This week I decided it is time to plant all the warm season crops that have been in the poly tunnel. It has been unseasonable cold lately so I have been holding off planting them. I have since lost my patients so in they went. This is my pepper bed. Last year it took ages for the peppers to mature so this year I am trying black plastic on the soil. It is a pain to install and plant so I hope it was worth the effort. This bed consists of the following peppers from large to small, Jimmy Nardello's, Big Chile II, Ancho and Purple Peppers from Annie's Kitchen Garden. They will all get a bamboo stake soon, as I found out last year, it is easier to stake now then in August when the flop over.
To plant in the black plastic I cut an X and plantedthe plant. The X will also help with watering the bed.
The first pepper, this one is a big chile II. It must have been pollinatedby one of the bumble bees that kept getting trapped in the poly tunnel.
This is a bloom on one of the Jimmy Nardello peppers. If youlook closely you will see a green aphid taking refuge in the bloom.
I have also planted my yellow eggplants. They certainly don't look very healthy at the moment but I am confident once they settle into the soil they will green up again. They are also planted with black plastic like the peppers.
The last of the warm season crops are the cucumbers, squash & melon seedlings. They have yet to be planted but will make it into the soil this weekend. Most are doing well except the armenian cucumbers. I planted two pots of them, one wilted and died at the seed leaf stage and the other pot is currently wilting and dieing. I will have to direct sow them and hope for better growth.
your pepper garden looks great. Do you recommend using a bamboo stake with all kinds pepper plants?
ReplyDeleteI occasionally have to stake up my peppers later in the season, but since they are chili peppers they aren't as heavy and don't always need it. BTW though peppers can cross easily, they are self pollinating plants so don't need a bee to set. I want to save seed and am thinking of isolating some blossoms once I'm sure the peppers will set them most of the time.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing well Dan. I am still trying to get mine all planted. It has been cool here too. We like it down here though! Especially in June.
ReplyDeleteJenni - It wouldn't hurt to stake all peppers. Bell peppers are the worst for flopping over. I plant close together because of my limited space which also makes the plants weaker and more likely to flop in a storm.
ReplyDeleteDaphne - Last year all my peppers flopped in a thunderstorm and then I lost a bunch of fruit in the staking process. I plant to closely, that's probably my problem.
Tina - I am sure when July comes I will be begging for this weather but currently it would be nice if it warms up some.
It is looking good Dan, congrat to the first chile, how cute. I have never used black plastic in my beds but it sounds interesting it must warm up the soil pretty good.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Vaxholm/ Tyra
Here's hoping that the Big Guy's not in a funny mood and sends a frost through your area tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know peppers are self pollinating because I'm sure not seeing many honey bees yet this year. I planted my peppers outside about 2 weeks ago and some of them are still not showing any new growth. Too cool here too, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteWow... you have a pepper forming already! My peppers that are spoiled rotten in the protection of the greenhouse are just now setting out some blossoms! I think you will find the black plastic a definite plus for peppers. I won't grow peppers, squash, or tomatoes anymore without using either green or red plastic mulch. Our summers are too cool to have much success without them. You can cut the openings bigger to make the planting and subsequent watering a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteLooking good, Dan!
ReplyDeleteI swore I posted a comment :( seems openID commenting system is screwed.
ReplyDeleteAnyways I'm jealous of you lucky man! My glories haven't bloomed yet though they aren't far away from it.
Enjoy your morning glories, and I hope they stay where you plant them! A previous owner of our home must have planted some (we've been here 5 yrs now), and they are taking over despite me constantly trying to remove them. I pull them out of the neighboring bed of daylillies, out of the yard in front of the bed, etc. They are perennials that do not die unless you dig out the whole root here in Cincinnati.
ReplyDeleteEverything is looking good! I actually have one pepper plant that has 5 little peppers on it, that's more peppers than I got last year on my 3 pepper plants. I guess my fish emulsion spray is working wonders for me. I read that if you spray them when they start blooming and then every 2-3 weeks they set fruit faster. The proof is in my loaded pepper plants, espcially since we've been having weather in the 50's every night and only in the 70's during the day.
ReplyDelete