David Hare-Scott wrote:
Paul M. Cook wrote:
How is this for a strategy:

I will feed heavy nitrogen until the plants are about 20 inches tall.
During this time I snip emerging buds. After the plant has grown to
height, I reduce the nitrogen and allow it to set fruit.

I am trying to avoid the mistakes I made last year. Namely my plants
were far too small when the summer heat hit (zone 8b). The buds
tended to drop off on their own. And when the heat went away, the
nights were too cool for them and the fruit never really reached its
best. I got some nice, but small fruit and not much of that.

I want to get as much growth on these and have set fruit before July.
June here is usually pretty reasonable for peppers. My peppers are
about 9 inches tall at the moment.

How long is your growing season from last frost to first frost?

David

I was thinking the same thing as David was. The "heavy nitrogen until"
strategy may be fine - or . . .

No less a fine gardener than Jim Crockett even said that peppers are a
conundrum. Follow the rules, and one season they are glorious. Follow
the rules next year, and they'll be a disappointment. That has been my
experience, too. Though, as always, "your mileage may vary". FWIW, the
smaller (mostly "hotter") peppers seem to be much easier to grow, IME.

Tony