Shadegardener said: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.

You never know. You just might get some flowers early.

I plant my peppers after my tomatoes as for me the pepper plants always seem extra sensitive to any cooler weather. At least in the spring.

In the Fall my pepper plants hold out longer than those very same tomato plants.

I may have started mine a little early but I had read that they can be slow to sprout. Good to know that they could be more sensitive to cold than tomatoes. While we were 64F overnight and hitting 78F today, the weekend will have highs only in the 50s with nighttime temps in the low 40s.

Well they are slow to grow as compared to tomatoes.

But I was looking at my little pepper plants as I was taking them outside for the day this morning and thinking that they were looking good.

Rita - for sure, the peppers are growing slower than my tomatoes but maybe that's a good thing at this point.

Well the pepper plants never grow nearly as large as the tomato plants but that is a good thing for me. Some of my heirloom tomato plants easily grow 8 feet tall and taller.

8 ft tall - yikes! I only grow a few varieties and really only have a rambunctious 'Matt's Wild Cherry' that sprawls like crazy.

Well not all grow that tall but many (or is it most?) heirlooms do. I have a mixture of heirloom tomatoes, hybrid tomatoes and more modern open pollinated tomato plants.

I started growing my own from seed last year. Second year for growing tomatoes from seed for me. And first year for growing peppers from seed for me.

Last year was the best year for me as far as pepper production was concerned. I feel it is a combination of reasons. One is that the Japanese Peppers produce like crazy. But even my Lady Bell peppers produced really, really well.

I kept the peppers well fertilized. Just used tomato fertilizer on them. Plus I watered them everyday. Unless it was raining. I found they loved being flooded with water and bloomed and set like mad.

Good to know that they like to be fed and watered. I'll probably have to water mine more often in the grow pots. Already have veg fertilizer so I'll be set to grow.

Rita, I hope you're right about those Japanese peppers and they will produce "like crazy" for me, as well!

I always start my peppers at least a couple of weeks earlier than the tomatoes; but, the peppers do start producing earlier than the tomatoes, so I could probably start them a little later. I fertilize everything with compost and triple-10. (like my houseplants, that have to adapt to my rather haphazard watering schedule, if that isn't good enough for them then I'll grow something else )

Weedwhacker said:Rita, I hope you're right about those Japanese peppers and they will produce "like crazy" for me, as well!

)

I am sure they will as they are known for being crazy productive.

PlantMania said:

Weedwhacker said:

Is this true? I've never really thought it about it very much... and never heard this before; it seems possible enough to me, but I didn't realize the ones that turn from green to yellow will go on to turn red if given enough time.

I'm pretty sure, however, that not all tomatoes will eventually turn red...

My apologies. I posted in general.

Yes, some peppers ripen to red/yellow/orange/lilac. I meant that green is not a ripe color, though we often see them sold that way.

And yes, there are some tomatoes that do not ripen red. I like the yellow ones too.

Darn, I must have had an extra glass of wine that night... ;)

"Darn, I must have had an extra glass of wine that night... ;)"

THAT I can understand!

Yardenman;
There are green when ripe bell peppers, but not very popular, Permagreen, Stays Green, Evergreen are varieties that I know about. most likely there are others.

Weedwhacker said:

"Darn, I must have had an extra glass of wine that night... ;)"

THAT I can understand!

Yep--having one now after spending the afternoon potting up the last of my 400(!) tomato plants and the ghost peppers (slowest growing things ever) and a few herbs. Only about 80 more plants to pot up for the sale, and about another 50 for the demonstration herb beds and I will be DONE!!!!

Now if the darned weather will cooperate. I do have a few tomatoes outside, as well as the cold-hardy things like kale, chard, thyme, etc. My worst fear is everything drowning. We got over 5" of rain yesterday, and another 2-3 predicted by tomorrow morning. Everything is in trays that drain well, but still--that's a LOT of water. And temps are supposed to be cool this week, with highs in the upper 50's, and lows in the 40s, even down to 41 one night.

Our nights are still going down near freezing ... but, not that unusual for here; what we really need are some warmer days, so far we barely hit 60 one day

I was planning to transplant my bell and hot peppers outside yesterday, but delayed because of a forecast of strong winds and hail. Guess what? Not a drop...

Well, one day's delay won't make much difference.

Peppers here badly need up potting!
They are flowering in the cell pack!
It is still too cool at night to get them outdoors here.

Newyorkrita said:Just got seeds in the mail and with those came some free bonus seeds of a pepper called Blight Buster. A green bell type. Okay so very late to start pepper seeds but what the heck. Nothing to loose.

There turned out to be 6 seeds in what was supposed to be a 5 seed envelope. So I have a 6 cellpack planted. Just planted it and now the wait to see how quickly they come up.

Hey, even if this bunch is later ready to go outside I can plant my ones I already have and that are larger and plant these out last. I should still get peppers I hope.

So I posted on April 6th about my late start on the second round of peppers. It turns out only 5 of the 6 seeds came up. And the plants are tiny!! Don't know when they will get big enough to plantout.

But then my flat of 36 pepper plants is not planted out as yet either but at least those are big enough to get planted.