Keep your row covers handy!

WANT TO BECOME A MASTER GARDENER?

A Master Gardener gives planting tips at a Demonstration Garden

Nationally, there are nearly 100,000 active Master Gardener volunteers  contributing over 5 million service hours annually throughout all 50 of the United States. If you would like to join the ranks of these happy folks, here's your chance.

The first step in becoming a Master Gardener involves your contacting the Master Gardener Coordinator for your county to schedule an interview.

The second step is completing  60 hours of classroom instruction on gardening and related subjects taught by Extension Educators and other experts.

The final step upon class graduation involves your volunteering in various ways in your communities. This  may include such activities as leading or participating in local gardening projects such as Demonstration Gardens, answering gardening questions at Extension Hotlines or making presentations to various community groups such as local garden clubs. 

Don't wait.  The  next training class will be held between September and December, 2020.  The deadline to apply for an interview is in early summer.




For more information, contact the Master Gardener Coordinator listed below for your county.

        RENSSELAER:  David Chinery, (518) 272-4210 or dhc3@cornell.edu

       ALBANY:  Carole Henry, (518) 765-3500 or ch878@cornell.edu

       SCHENECTADY: Angela Tompkins, (518 372-1622 or amj22@cornell.edu

       COLUMBIA-GREENE: Donna Peterson, (518) 828-3346 or dmp234@cornell.edu



And remember...

"Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes." - unknown

Spring Garden Day, March 7 

 

For Rensselaer County's Master Gardeners, spring  actually starts on March 7 with their annual “Spring Garden Day,” a program of gardening classes, good food and fun for all  backyard gardeners in the Capital District, held at Tamarac High School in Brunswick.  

Attendees can choose from ten classes covering pollinator gardens, perennials, vegetable growing in small spaces, hydrangeas, container gardening, birding basics, creating garden art, flowering trees and shrubs, avoiding ticks, making a cutting garden and more.  

This year's featured speaker is Lorraine Ballato who  will encourage re-thinking garden maintenance in her keynote presentation, “Smarter Gardening:  Let’s Talk!”  Other highlights of the day include a plant sale, garden book sale, a Pick-A-Prize Auction, and fabulous door prizes.      Attendees  also receive a delicious homemade lunch featuring soups, Stromboli and desserts.  

The program fee is $30 per person and pre-registration is required because attendance is limited to 220. To register complete the form available form Rensselaer County's   Cooperative Extension's website and send it along with your check to the address noted on the form. 

If you are unable to print the registration form or have other questions about Spring Garden Day, please call the Rensselaer County Cornell Cooperative Extension  Office (518) 272-4210 and ask for Marcie.  Don't delay; the Spring Garden Day is always a sellout!

Book Recommendation:  Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening

Do you have a friend who may not like to read much, but who thinks they may like to start a vegetable garden this year?

Deborah Martin's guide to basic organic gardening (Rodale Press, 2014) might just be a good fit for those prospective gardeners.  This book is really for people who are  completely lacking any experience with plants as well as  those who maybe  a little short on self confidence.  

Martin does not try to overwhelm the reader with too much detail, but she does sneak  a lot of important information onto every page.  There are no big glossy photos of perfect gardens or plants to distract one from that message. The accompanying illustrations are simple hand drawn works  reinforcing the idea that gardening can be simple.

The opening section quickly reviews the principles of organic gardening and the Rodale family's continuing effort to promote an organic approach.  The book then launches into the basics covering  such topics as tools, the spacing of plants,  plant containers for small spaces, how to construct planting beds, plant care, pest control, and the essentials of composting.  Finally, Martin identifies 30 popular vegetables and herbs that any beginning gardener should be able to grow successfully.  In short, this is  a very useful book; and like most gardening books, you should be able to  find a used copy for your  friend to get them off to a good start.

Garden Preparation: January - February

This blog  now starts its third year... and after two full years it's clear that the  posting of engaging monthly gardening reminders proves to be most taxing the imagination. In spite of the challenge, however,  and in hope that gardeners will be motivated to put aside their 2020 seed catalogs and/or stop watching the NFL Playoffs for a while, here come a few nags to start the New Year:

•  Remember your pruning - Relish the cold air and the absence of mosquitoes. Go out and prune those shrubs and fruit trees while the ground is frozen. And, if you haven't already done it, you can also  cut off the now frozen kale and Brussel sprout stalks in your veggie garden.

•  Start some lettuces in those empty planter trays now sitting idle under the grow lights. You will enjoy a harvest in about 55 - 60 days and still be able to use the trays to start your garden's seedlings in March and April.  

• Go outside again and lightly spread some wood ashes and coffee grounds  over your garden plots. Wood ash can add slight amounts of lime and potassium to your soil, and hardwood ash can add other trace nutrients. Caution: too much wood ash can increase the soil's pH value -- lowering its acidity which is okay for most vegetables. Coffee grounds, in small amounts, however, can counter the neutralizing effect of ashes as well as add organic material to soil.  Both coffee grounds and wood ash are okay in small amounts sprinkled over the garden; or, if you fear overdoing it,   just take a longer walk to your compost pile with those  ashes and coffee grounds.

• If you really prefer the warm indoors, build that cold frame that you have always secretly wanted. Nothing is simpler to construct.  Cold frames are  bottomless boxes with hinged covers that admit light. They  can be either  set into or set on the top of the soil to  extend a growing season.  The soil and air inside cold frames can be 10 - 20°F warmer than outside temperatures. Another potential benefit is that they will reduce the size of that unnatural lawn that you are getting tired of mowing. If you think about it a little more, maybe you'll want to  build  TWO OR MORE COLD FRAMES!

Veggie History:  Bell Peppers

Bell (and sweet peppers), Capsicum annum, belong to the Solanaceae family of plants along with tomatoes and eggplants. They are another staple of our modern diets originating from the New World.  They were first introduced to Europe by Columbus via  plants he found growing in Haiti and described as  a type of  "pepper." Portuguese traders soon took  the misidentified plants  to the  Far East while  the New World's peppers  spread from Spain into Western Europe during the 16th century and finally to  Eastern Europe during the 17th century. European colonists subsequently brought  cultivars with them across the Atlantic again to North America, and by the end of the 18th century peppers had become a common sight on Thomas Jefferson's table at Monticello.

The "peppers"  that  Columbus   first  introduced to Europe belonged to a single species of  Capsicum, annum, but the genus, Capsicum is  botanically unrelated to the familiar spice known as  black pepper (Piper nigrum).   Other New World adventurers after Columbus  soon also brought back the other four Capsicum species that contained even higher levels of capsaicin, and these too  soon spread around the globe. Although Capsicum's pungency reminded Europeans of  peppercorns,  they also liked the occasional plants  that happened to have low levels of capsaicin, the secret ingredient  providing  the kick to the taste buds. Low capsaicin levels are a genetically recessive trait; but because peppers are self-pollinating, cultivars  were soon bred and these "sweeter" peppers  also became kitchen garden favorites.

In Europe Columbus' misnamed peppers that possessed full doses of  capsaicin  quickly became  the popular  economic alternative to  peppercorns that derive from the viny  plant,  Piper nigrum. The vine  grows extensively in the Orient and had been distributed in Europe for generations by the Venetians who enjoyed a monopolistic hold on the European spice trade. Columbus' botanical discovery soon had economic and political ramifications. Venetian dominance quickly  faded as 1) New World peppers  spread into Western Europe, 2)  the Portuguese  traded their New World peppers for  peppercorns and other spices in Far Eastern markets by sailing around the Horn of Africa, and 3)  the Ottoman Turks started to  exercise a  strangle hold on the overland trade routes to the Mediterranean from the  Indian Ocean while expanding their control in parts of Eastern Europe. So goes history...

Peperine, the compound responsible for black pepper's pungency, and capsaicin found in New World peppers are both neurotoxins; but the two compounds produce their effects somewhat differently. Peperine  triggers  pain sensing neuron receptors while  capsaicin triggers  heat sensing neuron receptors. Because capsaicin   can also activate neuron receptors near the skin's surface, it is used in some  topical ointments, for example, to relieve (or mask)  symptoms of joint pain.   Capsaicin production in peppers evolved as a deterrence against both fungi (like fusarium that quickly afflicts bell peppers in cool weather) and hungry mammals  (albeit maybe not  so effectively deterring some humans) from eating them.

 FWIW: If you would  like to get more into the chemistry of peppers, checkout this link to an article in  Chemistry Views Magazine and go from there.

Finally, sweet peppers are just cultivars of bell peppers with  typically  thinner walls than the familiar chunky bell varieties. This lack of volume is the major reason why sweet peppers, when green, taste less bitter.  Green peppers, by-the-way, of all types are simply unripe peppers.  Although a common ripening sequence in peppers is green to yellow to red  reflecting changes in the type of chlorophyll being produced in the fruit, some varieties do not have a ripe red phase but their mature fruit stage  may be just white, chocolate, orange, yellow and all the many shades in-between. Cornell University has compiled a  list of the  popular pepper varieties that includes many of these colors that home gardeners can grow. 

And remember...

"[Black] Pepper is small in quantity and great in virtue." - Plato