| My peppers always seem to rot before they turn red. What's the problem, and what can I do to get nice, ripe peppers? |
| It sounds like there may be some cultural problems with the peppers, as well as a bacterial soft rot. Peppers need a long, warm growing season to mature. If yours are not maturing by the end of summer you need to either find a shorter season variety, or help them along by enhancing the heat in the garden. Try using a dark colored mulch to absorb heat during the daytime and radiate it back toward the plants at night (black plastic will work). Make sure the plants are receiving 8-10 hours of direct sunlight earh day. Peppers have shallow roots, so make sure the plants get ample water during the growing season.To guard against bacterial soft rot, avoid overcrowding of plants, try not to water from above, and promply remove infected plant material and debris from the garden. |
