Pepper Plants

Greetings everyone,

OK, I started my first 4x4 box, have planted it and have some very promising starts. (I will post pictures at some point).

I have two squres for bell peppers (two plants total) They came up, they look healthy, but just seem to have remained the same size once they lost their initial seed leaves. They have four or five "regular" leaves and are about two to three inches tall. The only interesting "behavior" I have seen is that the leaves curl inwards and then flatten back out. The are not dark green, but are a bit darker than the speckled border of this web page.

This is my first attempt so I am not sure if I am looking at a problem, or I just need to be more patient.

I have beans coming up and growing like crazy as well as peas. I also have onions, nosturiums(sp?), carrots, and lettuce which have all sprouted and look to be doing great. In the past couple of days I have planted cilantro, marigolds and spinach so I should see something within a couple of weeks on those. Oh, I have also planted a cantelope, but it is outiside of my squarefoot garden and is my sons project.

Thanks everyone!

Gary

I am certainly no Plant Doctor, Gary. But, I would tend to believe these plants are just working on their root systems right now. I don't think peppers shoot for the sky like tomatoes or peas. I think they are pretty slow growers, in the beginning for sure. But, I don't really know. I just think I read that somewhere for some reason. Others can provide more.

My pepper seedlings are really taking their time, too. I am not worried about it, though. If you are started on the right date according to your local frost date, you will be more than fine imo.

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:...I don't think peppers shoot for the sky like tomatoes or peas. I think they are pretty slow growers, in the beginning for sure. But, I don't really know. I just think I read that somewhere for some reason. Others can provide more.

My pepper seedlings are really taking their time, too.

I am no expert, but I would have to agree with BBG. Your peppers may just be slooooooooooow. My pepper seeds are sprouting a week later than my tomatoes did, and I started them on the same day. Also, my planting guide says to start them 4 weeks earlier indoors than it says for tomato seeds, but to plant them outside at the same time as tomato seeds (my pepper seeds had to wait to be started because I was on vacation, otherwise I WOULD have started them a month earlier!). I have found that they are always very slow to take off for me in the garden as well, but once they do - look out!

TC

the two things that seem to make the difference in my peppers are daytime temps and length of day. until the weather is consistently 70degrees during the day and over 50 at night, my peppers just linger. they also like a very long day, so this is still early even if the temps are good.

rowena___. wrote:the two things that seem to make the difference in my peppers are daytime temps and length of day. until the weather is consistently 70degrees during the day and over 50 at night, my peppers just linger. they also like a very long day, so this is still early even if the temps are good.

I would agree as this has also been my experience.

camprn wrote:

rowena___. wrote:the two things that seem to make the difference in my peppers are daytime temps and length of day. until the weather is consistently 70degrees during the day and over 50 at night, my peppers just linger. they also like a very long day, so this is still early even if the temps are good.

I would agree as this has also been my experience.

Makes sense, as my pepper plants usually just take up space in the garden - until July!

TC

just as a side note. once my peppers really begin their rapid growth, I pinch the terminal ends to make the plant bush out a bit more.

camprn wrote:just as a side note. once my peppers really begin their rapid growth, I pinch the terminal ends to make the plant bush out a bit more.

How tall do you let them get before you do that? (I had pepper trees last year, lol, and next to no peppers!)

Oh, I would do that when they are a foot tall. But now, you live in Texas and I would expect them to get VERY tall in any case. Did your plants have pleanty of blooms last year and very few fruit?

Most of my problem last year was the temps, I think. I got blooms, but they would just drop of. Our overnight lows were above the optimal range. I did get a few to set early in the season and a couple of random times when a storm came through and cooled us off for a bit. But my plants were definitely trees rather than bushes. I'm not sure what all contributed to that; I was just starting out and didn't really know what they were "supposed" to do. Trying mylar as sheet mulch this year to keep the roots a bit cooler and hoping that'll be just the few degrees I need. If nothing else, I think I've got them farther along at this point than they were last year. Already got a few to set during the past week and I anticipate "friendly" temps for a couple of months still.