2021 Peppers
- Thread starter Zeedman
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ninnymary
Garden Master
I top my peppers off. I basically cut off the first several sets of leaves. This encourages branching. They produce almost twice as many peppers now that I started doing that. I start mine in 3 1/2 inch pots and they stay there till they go into the ground.
Mary
- Thread starter
- #33
Zeedman
Garden Master
I didn't take a photo of Melrose in 2015, when I last grew it... but this is the photo I took at SSE that got me interested. The photo was taken on Labor Day, which is a month before my last frost:@Zeedman ,
I can't even place the name. TV show, isn't it?
I'd be interested in seeing pictures and descriptions. Yes.
Steve
Melrose
My entire first set ripened, and the plants produced a second set of full-grown green peppers before frost.
heirloomgal
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@AMKuska I found out by accident one year that peppers love heat, but not so much blazing hot sun all day. I had an extra 40 peppers one year I had no heart to put in the trash, so I stuck them all in what I thought were not ideal places (at least they could try to survive). Places with shade especially. It was a nice summer, and all my shaded peppers produced 3X what full sun peppers did. Found out later that part of this is the peppers' history as an understory plant in South America.
heirloomgal
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@Zeedman Wow that plant is really loaded with peppers. Do you fertilize with anything in particular?
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- #36
Zeedman
Garden Master
When saving pepper seed, I grow the variety under a cage covered with floating row cover. Those plants really flourish in that partial shade, out-performing those in full sun. So I planted one variety last year in the shade of a row of pole beans... the DTM was delayed, but the yield was still high. Sweet peppers seem to do especially well in partial shade, with little to no losses due to sun scald.
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- #37
Zeedman
Garden Master
The plants in the photo were taken at SSE during one of my visits... but mine were just as loaded, if not more. SSE is certified organic, so chances are no fertilizer was used; and I use only a manure side dressing, if that.
digitS'
Garden Master
There are few choices for shade in my present growing environments. Gone are the days when I had a small, triangle garden that was shaded by 5 evergreen trees through the afternoon.
Here at home is a possibility where the hoop house covers 2 beds but there is no shade. The 3rd bed is shaded by a board fence and buildings and only receives sun during early morning hours. I've nearly given up on the idea of keeping the hoop house up through June. Once again, it is a very good source for Asian greens at this time of year. It will be cooking the remaining greens, including kale, if the plastic covers those 200 square feet beyond May.
The greenhouse (sunshed) has some of the summer shade you may be referring to, @heirloomgal . The north wall and roof partially shade it during the summer. It was built with the idea of maximizing interior sunlight in the winter. It certainly gathers some summer heat, however.
One recent summer, I had "extra" pepper plants. They went in the very narrow bed against the south wall. I was just out there and took a tape measure. At shoulder height, I have an extra 4" for my shoulders between the vertical posts that hold the center bench and roof and those sloping, south wall "glazing bars" covered with plastic film. At path level, it's actually almost 48" across but imma a little squeezed walking in that path.
Those pepper plants were HUGE! What I could see of them from the other side of the center bench ... At first, I could shuffle sideways but soon, watering and harvest had to be left up to DW!
It's a possibility again but an awkward one.
Steve
Here at home is a possibility where the hoop house covers 2 beds but there is no shade. The 3rd bed is shaded by a board fence and buildings and only receives sun during early morning hours. I've nearly given up on the idea of keeping the hoop house up through June. Once again, it is a very good source for Asian greens at this time of year. It will be cooking the remaining greens, including kale, if the plastic covers those 200 square feet beyond May.
The greenhouse (sunshed) has some of the summer shade you may be referring to, @heirloomgal . The north wall and roof partially shade it during the summer. It was built with the idea of maximizing interior sunlight in the winter. It certainly gathers some summer heat, however.
One recent summer, I had "extra" pepper plants. They went in the very narrow bed against the south wall. I was just out there and took a tape measure. At shoulder height, I have an extra 4" for my shoulders between the vertical posts that hold the center bench and roof and those sloping, south wall "glazing bars" covered with plastic film. At path level, it's actually almost 48" across but imma a little squeezed walking in that path.
Those pepper plants were HUGE! What I could see of them from the other side of the center bench ... At first, I could shuffle sideways but soon, watering and harvest had to be left up to DW!
It's a possibility again but an awkward one.
Steve
AMKuska
Garden Master
I didn't know! I actually have some great shady areas I could plant. I really appreciate the tip.
digitS'
Garden Master
Think about warmth, @AMKuska .
That bed in the greenhouse only has early morning and late afternoon shade. The plastic film cuts out about 10% of sunlight - which is fairly intense during our arid summer weather. (Western WA, your mileage may vary.)
@heirloomgal , what is your degree of latitude? I know that you said that you are further north than some Ontario folks.
Steve
That bed in the greenhouse only has early morning and late afternoon shade. The plastic film cuts out about 10% of sunlight - which is fairly intense during our arid summer weather. (Western WA, your mileage may vary
.)@heirloomgal , what is your degree of latitude? I know that you said that you are further north than some Ontario folks.
Steve
