I'm in 5b/6a, so a little warmer. All my peppers ripened. What really made the difference was buying a cheap cold frame. It increased temps outside by 20 degrees. So when it was 40 degrees I could put pepper plants out as it was 60 degrees in the cold frame. I brought them in at night. I did this for about 3 weeks, what a pain, but what a harvest!! By the end of three weeks they barely fit, and it was still kinda cool outside. i think they were slightly stunted when taken out, but were pretty much hardened off. I used a fan inside, so they were ready for wind etc. My tomatoes were in there too. My first tomato was around June 28th. Still have some as a matter of fact. When it got to be 60 outside I had to vent the frame as it was 80-90 degrees inside. The peppers grew like mad in it! When planted out they were over 12 inches tall, all had flowers. here's a photo of them in the cold frame

I too am EXTREMELY SENSITIVE to poison ivy and recently broke out in a similar rash after being careless while propagating my all time favorite plant, the philodendron micans. I also suspected that had to be it so I took a fresh cutting and dabbed the sap several times in my arm and didn't wash off for a few hours. Somewhere between 12 & 24 hours later, I started feeling that familiar itch and watched as my test patch gradually spread out the size of a dime and rose up with the little tiny bubble pattern I'm used to seeing with poison ivy rash. THIS SUCKS! I'm in the middle of battling it right now and in my research found this helpful article. I also read another helpful tip that said the sap from these plants can somehow penetrate through standard medical gloves so thicker gardening type gloves should be used when propagating and caution should also be taken when refreshing propagation water. I plant to purchase some thick, SOLID rubber gloves that can easily be thoroughly washed. NOT those gardening gloves that have a breathable section at the back of the hand and wrists! You should also clean the tools you use and the work area. Rubbing alcohol AT LEAST 70% grade is known to be effective for cleaning tools that have come in contact with poison ivy so I plan on implementing that. As well as never shortcutting again by taking rushed cuttings and not doing the basics like laying out a protective mat and immediately washing my hands afterwards. I lazily let my NUMEROUS cuttings drop to the floor (CARPET!) and I know I didn't wash my hands right away like I normally do. A couple hours later I laid on this floor in a tank top and got a mild rash a day later across my upper back and shoulder area as well as my ear lobes which I believe is from handling my earbuds right after propagating my favorite plant. PLEASE MAKE MY PAIN WORTH IT AND LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU... PUH-LEAZE!

i have 5 s. canadensis of bob gordon and wylewood cultivars and 3 s. nigra black lace and black beauty cultivars. i put in the s. canadensis 2 yrs ago and the s. nigra last year. this year my s. canadensis has huge flower cymes but as the flowers fall there are only a few green berries forming. also i haven't seen any bees on them either but my raspberries 40ft. away are full of bumble bees. do bumble bees pollinate elderberry? I've seen them in my blueberries and currants before. maybe i have to wait till next year for a big crop. any ideas? for 2 years growth these elderberry bushes are huge! nearly 7ft. tall and the cymes are 12 to 14in. across! they are in poor rocky clay soil only amended with a handful or so of worm castings and some peat! unreal how vigorous they are!

Hi PC, Yes I agree . Plant's physical attributes, growth habit might tell more than the fruits. Though BFT's fruit shape is described as "fattish round". I thinks CP fruits are not that round and can be oblate and not quite round. Tatiana say BFT plant grows about 4 ft. tall which seems to be shorter and less vigorous than Cherokee Purple. So there it goes : My B FT, CP , Black Cherry, Arbuznyi and JBT are growing under light. So 3 Russians vs 2 Americans. It is going to be a tough competition in dark colored category : call it Black, Brown, Purple, Chocolate Brown, Coffee Brown,.. I choose my tomatoes based on a lot reviews not just from a single person or a seeds seller. The next stage is to try them out. This way I identify the varieties that "I" like and "THEY" do well in "MY" garden. Way to go. Seysonn Black From Tula The fruits look quite round. Cherokee Purple. The fruits are not round .