QUESTION: How do you know when to pick jalapeno peppers? They aren't dark like the ones in the store.ANSWER: Yours simply aren't fully ripe yet, but they are edible and useful in the green stage, though the fully intense flavor that occurs when it turns red has not yet developed. Burpee, a major seed and plant company, has these tips for harvesting peppers, both hot and sweet:• Frequent harvesting increases yield because the plants will continue to produce fruit in its quest to make seeds.• Letting peppers ripen to their mature color will create maximum flavor in the individual fruits at the expense of yield. The solution to this is to have a number of plants, some that will you will allow to bear peppers to maturity and other to pick through the season at a less-ripe, but still flavorful stage.• Don't pull the peppers off the plant; snip the stems with scissors or a knife.• Eat them the day of picking or let them ripen for a day or two on a kitchen counter.Burpee offers more tips on growing and storing peppers on its Web site, www.burpee.com.

QUESTION: Do you pinch off wilted or wilting petunia blooms? I do because they ruin the look, but during these hot days, I wonder if it is OK to leave them when I get home at night. Just watering in 90 degree heat is about all I can take after a day of work. What's the right thing to do?ANSWER: You do not have to deadhead those petunias every night, though I agree that they look better when spent blooms are cleared off. A couple of times a week should be more than enough and maybe there will be a cool evening when you can enjoy being outdoors. In addition to keeping the appearance fresh, the reason for deadheading these plants is to keep them from going to seed, which shortens their bloom life.Most petunias left alone tend to develop leggy stems by midsummer. However, that is not the end of the world. Simply cut them back by about half and fertilize the plants to encourage fresh growth along the sides of the stems. Some petunias tend to slow down during the hottest weeks, then pick up as the weather cools a bit in September.

QUESTION: I would like your suggestion on a houseplant for my kitchen. The kitchen has double windows over the sink, which provide the only light other than the door. I have had great success with peace lilies but am tired of them. What are your ideas?ANSWER: Peace lilies are pretty things, but your kitchen needs a boost of color. Not all foliage house plants are dull, dark green. Some have a very lively look, thanks to red, orange and yellow markings on the leaves. Others produce bold contrasts of color between new and mature foliage.Any of the following will give your kitchen a lift:Pothos: A vigorous vine that you could train around a chunky stake, it has lovely white or yellow markings on the bright green leaves. It's very cheerful to look at and will make you happy for its easy-to-please nature. In good conditions, it will grow vigorously, but you can easily keep it trimmed with scissors. The cuttings will root easily in water to make new plants.Philodendron: Famous for being tough to kill, but some are pretty dull to look at and won't add any zip to your decor. But others, such as Moonlight, offer dramatic contrast between the new foliage (chartreuse) and the mature. The effect is lively, even in a dim room.Bromeliads: Many color choices exist within this long-lasting house plant. Bromeliads are a plant family whose best known member is the pineapple. Leaves of some are plain green, but others have colorful or subdued markings that create horizontal or vertical stripes on the leaves. The flowers, which usually rise from the center of the rosette of leaves, are long-lasting and colorful. They will require strong light through your kitchen window.