The Pepper Challenge (Updated June 2)

Things are heating up in our office! Several Emergineers are competing this spring to see who can grow the best peppers.

To keep it interesting (like gardening isn’t riveting enough!), a PEPPER CHALLENGE has been proposed. Each challenger was given two pepper plants to begin. The rules are simple – milestones in the lives of our peppers will be tracked so that each milestone reached will earn the Emergineer a point. The Emergineer with the most points at the end of the challenge wins and will be crowned the Pepper Champion!

Milestones:

1) Plant your pepper – Make note of the date that the pepper has been planted in its final container/garden bed.
(1 point for planting each pepper)

2) First pepper sprouts – Make note of the date you see the first pepper sprout (for each plant).
(1 point for having the first pepper, and another 1 point when both plants have a pepper)

3) First mature pepper – Here’s where it gets good… make note of the date when you pick your first pepper! Extra points will be awarded if you use the pepper to cook up something delicious and share it with the team
(5 points for first full grown pepper!)

4) Total number of peppers – Keep a tally of the peppers you pick
(1 point for each pepper picked)

5) BONUS – you get an extra 10 points if you keep your seeds to start a new pepper challenge NEXT SUMMER!

Ashley, one of our green-thumbed Re-TRAC Connect Solution Managers, created the challenge (and illustrated the lively labels).

-In 2014, she grew peppers and saved the seeds
-Seeds from a store-bought, organic red pepper were also saved
-She grew the plants from both types of seeds (and hopes to continue saving seeds!)
-The plants started life in reused yogurt containers (many of which were borrowed from Emerge’s recycling bins)
-Each pepper plant was then transferred to reused solo cups

__________________________________________
Update 1: June 2nd, 2015
Ashley gets her first point, as her pepper has spouted!