I suggest you go one step beyond what HotPepperDad suggested and mix sweet and hot peppers to the desired heat and flavor. you can still go wrong in getting the desired heat if you add too much of a hot pepper, but it makes the task much simpler. I could never get much flavor from my hot peppers although a few of my habanero customers tell me that they tolerate the heat in order to taste the outstanding flavor. I won't risk the heat so I just add a little of the hot pepper to ripe bell peppers that I have grown to enjoy. If you need to use only one pepper than I'd suggest a red-ripe hungarian wax type. Also, many of the newer hybrids in all varieties are much milder than their older counterparts. Some of the newer serrano and jalopeno hybrids have very little heat. Check with any of the seed companies for newer- low heat hybrids.

I believe that is one of bic9's golf greens. That is nice!! Modern organic fertilizers have no salt. Bic9 may be under the influence of the old style (Rodale school) of fertilizers made from composted cattle dung or even uncomposted cattle dung. That's not the case anymore, except for the Rodalians still clinging to compost. Modern bagged commercial organic fertilizer is practically salt free. If you buy raw ground grains at the feed store, those might have salt added to make it palatable to livestock, but not enough to make a difference. A few years ago morpheuspa tried to overdose his lawn with organic fertilizer by applying, if I'm not mistaken, 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet every week for the entire growing season. He has not mentioned any salt build up during that time, but it would be an interesting question to ask him. Definitely time to mow the tall bermuda. You'll scalp it at first, but that's okay. Take it down gradually, one notch lower every 3-4 days until you're at the bottom notch. Then raise it up one notch. Shampoo is used to soften hard soil. Core aeration is also used to soften hard soil. The difference is that core aeration seldom works, but shampoo seems to work every time. It works by breaking the surface tension of the water allowing it to soak in deeper and faster into the soil. The deeper moisture extends the time for evaporation which keeps the soil a little cooler over a longer time. That cooler and moister soil is the perfect environment for the beneficial fungi which do the work of softening your soil. It takes them a few weeks to repopulate the soil, but when they do, they redevelop your soil structure opening up bazillions of microscopic pores for air and water to penetrate. They swell when moist to push the soil particles apart. They shrink when dry to allow air and water in more easily. You asked, so sorry for the biology discussion. Shampoo is not a trick. Surfactants have been used for generations only on sports fields, because the only surfactants thought to work were very expensive. Well, when you boil it all down, shampoo is a surfactant almost identical to the expensive ones. Shampoo only costs you a few cents to try it. The rate is 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Use any shampoo you can see through. Apply the shampoo and follow up with 1/2 to 1 inch of water. If it is not soft the next time it rains or you water deeply, apply it again. I applied to my lawn twice in 2011 and it still gets almost too soft to walk on after it rains. If you want to check how hard or soft your soil is, try sticking a screwdriver into it now, before you spray, and a couple weeks after you spray. If you do that before and after core aeration you'll find no difference, but with shampoo you'll definitely see a difference.

Arizona Cypress and Italian Cypress along with Afghan Pines are some of the most successful trees planted out there. They should be able to survive on just the normal rainfall after 2-3 yrs. of supplemental watering to establish. Cedar Elm and Bur Oak (big leaves)are two deciduous trees that should do ok there. Of course Mesquite, Arizona Ash, and Hackberry should survive there, but are not normally considered desireable (but you may want to consider) Might look at what others have planted that have done well and perhaps see what the local nurseries are selling for that area.

Linda, Though I have grown more than 20 different blueberry (bb) varieties including both Rabbiteye (RE) and southern high bush (SHB) in Texas (about 3 hours down south from where you are), I do not have any of your RE or SHB variety so I can not comment or recommend on those varieties. However, as far as your area availability for one bb plant, if you can find, get a Sweet-Crisp variety, it is SHB type and it is the best tasting bb. It is very sweet, crisp like apple, and berry size is large. My other favorite SHB is Farthing. I have not tasted Brightwell RE variety but I have heard this is the best tasting RE variety. I like the taste of Vernon and Pink Lemonade in RE varieties. FYI, all RE and SHB tolerate Texas heat. As far as frost protection, the plant itself does not need to be protected from frost but if the plant is blooming prior to last frost, you will not get berries that year and that is why we chose late bloomers like Vernon (in February), Ka-bluey and OnSlow (both in March). The most productive varieties are Emerald, Jewel, and Farthing. I am growing all my bb plants in 15-25 gallon pots using 5-1-1 ratio of composted pine bark mulch (purple bag from Walmart)-peat moss-perlite. Nothing else in the medium. Blueberry is acid loving plant that has shallow root and therefore it likes its root moist but not forgiving for dry root nor like wet feet. Water pH is not the issue for bb plants as long as the water does not have high bicarbonate content. Our city water has high bicarbonate and I treat the water with sulfuric acid to lower the pH to 5 before watering when I run out of collected rain water. Probably your creek water does not have high bicarbonate. Rain water is the best way to water bb plants. Bb does not require high amount of fertilizer and very low dose of fertilizer is best for it. However, it does not do well with nitrate nitrogen and potassium chloride in its fertilizer, if chemical fertilizer is used. Organic fertilizer like Holly Tone or simple cotton seed meal and fish fertilizer are also great ones for bb. Good luck!