Hot pepper's not hot??

[Pepperqueen]

Hello!! I have several varieties of hot pepper's, that are mature now, but just aren't hot. I'm wondering if the weather is playing a big part in this factor?? We live in Southern Ontario, temperatures are been low 20's ( normal for this time of the year... 30's ) We have also had a lot of rain, very few sunny days. I started them from seed that i brought this year. last years crop was excellent, barely any rain, hot days. My question is: " Could the weather be the problem? " Does anyone else have any suggestions or been/going through the same thing? Thank you! Deb.

[Doug Kanter]

Deb:

I'm in Rochester, not much different from your area, and everything's weird this year. My potted cherry tomato plants, growing in full sun all day long, had 8 billion fruit on the vine as of this past weekend, but only 3 ripe ones. There were hardly any June bugs (although I don't miss them). The streams are too muddy for trout fishing, due to the endless rain. But, don't despair. The best time for removing sod and making a new garden is after a heavy rain. I'm moving into my new house in 10 days, and will begin digging within a day or two. Two days before, it will stop raining for 6 weeks. Your peppers will regain their muscle at that time.

-Doug

[Phisherman]

My personal experience with pepper plants is that they can vary year to year. I planted peppers labeled "mild" and they turned out "hot." Green peppers left on the plant become sweeter. I prefer to plant about a half dozen pepper plants, each a different variety. I don't mind any of this as they are all tasty. I found better yields from working in some bonemeal into the soil before setting the transplants.