They opened the doors on Jan. 1 (chileplants.com)- so you can start thinking about you pepper plant patch now! Having grown chiles on a window sill for the last 3 years, I can’t wait to get a garden going with plants outside. Because one of our dogs loves to play soccer, I’m going to be building raised beds for the plants - so I don’t find my plants trampled by an over eager Jack Russell.

While it’s very early to start thinking about the planting season, I do want to get an early start as there are a ton of little (and big) things that need to get done. First, I wanted to get my plant order taken care of so that I would have an idea of how much bed space I would need. Then I need to plan the bed areas - fortunately there is more then enough yard space to go around, but I also have the challenge of making it dog proof and wife approved (has to look good).

One of the things I haven’t been able to figure out about this house is the fact that there’s no water tap in the back yard. Any time I need to water the backyard, I’ve got to run a 100ft hose from front to back. So beyond making the beds visually appealing, I also need to figure out where the beds are going so that I can plumb a water line to the back yard.There are some great articles on how to do this if you are facing a similar challenge.

Here’s what I’ll be starting with this year and even though I hate tomatoes, I’m going to be growing them for some fresh salsas and sauces that I plan to be working on.

Peppers
- Bhut Jolokia
- Big Jim NM
- Cayenne Super Hybrid II
- Fatalli
- Habanero Chocolate
- Habanero Orange
- Habanero Red Savina
- Habanero White (for fun)
- Island Hellfire Cayenne
- Jalapeno Jumbo
- Ole Jalapeno
- Thai Red

Tomatoes
- Beefsteak
- Costoluto Fiorentino
- Mexico
- Red Currant (Cherry)

And if you are thinking about setting up a drip system to help with the watering of your plants this season, check out this article on Life Hacker - another great resource for your upcoming garden.

Anyone else starting to plan their garden yet or have any tips to share?