Looking forward to a lucky 13th year

Spring brings out my gambling instinct. I have always admired our country's hard working farmers because they have to gamble on the proper timing in planting their crops. I like to get the jump on planting my Laparie pepper plants, hoping that they achieve the 6-foot level. I also plant a few Early Girl tomato plants early. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.
You can't always go by looks early in the game, since two of my "wing and prayer" Early Girl plants are now my best plants. The secret is not to give up.
Frost warning
On May 23, I had all of my plants in the ground. Shortly after, due to our area's great weather predictors like Frank Marzullo of WFMJ-TV Channel 21, I had warning of a coming frost and I covered all of my plants. I used large paper grocery bags, which worked.
This reminded me of a killing frost incident of many years ago, when I had covered a dozen beautiful tomato plants with cardboard boxes, which the frost had converted into lethal chambers. Why? Each box had a small crack in its bottom, which then became the top of the supposed protective cover. A life's lesson I have never forgotten. We are never too smart or too old to learn.
My garden is in the front of my brick home, which faces south. I believe heat radiating from the brick has helped me achieve Laparie plant heights of 6 feet, loaded with sweet peppers for the past 12 years. I am looking forward to a lucky 13th.
Nice plants
I purchase my pepper plants from both Uhrain and Lonardo greenhouses. I had to replace a few Laparies this year and found them at Uhrain. A young worker went out of his way to help me find some nice plants. I told him I would reward him, by mentioning his kind deed in my column. His name is Randy Davenport.
Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree. He has been inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.