I read in a book to start two pepper plants together from seed. The idea is
that they help to support each other and give better shade.

Do others here do that? Does it sound like a good idea to you?

When last we left our heros, on Mon, 17 Mar 2003 18:22:28 GMT,
"FDR" scribbled:

I read in a book to start two pepper plants together from seed. The idea is
that they help to support each other and give better shade.

Do others here do that? Does it sound like a good idea to you?

I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

What kind of peppers are you talking about? I rarely
have one that needs support, but I mostly grow hot peppers.


Pam





--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
...
When last we left our heros, on Mon, 17 Mar 2003 18:22:28 GMT,
"FDR" scribbled:

I read in a book to start two pepper plants together from seed. The idea
is
that they help to support each other and give better shade.

Do others here do that? Does it sound like a good idea to you?

I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

What kind of peppers are you talking about? I rarely
have one that needs support, but I mostly grow hot peppers.

I suppose it applied to all peppers; the author didn't say about variety.

I've grown some that for the most part could support themselves. I was just
wondering if this was a good tip or not.




Pam





--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

FDR wrote:

"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
...
When last we left our heros, on Mon, 17 Mar 2003 18:22:28 GMT,
"FDR" scribbled:

I read in a book to start two pepper plants together from seed. The idea
is
that they help to support each other and give better shade.

Do others here do that? Does it sound like a good idea to you?

I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

What kind of peppers are you talking about? I rarely
have one that needs support, but I mostly grow hot peppers.

I suppose it applied to all peppers; the author didn't say about variety.

I've grown some that for the most part could support themselves. I was just
wondering if this was a good tip or not.



Pam

I don't know about starting two together, but if you have problems with
sun scald, which affects both hot and sweet peppers in hot and sunny
areas, dense planting to provide shade for the fruit helps a great deal.
Sun scald starts as a black discoloration on the fruit, which is
harmless, but can proceed to dead and decaying spots. You can tell that
it's sun scald because it's only on the sunny side of the fruit.
Planting the peppers close together in blocks will shield the fruit
while still allowing lots of sun to the upper leaves.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"Every gun that is fired, every warship launched, every rocket fired,
signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not
fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not
spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the
genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
...
I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

Hi,

Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.

Thanks,
Gary

"Dr." wrote:

"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
...
I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

Hi,

Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.

Thanks,
Gary


I usually put those little cheap sorry tomato cages around my peppers. It
helps prevent broken branches when there's a wind storm or if they have a
heavy fruit load.

BTW, my brother bought mild habanero-like plants from some mail order place
last year instead of growing seeds. He watered them in with fish emulsion,
put a heavy duty 5' tomato cage around each one, and they grew over 8 feet
tall! I've never seen a pepper plant that big before, and he had a dozen
of 'em; several different varieties.

Best regards,
Bob

--
Have a Windows® computer that is powered on for hours at a time? Join the
search for a cure for cancer: http://grid.org/projects/cancer/

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell
peppers.

Thanks,
Gary


I usually put those little cheap sorry tomato cages around my peppers. It
helps prevent broken branches when there's a wind storm or if they have a
heavy fruit load.

Good idea. I have a bunch of those I can use. Last year was my first having
a garden, and I used them for my tomatoes not knowing that they are far too
small and flimsy.


BTW, my brother bought mild habanero-like plants from some mail order
place
last year instead of growing seeds. He watered them in with fish
emulsion,
put a heavy duty 5' tomato cage around each one, and they grew over 8 feet
tall! I've never seen a pepper plant that big before, and he had a dozen
of 'em; several different varieties.

Definitely some huge plants he had. Last year my habanero plants were about
3 or 4 feet.

Thanks,
Gary

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 17:14:50 -0500, "Dr."
wrote:


"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
.. .
I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

Hi,

Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.


I've never staked pepper plants. The cheap little tomato
cages someone else suggested in this thread would be an
excellent idea though.

Last year a couple of my pepper plants did want to fall down
- they were growing in pots next to our deck railing, so I
tied them to one of the uprights.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

I don't stake them, but I cut a bunch of my tomato cages, (which are 4' tall
pieces of fencing formed in a circle) in half and put them over peppers,
sometimes 2 to a cage, because it they get a really lot of peppers on them
sometimes they want to fall over.

susan

Pat Meadows wrote:

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 17:14:50 -0500, "Dr."
wrote:


"Pam Rudd" wrote in message
.. .
I don't. My pepper plants usually get large enough to be small
bushes. Putting two seeds together would make a mess of twisted
branches. Plus the ventilation would be decreased, which would
increase the chances of a mold or mildew.

Hi,

Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.


I've never staked pepper plants. The cheap little tomato
cages someone else suggested in this thread would be an
excellent idea though.

Last year a couple of my pepper plants did want to fall down
- they were growing in pots next to our deck railing, so I
tied them to one of the uprights.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 05:49:51 GMT,since it's all about me
"Lorenzo L. Love" professed:

snipped

I don't know about starting two together, but if you have problems with
sun scald, which affects both hot and sweet peppers in hot and sunny
areas, dense planting to provide shade for the fruit helps a great deal.
Sun scald starts as a black discoloration on the fruit, which is
harmless, but can proceed to dead and decaying spots. You can tell that
it's sun scald because it's only on the sunny side of the fruit.
Planting the peppers close together in blocks will shield the fruit
while still allowing lots of sun to the upper leaves.

I live in the South, and the sun is plenty bright and hot. I
find encouraging green growth by pinching off the first
few flowers allows each pepper plant to grow it's own
shade. If you live in a humid climate where molds can
be a problem, it's important to have enough room between
plants for air to circulate. I realize that I have a longer
growing season than Northern gardeners, so bit of a delay
in getting ripe peppers isn't an issue; except for my
impatience for home grown peppers!

If you do have a plant that loses its leaves for some
reason, a bit of tin foil twisted around the stem of the
pepper makes a nice umbrella.


Pam




--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 16:36:04 -0600,since it's all about me
zxcvbob professed:

snipped
"Dr." wrote:


Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.

I usually put those little cheap sorry tomato cages around my peppers. It
helps prevent broken branches when there's a wind storm or if they have a
heavy fruit load.

Heh, the greatest danger to my plants is from that dreaded
garden marauder _Canis lumbercus_ , more commonly known
as the Large-footed Thunderpuppy. I bought some cheap
wire fencing that folds out in little 2 1/2 foot sections.
It's about 3 feet tall and is supposed to be a decorative
fencing for the garden. I zigzag it through the rows of
pepper plants. It gives them some protection and support
if they need it, and it folds back up for easy winter
storage.


BTW, my brother bought mild habanero-like plants from some mail order place
last year instead of growing seeds. He watered them in with fish emulsion,
put a heavy duty 5' tomato cage around each one, and they grew over 8 feet
tall! I've never seen a pepper plant that big before, and he had a dozen
of 'em; several different varieties.

I had a chocolate habanero last year that was about 4 feet
high and at least 4 feet across. It might have gotten
bigger, but it was hemmed in by the even bigger African Blue
Basil plant beside it. I think I must have gone a little
heavy on the manure at that end of the garden.


Pam
--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 12:12:12 -0500, Pam
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 16:36:04 -0600,since it's all about me
zxcvbob professed:

snipped
"Dr." wrote:


Do you stake your pepper plants? This year I'll be planting habanero,
jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, pablano, garden salsa, banana, and bell peppers.

I usually put those little cheap sorry tomato cages around my peppers. It
helps prevent broken branches when there's a wind storm or if they have a
heavy fruit load.

Heh, the greatest danger to my plants is from that dreaded
garden marauder _Canis lumbercus_ , more commonly known
as the Large-footed Thunderpuppy.

Great description. We've got two of 'em.

I fence the entire garden with 3' high chickenwire. They
could jump that - they're large-ish dogs - but they never
do. The chickenwire fence keeps rabbits out too.

Pat
--
CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY
United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/
International: http://www.thehungersite.com/

On Thu, 20 Mar 2003 12:02:04 -0500, Pam wrote:

On Tue, 18 Mar 2003 05:49:51 GMT,since it's all about me
"Lorenzo L. Love" professed:

snipped

I don't know about starting two together, but if you have problems with
sun scald, which affects both hot and sweet peppers in hot and sunny
areas, dense planting to provide shade for the fruit helps a great deal.
Sun scald starts as a black discoloration on the fruit, which is
harmless, but can proceed to dead and decaying spots. You can tell that
it's sun scald because it's only on the sunny side of the fruit.
Planting the peppers close together in blocks will shield the fruit
while still allowing lots of sun to the upper leaves.

I live in the South, and the sun is plenty bright and hot. I
find encouraging green growth by pinching off the first
few flowers allows each pepper plant to grow it's own
shade. If you live in a humid climate where molds can
be a problem, it's important to have enough room between
plants for air to circulate. I realize that I have a longer
growing season than Northern gardeners, so bit of a delay
in getting ripe peppers isn't an issue; except for my
impatience for home grown peppers!

I don't think I could bring myself to pinch off pepper blossoms, but
Pam's method may be a good idea. Sun scald usually occurs on very
early fruit, before the plant has developed a full canopy of leaves.

I don't see much point in planting 2 peppers together. Just a way to
raise 2 unhappy plants, both competing for soil nutrients, sun, etc.