best, best peppers...

[queen of the cobs]

Do you know, I've been really unlucky with my bell peppers and chilli peppers this year. What have grown, still have little pea-sized fruit on them, so I guess they won't make it to eatin' size. (What the slugs and snails didn't eat, I mean ).

They are in an (unheated) greenhouse but last year I got a few good plants. Does it really make a difference what variety you use? I was drooling over my Franchi catalogue and they say that Giallo D'ASti are the best bell peppers - has anyone tried Bromley, SE London, along with Cutecumber, and possibly some other grapes btw ).

I've got a few jalapenos coming and some thin green chillis, but not much else - I usually chop them up and freeze to use over the year, not sure I'll have enough to last me through the winter this year. (on the other hand my squashes are doing GREAT - they must love the rain).

[Alison]

I've had one of my best years ever with peppers which I put mainly down to a really early sowing. For sweet peppers, my best bets have been Gypsy and Lipstick, both of which produced in the unheated greenhouse and outside (although they don't want to blush outside!). I think some varieties are better than others in that they can get away with a shorter season but my main tip is to sow early, fiddle with the flowers to ensure pollination and feed well when the fruit has set.

[zazen999]

All my labels got mixed up [no idea how] and no greenhouse yet; but I've got quite a few long green chillis just waiting to turn red. Using them green though, and they are pretty hot already.

[queen of the cobs]

maybe just a bad year for me - I'll do a bit more fiddling with the flowers next year perhaps. although, it's not getting the fruit to set that seems to have been the problem, just all so late this year.

[zazen999]

I didn't fiddle at all; I hardened them off and no mollycoddling here! the only 2 things I have done is to water them during the very brief spell [and only when they wilted] and popped some chilli fertilizer on them about a month after they went into their final pots. I hardened them off really early as well.

[Demeter]

I grew Marconi red peppers which appear to be foolproof - which is to say I'd no idea what I was doing and have had success - eaten some green ones already and there are two almost red and more turning... So can't really report on flavour yet, only on ease of growing!

These were bought in as young plants (not plugs, sort of the next size up) in late March / early April, I guess they must have been started off early from seed. They were in the mini-greenhouse for a few weeks, then hardened off and have been outside in a tub ever since. No flower-fiddling for me, I sort of assumed they were like tomatoes and did it themselves...

I've got Gypsy for next year, planning to sow them Jan/Feb.

[realfood]

My peppers have ripened in a cool greenhouse in Glasgow, so you should have no problem in the South.
Choose quick maturing varieties. I grew King of the North and Gypsy this year. Both very good. Sow the seed in February in heat and plant out in the Greenhouse in April/May.

[butter fingers]

Same situation lots of flowers and no fruit,this is despite all the attention ive given.furtled with flowers done this that and the other still nothing, so i will try to keep for next year as it is to late now.

[vegmandan]

I've had a good crop this year despite the weather,hopeless last year.

I grew the same variety "Bendigo" and have got about 6-10 decent sized peppers from each plant.

Mind you I've had a great tomato crop too,and rubbish last year also,I think it might be down to the compost as much as anything because there's been absolutely no sunshine up here this year.

I used some with added john innes this year,maybe thats it ??

[trebellangeminired]

We've got a good number of fruits both sweet (including D'Asti Giallo) and chilli but nothing ripening yet. We're feeding with a weak solution everyday. We were really late sowing and potting on and seem to have had every pest on the planet to deal with the latest one being an explosion in the slug population. They are inside an unheated greenhouse so get protection that way. They be will harvested and used green when the first frosts come if necessary. Last year, already had ripe peppers by this time but sowed earlier.

As well as D'Asti Giallo, we're growing Summer Salad Mixed, Californian Mixed, Halapeno and Chilli Shake in pots on the greenhouse staging. They are just planted in ordinary compost. We haven't done any hand pollination as have had a healthy number of beneficial insect visitors.

All a learning curve...

[Farmer_Gyles]

rubbish pepper crop this year (and rubbish tomato crop) - i have several "small"ish peppers, but only about 15 or so peppers from about 20 plants (another 20+ pepper plants died off young in the greenhouse)
i gave a couple of pepper plants to a friend, she took them back to her place in essex, had several peppers from them - but i'm lucky to get one per plant ....

[Duronal]

i grew peppers from supermarket bought peppers this year. Germinated the seeds on kitchen paper and went from there,

I've got 4 fruits per plant and without any special treatment, they live quite happily by themselves in a cheap plastic greenhouse outside. Occasionaly I apply a tomato feed but the 10" pot seems to have done the trick this time round.

Better luck next year.


D

[Two_Sheds]

I haven't fiddled with my chillies at all ... I've just bunged them in a pot outside and left them to it.

btw, the ones in the allotment are much better than the ones I have in pots on the patio ... more root depth I guess. I grew Inferno and Cayenne from Rustylady & ShirlTheGirl's seed swap. Thanks guys.

[Helenehandcart]

Can you bring pepper plants inside and over winter them?

My Lidl seed bell peppers were very late - growing and flowering - and only have very small fruits on them. They're in an unheated greenhouse atm.

I wondered whether anyone has had any success keeping plants going over the winter.

[Alison]

There was a thread a while ago about keeping peppers over winter. I've got a second year Prairie Fire chilli plant which is doing great guns but that's a very small plant whereas most of my sweet pepper plants are a bit on the big size for finding anywhere to put them in my house. If you've got the space then give it a go but you'll need to find somewhere nice and light.