Peppers as climbers?

jenniferbwing 3/27/2010, 8:33 pm

I will be starting my square foot garden this year, and I was wondering if I can put peppers as climbers with the tomatoes. Are they a climbing type vegetable, or should they be put in one of the front spots?

Thanks!

choksaw 3/28/2010, 10:48 pm

i guess it would depend on the pepper most that ive grown in the past are more of a bush type growth rather then a vineing breed but some peppers might do well im thinking maybe habenro or chili but not sure if you do decide to give it a shot keep us posted on the prgress could be valuable information for things

jenniferbwing 3/29/2010, 11:30 am

Thanks - I will let you know what I decide to do! Maybe I'll try one plant in the climbing section and see how it does. I haven't set up the garden yet, just in the planning stages.

Jeff Buffington 3/30/2010, 7:16 pm

jenniferbwing wrote:I will be starting my square foot garden this year, and I was wondering if I can put peppers as climbers with the tomatoes. Are they a climbing type vegetable, or should they be put in one of the front spots?

Thanks!

All the peppers I've grown have been bushes... don't know of any vining kinds, but I certainly could be wrong.

Every now and again I'll rant about my banana peppers... but I also grew some habeneros last year. I'm actually planning on planting some more.. but I've heard you should seperate your 'hot' peppers from the cooler varieties.

Wild Bill 3/31/2010, 12:27 pm

Why is that, Jeff?

Jeff Buffington 4/1/2010, 11:37 am

Wild Bill wrote:Why is that, Jeff?

From what I understand, if you plant a hot pepper (say a jalepeno or habenero) next to a mild or sweet pepper (say sweet banana or green bell), they can cross pollinate.

Peppers have the most heat in ther seeds and surounding pulp... and that heat can extend into the flesh. When I was canning my banana peppers last year, I took the seeds and pulp out of ones I wanted to be sweeter, and left them in and added a slitted habenero for some hot ones.

Mind you, I'm no expert, but I have read it in multiple books to distance certain varieties. Someone here on the forums said that extends to tomatoes as well (because their Nightshades perhaps?) I suppose that means other nightshades might be subject to cross pollination as well (eggplant, for example.)

Perhaps someone far more qualified than I can explain it better.. Peppers as climbers? Icon_biggrin

Wild Bill 4/1/2010, 11:40 am

Guess I'll find out this year. I've got mine planted adjacent. I thought that would only affect it if you were saving seed for next year.

Wyldflower 4/1/2010, 11:42 am

I had also heard about the cross-pollination issue causing some sweet peppers to 'heat up' and vice-versa.

How far apart should I put my sweet peppers and my jalapenos (which aren't THAT hot, but they aren't sweet)? I'm thinking the far sides of two separate boxes... they'd end up about 12 feet apart.

gridgardener 4/1/2010, 11:51 am

I had also heard about the cross-pollination issue causing some sweet peppers to 'heat up' and vice-versa.

that is an old wives tail.

next thing you will want know is how much milk you will need to feed to you pumpkins.

Lavender Debs 4/1/2010, 12:40 pm

Wyldflower wrote:I had also heard about the cross-pollination issue causing some sweet peppers to 'heat up' and vice-versa.

How far apart should I put my sweet peppers and my jalapenos (which aren't THAT hot, but they aren't sweet)? I'm thinking the far sides of two separate boxes... they'd end up about 12 feet apart.

Are you going to save seed from your peppers to plant next year? If not, then you will be fine. Any crossing will affect the seed for the next crop, not the fruit from the seed already planted. Does that help?

Deborah ....hoping you have an amazing crop

Jeff Buffington 4/1/2010, 1:19 pm

gridgardener wrote:
I had also heard about the cross-pollination issue causing some sweet peppers to 'heat up' and vice-versa.
that is an old wives tail.

This appears to be a topic of much contention. Just doing a quick search and I've seen some places that say it doesn't matter and only the seeds will be affected. Then in the next site there are reports of sweet peppers being "hot as firecrackers" when planted next to jalepenos.. and other supposedly hot varieties turning out "lukewarm" with the heat.

So who is right? Like I said before, I know the hottest part of the peppers are the seeds and the pulp. Is it possible that cross pollination affected the seeds produced, but not the flesh? Therefore, as long as you clear the peppers of the seeds and pulp you won't have an issue? Peppers as climbers? Icon_scratch

I don't eat green pepper seeds, but I do eat the ones from jalepenos. Personally, it wouldn't matter to me... I like hot pepers. The wife and kid on the other hand...

next thing you will want know is how much milk you will need to feed to you pumpkins.

Seen an awful lot about using powdered milk and epsom salts... don't think I'd bother spilling regular milk on the issue, however.
Peppers as climbers? Lol

Jeff Buffington 4/7/2010, 12:24 am

Curiosity killed the cat... good thing I'm not a cat... Cool

killjug 4/8/2010, 4:42 pm

Crossing will only effect the next generation not the fruit. The pollen carries 2 sperm cells the fertilize the eggs in the ovum that then grows into the fruit. The genetics that make a hot pepper hot will be in the seed and will only be expressed if that seed is grown onto a new plant.

You can make hot sweet peppers and sweet "hot" peppers in this way but you have to gamble year to year.

Teresa 4/15/2010, 8:49 pm

The SFG book says to give each pepper plant its own square, but he seems to be talking about Bell peppers. Can I plant two jalapeno or serrano plants in the same square?

plb 4/16/2010, 4:25 am

Jalapenos and Serranos still need one square each. Actually, the instructions usually say 18-24 inches, but one square will probably suffice.

chocolatepop 4/16/2010, 8:26 am

Ditto PLB, I gave all my pepers one square, and they needed all of it.

Teresa 4/16/2010, 10:57 am

One square it is, then. Thanks!

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