Only one pepper

[Emmet Cummings]

I have a couple of pepper plants that look healthy and have many blossoms, but they turn yellow and fall off. I haven't noticed any insects on them. One plant has a pepper about 2 inches and progressing nicely. I've heard that getting too much fertilizer(Miracle grow in this case) prevents from forming fruit. However, I've given equal amounts, if not more, to my tomato plants and they're thriving with tons of fruit. Any ideas?

Thanks, Rob Zone 7(NYC)

[EvelynMcH]

Rob:

I'm in Bergen County.

It's the bleeping weather. I have four plants, all blooming, and only one pepper on any of them. And, no I have not fertilized them since they are growing in soil that contains a lot of good compost. Past years, I always had lots of peppers of all sorts by this time with the same number of plants. It's the rain for months followed by no rain for the past three weeks causing the blossoms to fail to get fertilized. I've noticed a lot less bees and other flying insects up until this past week, probably due to last year's drought and this year's rain, and I'm sure that's also a large part of it.

-=>epm

[Pam]

In our last fun filled episode, Fri, 18 Jul 2003 00:15:32 GMT, "Emmet Cummings" proclaimed:

How much rain have you been getting and what have your nighttime temps been?

Peppers don't like having wet feet, and are very sensitive to nights in the 50's. I have a friend near Albany whom I'll be visiting soon and he says the nights have been cool, but humid. (Since the Puppies O' Thunder are going, we have to plan...)

Pam

[Emmet Cummings]

I feel your pain :)

I never thought rain water was so much better for the plants than my garden hose.

Thanks for sharing, Rob

[Emmet Cummings]

Haven't gotten much rain in the last few weeks, Pam, but got about 12 inches in June. The nighttime temps have been in the 65-75 range, but humid(an East Coast phenomenon).

I'm not crazy about wet feet either, but I figure if you're a plant you got to love it :) I do give the garden a good soaking most days via a soaking hose and at least the tomato's seem to love it. I'll be needing tomato sauce recipes in another month.

Enjoy Albany, I've been there once after ski trip many moons ago. We stopped at 'Jacks' for lunch -- a nice place.

Rob

[EvelynMcH]

One damn pepper, not a tomato but for two out of eight plants - and those just took in the last week. Figures that the zucchini that I loathe is loaded with baseball bats waiting to be harvested (yuck).

-=>epm

[Walt Brothers]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "Hoophouse"? Is it a greenhouse or something similar?

[Pat Meadows]

A (usually) unheated greenhouse, made by arching pieces of PVC pipe or metal into a hoop shape, then covering them with plastic.

I believe they are called 'polytunnels' in the UK.

Here's the one we are going to build (with minor modifications):

need to scroll way down the page to see good pictures of it.

You can find plans for lots of other hoophouses by Googling on "hoop house" and hoophouse (one word) and maybe on 'high tunnels'.

Pat

[Emmet Cummings]

I've got plenty of tomatoes which makes my pepper problem a little perplexing. Although the cantaloupe has no fruit either -- hundreds of blossoms though.

As a general rule don't plant what you don't eat :)

[Ken Anderson]

[EvelynMcH]

My husband made me do it. And he's going to eat every last one of them, or else.....{g}

-=>epm