Let's talk about Peppers

[klsm54]

The subject came up about growing peppers, or attempting to grow peppers, with our fickle weather came up in the Tomato thread. So how about it? What have been your successes, and failures, at growing peppers in our neck of the woods?

 

I've had some great pepper years, but more mediocre to poor years. Does anybody have a secret method, or variety of peppers, that produces year in and year out in our climate?

 

I've had the most consistent yields with Hungarian Wax peppers. I've never had a variety of Sweet Bell pepper that consistently yielded well. Cherry peppers, both hot and sweet have done fairly well. There are a lot of new varieties of peppers out there, surely some do well around here.

[lavender]

The sweet yellow banana peppers are a more consistent producer for me than the bell peppers. Occasionally I'll get a crop of bells but they tend to be small to medium in size. The odd thing is that my father-in-law who is seven minutes closer to town grew great peppers on scrungy, anemic looking plants for years. He swore by Epsom salts. I tried that but it didn't seem to help mine.

[Greg]

we do jalapeno since we've had room to garden. (3 years) And we've gotten what I think was a good number, all 3 years. We do 6 plants and dice ALOT!  One thing I found out real quick is...WEAR GLOVES!!!      

[tipcat]

My green peppers always do very well.  I usally buy california wonders.  I had a bumper crop last year.  I can't remember what I got this year but the plants look sickly.  I don't think I am going to have a good.  I bought a new variety last year, I think something girl, and they produced tons of peppers and early.  I grew jalapeno a couple of years and had to many to use that I was giving them away.  I was making poppers with them.  Hungarian hot was another great producer.  I am growing plants for my brother this year.  I will just take a few of his and he can have the rest.  I always have a good turnout of green beans too.

[Guest snellma]

I have never had any luck with green bell peppers, especially this year.  My friend in Falls Creek grows the most beautiful peppers I have ever seen.  She plants her plants very close together and gets huge plants and huge peppers.  It seems like she gets nice ones every year.  I got beautiful huge plants this year but something is eating the heck out of them (as we discussed in another thread).  Wish I could find the secret to good peppers.

 

What do you mean by using Epsom salts?  Do you just sprinkle them around the plant or do you mix it with water and water them with it?

[lavender]

I have never had any luck with green bell peppers, especially this year.  My friend in Falls Creek grows the most beautiful peppers I have ever seen.  She plants her plants very close together and gets huge plants and huge peppers.  It seems like she gets nice ones every year.  I got beautiful huge plants this year but something is eating the heck out of them (as we discussed in another thread).  Wish I could find the secret to good peppers.

 

What do you mean by using Epsom salts?  Do you just sprinkle them around the plant or do you mix it with water and water them with it?

You can do either with them. I was told to just sprinkle them around the plant. They provide a source of Magnesium which peppers need and which often isn't in fertilizers.

Fid out what is eating your peppers yet?

 

[Petee]

Peppers need to be spaced about a foot apart for good pollinations.  Soil can be mediocre but will probably need amended with compost.  Move them every year if possibl to help reduce soil borne problems.  Full Sun!  Good air circulation.  Feed at least weekly with Tomato food full strength (not just regulal Miracle Grow which mostly produces leaves) and a tbl per gallon or plant of Epsom Salts in the water.  Water deeply as with tomatoes.  Keep fruit picked regularly.  If you do not seem to have a lot of bees or other good bus, take an artist's paint brush and go from flower to flower as frequently as possible.

 

We have California Wonder, Crispy Sweet Green/Red which turn red a little earlier and Big Dipper which starts slow but ends with huge sweet green blocky fruits at the sale.

[steelnut]

I always have good luck with peppers. If it's a very dry year the skins are tough, though. I plant 8 kinds.

[Guest Tracy96]

I planted habanero peppers a few years ago.  The grew like crazy!  Those buggers were too hot for me but my hubby and grandpa love them.  We had soooo many peppers b/c most of us couldn't stand to eat them....lol

[lavender]

I'm trying something different this year. I usually raise all of my plants from seed. It works well for most things but I'm thinking that maybe peppers are better raised under more professional conditions so this year I bought all of my pepper plants. I'm going with sweet banana and Ace. They ones I got at Lyon's Greenhouse were super plants. If anyone is still in need he has tons of plants left.

[klsm54]

Habeneros are one that I've had very mixed results with. On good years the plants get huge and bear really well. But I've had some off years where the plants are about half as large and fruit is about nonexistant... :-/

[peachy]

I'm trying something different this year. I usually raise all of my plants from seed. It works well for most things but I'm thinking that maybe peppers are better raised under more professional conditions so this year I bought all of my pepper plants. I'm going with sweet banana and Ace. They ones I got at Lyon's Greenhouse were super plants. If anyone is still in need he has tons of plants left.

I need more, could you tell me where Lyon's Greenhouse is? Thank you!

 

[Petee]

I also have a lot of plants left and they are free to anyone who wants them.  They are leftover from the plant sale and will just die of old age in my greenhouse.

 

Call 371-3322 or e-mail me at cshenkle@verizon.net.

[lavender]

 

I need more, could you tell me where Lyon's Greenhouse is? Thank you!

 

Juniata Street on the right hand side after the turn. I think it is just after the bridge. You will see the greenhouse before you see the sign. It sets way back. His prices are more than reasonable for what you are getting. I hate putting in plants that don't grow!

He didn't have the Wave petunias this year but last year we got them for $2.50 a six or eight pack. They were selling elsewhere for that for one plant.  

[lavender]

Ted said that he had to get some from a friend for his own garden.  They aren't as nice as his. He was still selling the nice ones when I was out there.  

The man plants two acres! Now there is a gardener! Likes to talk too.

How long have you been gardening, Brian?

[lavender]

Yes, you probably need something to protect seedlings. It has been my experience that young plants in pots do not do well outside.

So what do you think, is vegetable gardening worth it? I'm writing an article this month on whether you spend more growing those tomatoes than it would cost you to buy them. I just read a book called the $64 Dollar Tomato and what I've see with the author of that little gem is unreal expectations. I should start another thread. Hang on.

[Petee]

what do yo have left petee, any peppers, the pounders we got off of you sure got knocked for a loop from the heat, not sure if they will make it, but everything else seems to be doing ok

They are an unknown to us but if they croak just let me know.  I will pot some up to bigger pots but not all of them.

 

I was doing an inventory in the greenhouse this morning but the heat got too bad and I haven't finished yet.  I may be able to do it this evening or tomorrow morning.

[Petee]

Yep, I have more and will get them to you.  PM me please to make arrangements.

[whodat]

I like BONTON from Harris seeds, they have done much better than others I have tried.

[badmonkey]

I am still having problems with something eating my pepper plants. Whatever is eating them seems to like the green peppers better than the hot peppers that we have planted. I have dusted them with sevin (sp?). That works rather well. Nothing bothers them when there is sevin on the plants but, as soon as the rain washes it away, the plants take another hit. I have also tried covering the plants with suds from clear Ivory dish soap. That works until the rain hits.

This is the first year that I have had this problem. In the past I have lost a plant or two but this year they have cut plants off about three inches above ground (approx 20 plants!!!) Some of the plants have bounced back and look VERY strong but none are at the point they should be by now. Whatever is eating them hasn't bothered anything else in my garden. In one of my other gardens I had a problem with Rabbits eating the leaves from squash plants. I never had that problem before either. I know that Rabbits were hitting the squash plants as I watched them do it. Grrrr...

[lavender]

If rabbits are eating the squash it is probably rabbits in the peppers too. I've had moderated success with the coyote urine products on groundhogs this year and I'm trying out the Liquid Fence. It is recommended for rabbits and deer. It is also supposed to be rain resistant. (Someone on here also said it didn't work on rabbits so I don't know.)

With peppers, since they are so small, you could try a physical barrier. They make that fine plastic netting which works but you need a support or the leaves grow up through it. You could probably bend wire hangers into hoops to support it. You can also buy them. I used to make a tunnel and cover my broccoli plants but they get so big it didn't seem worth it just to keep the cabbage moths off. This year I did a temporary cover until the plants got big enough for Mr. Groundhog to lose interest. I laid tomato cages horizontally over every two or three plants and draped with the mesh.

[Guest snellma]

My pepper weevils are back so I just kissed the bell peppers good bye.  I have more than my fair share of banana's and jalapeno's though.  I'm kind of tired of making pepper rings!!!

[badmonkey]

I can probably come up with something. I have a roll of screen (like the kind used in windows) laying around here somewhere.

The squash leaves that have been eaten are in a different garden than the peppers. These two gardens are located on two different sides of my house and one can't be seen from the other. I know that Rabbits travel a bit and cover a lot of ground but from what I have seen during the evening, the rabbits seem to stay on one side of the house. I'm not sure why. Of course, they could switch sides after dark. I thought about covering the ground around the pepper plants with flour and then seeing what kinds of animal tracks show up in the flour.

 

If rabbits are eating the squash it is probably rabbits in the peppers too. I've had moderated success with the coyote urine products on groundhogs this year and I'm trying out the Liquid Fence. It is recommended for rabbits and deer. It is also supposed to be rain resistant. (Someone on here also said it didn't work on rabbits so I don't know.)

With peppers, since they are so small, you could try a physical barrier. They make that fine plastic netting which works but you need a support or the leaves grow up through it. You could probably bend wire hangers into hoops to support it. You can also buy them. I used to make a tunnel and cover my broccoli plants but they get so big it didn't seem worth it just to keep the cabbage moths off. This year I did a temporary cover until the plants got big enough for Mr. Groundhog to lose interest. I laid tomato cages horizontally over every two or three plants and draped with the mesh.

 

[lavender]

Screening would work. I've even used clear milk jugs with the lid off. Around my house at least they don't heat up enough to cause a problem. The plant usually get too big after awhile but it works until them. Great for keeping those tiny black bugs off the eggplant.

[PSTeach]

What can I make from the Hungarian wax peppers? We don't really eat stuff like that, but someone donated the plants, and I don't know what to do with the crop, lol.