Shadegardener said:It's been in the 40s here at night so neither the peppers or the tomatoes spend the night outdoors.

Maybe soon it will warm up.

Shadegardener said:Rita - thanks! They're outside now for the first time. They're not falling-over leggy but they seem tall to support the weight of peppers.

Cindy, I always give my pepper plants some support -- usually I just stick in some sort of stake to tie each one to. Once they're loaded with peppers they definitely become top heavy!

I have these rather short "Pepper or Eggplant" Ladders I bought at Gardeners Supply. They work pretty good.

Weedwacker/Rita - more words of wisdom on pepper support. Thanks! I'm only growing 4 plants - mainly for fun and eating - so I should be able to rig up some supports for them.

I only had 5 plants last year. Maybe two years before I had 24 plants but the production was so poor I really had almost no peppers. I was so discouraged I skipped a year with no peppers.

But I like peppers so when I found plants of Shishuto last season I bought two. And then 3 Lady Bell which were in one pot. Discovered my peppers did really well so now growing lots of the Japanese types.

Rita - I would grow more but I don't have much veggie-growing space (unless I tear out roses). As it is, these babies will be in a huge grow bag. I have no illusions about growing bell peppers.

Newyorkrita said:I have these rather short "Pepper or Eggplant" Ladders I bought at Gardeners Supply. They work pretty good.

I use these, too, for my peppers and eggplants, and they work really well (even in my Earthboxes).

mom2goldens said:

I use these, too, for my peppers and eggplants, and they work really well (even in my Earthboxes).

I really like them!!

Peppers are well suited for any sort of container growing!

I looked at those pepper ladders - they do look like they'd do the trick on supporting plants and fruit. If my peppers do well this season, I may have to look at expanding into more grow bags.

Gosh - one more pepper newbie question: am I supposed to pinch the tops of the plants or leave them alone like tomatoes? They're currently outside basking in the sun while the weather is nice. This weekend - maybe not so much.

Shadegardener said:Gosh - one more pepper newbie question: am I supposed to pinch the tops of the plants or leave them alone like tomatoes? They're currently outside basking in the sun while the weather is nice. This weekend - maybe not so much.

No, no, no. Don't pinch them!! Leave them grow.

Rita - thanks for your response! I'm used to growing perennials and annuals that take pinching. Wasn't too sure about veg.

Newyorkrita said:

No, no, no. Don't pinch them!! Leave them grow.

I agree -- although apparently some people do recommend pinching them to make them bushier.

Sounds like a very bad idea to me. My peppers never grow that big or terribly tall as it is. They would be tiny stunted things if pinched.

I don't think it would be a good idea except possibly for indoor-grown plants or plants in an area with a very long growing season. Mine definitely get plenty bushy over the course of the summer!

I don't pinch peppers, either, and mine seem to do just fine. Don't get too leggy, and I tend to plant pretty close to other plants.

Thanks for all of your input. No pepper-pinching for me. They did spend all day outdoors yesterday in the sun and will go back out today.

Shadegardener said:Thanks for all of your input. No pepper-pinching for me. They did spend all day outdoors yesterday in the sun and will go back out today.

Getting them acclimated is good!!

Rita - I think I'll be hauling them in and out for about 3 weeks. Maybe I'll get some flowers on them by the time they get planted out.