[CH] Growing Peppers
Uncel Steve (snearman@erols.com)
Sun, 11 Apr 1999 11:10:42 -0400
A little something of interest I found at the Virginia Cooperative Extension
site: http://www.ext.vt.edu/index.html
Eating vegetables is directly linked to improved health and reduced cancer. The
pepper is a versatile, healthy vegetable -- it can be eaten cooked
or raw, and it is high in vitamins A and C. Whether hot chiles or sweet bells,
peppers are of interest to consumers and researchers throughout the
country. Here is a brief summary of pepper research.
Most of us have heard of the advantages (increased yield, better emergence,
insect control) of row covers for many crops. A study at the
University of Illinois found that five weeks under row covers from
transplanting time produced the highest early and total yield when compared
to one to seven weeks under cover. The conditions will vary in home gardens,
but the message remains -- use row covers for a few weeks to get
your pepper plants going, then remove the covers to get optimal yield.
The size of the transplant may affect early yield, but probably won't affect
the total yield. In comparisons of 60-day-old transplants grown in
relatively large (approximately 2x2x2.5 inch) containers to younger (30-, 40-,
or 50-day old) transplants, researchers found that the older, larger
transplants produced greater early yield, but similar total yield. If you have
limited indoor growing space, you can start your pepper transplants
relatively late (four to six weeks before transplanting) and still get good
results. If you can't wait for the first pepper, go ahead and start early,
and provide your plants lots of room.
Have you heard of mycorrhizal fungi? Lots of researchers have, and they have
found that these microscopic organisms that inhabit plant roots
can be beneficial. In particular, vascular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAMF)
increase yield in peppers grown in low-phosphorous or
low-moisture soils. They probably increase either phosphorous or moisture
uptake, or both. The plants are inoculated with VAMF at
transplanting.
When should you fertilize your peppers? Take your choice -- either before
planting or throughout the growing season. Little or no difference in
yield was seen in a study that compared the effects of slow-release fertilizer
applied before planting to soluble nitrogen fertilizer applied several
times throughout the season.
Planting one pepper plant to a hill will get you the most peppers per plant,
but for the most peppers per total garden area, go ahead and crowd in
the plants. A study on pepper spacing found the largest yield coming from plots
planted with peppers two per hill and only 10 inches apart in
rows 18 inches apart. In Florida, where this research was done, pepper fruit
size remained constant. Here in Virginia, fruit size has been found to
decline when plants are crowded, so you may want to experiment with closely
spacing only part of your pepper crop and see how it works in
your garden.
If a limited budget (either time or money) forces you to choose between
mulching with black plastic or irrigating, choose the mulch. Combining
the two will give you the greatest yield of peppers, but only 10 percent higher
than mulch alone. Trickle irrigation and sprinkler irrigation
performed equally well in this study, so don't feel bad if you don't have the
latest in watering technology in your pepper patch.
Once you have harvested your peppers, keep them fresh and crisp longer by
wrapping or bagging them in polyethylene. This prevents moisture
loss and the corresponding shrivelling of fruit. Peppers should be dry when
wrapped and kept in a cool (50 to 65F) location for longest storage.
(Adapted from "Research Roundup: Peppers," by Ellen M. Silva, Horticulture
Extension Technician, Virginia Tech, in The Virginia Gardener
Newsletter, Volume 9, Number 7.)
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