I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in zone 5 .
How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

In article ,
"Andy Petro" wrote:

I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in zone 5 .
How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

That is one hell of a good question. The answer to the watering, I
presume, is drip irrigation under the plastic. Alternatively, you could
leave a small spot uncovered where you could add water, and ORGANIC fish
emulsion.

As for the fertilizer, prep in advance.
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/Research/chili.html
Chicken manure (three to four tons per acre) is custom applied a week or
more prior to listing.
1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft.
100 sq.ft. = 0.0022956841 acre.
8,000#/acre = 18.37#chicken manure/100 sq.ft.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/en...tables/peppers.
html
When should you fertilize your peppers? Take your choice -- either
before planting or throughout the growing season.
---
During the season, since side dressing is out, use ORGANIC fish emulsion.
---
Avoid chemical fertilizers that can kill off soil microbes that feed
your plants. Chemical fertilizers are salts.
-----
Don't fertilize and water blindly--if your plants look healthy enough,
let them be, lest they ignore fruiting for vegetative growth. (Another
good reason to leave a opening in the plastic is to be able to gauge if
the soil is dry to a depth of 1".)

http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm (for other manures)
Manure Alfalfa Fish Emulsion
N 3 5
P 1 1
K 2 1

Bell peppers typically produce 7 to 10 peppers a plant, hot peppers
more. When to harvest: on the one hand, leaving peppers on the vine till
they're completely ripe somewhat reduces the total productivity of the
plant; on the other hand, immature peppers are notably less sweet.

Let them ripen on the vine. We're not commercial growers: if you want
more peppers than your plants produce with the fruits left to fully
ripen, grow more plants next season.

Peppers are usually picked when they've stopped increasing in size, are
firm to the touch, /and have reached their expected color/. Don't pull
peppers, because the plant's branches are rather brittle and you can
break them that way: harvest by cutting the peppers off.

Oddly, clear plastic warms the soil better than black plastic.

Buona fortuna!
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

On Mar 28, 1:40*pm, "Andy Petro" wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer *in zone 5 .
How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

My wife uses that and builds what she calls "barrows." These are long
ridges about 2 feet wide and a foot high built of dirt and compost
over a base of vegetable matter like hay and manure. She runs the
black plastic strips between the barrows so that she only has to weed
the barrow, not the rows between.

Depending on the size of your garden, you may consider covering with
the black plastic and cutting holes through it where you want to plant
your peppers. Till the soil under the holes, add some compost or
whatever, and plant your peppers. You'll only have to weed the small
area right around the pepper.

Paul

In article
,
Billy wrote:

I should have mentioned "Lasagna" gardening.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...1/Lasagna-Gard
ening.aspx
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...en/a/lasagnaga
rden.htm
It is also no till (no digging). (1)Pick where you want your garden. (2)
Evenly spread your amendments over the area, N-P-K and such. (3) Lay
newspaper or cardboard over the area, to block weeds. (4) Spread mulch
over newspaper; leaves, straw, or, my favorite, alfalfa, also known as
lucerne. (5) Water the area thoroughly. (6) Spread out your plastic,
burying the edges. (7) Wait at least 2 weeks, make holes in plastic and
plant. Again, bury any exposed edges of plastic.

I would probably make the holes in the plastic 6" to 12" in diameter, to
allow for watering and fertilizing. When I tried this last time. My
plants were too small, and if they touched the plastic, they got fried
by the heat, so only transplant plants that are 7" tall or taller.

In article ,
"Andy Petro" wrote:

I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in zone 5
.
How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

That is one hell of a good question. The answer to the watering, I
presume, is drip irrigation under the plastic. Alternatively, you could
leave a small spot uncovered where you could add water, and ORGANIC fish
emulsion.

As for the fertilizer, prep in advance.
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/Research/chili.html
Chicken manure (three to four tons per acre) is custom applied a week or
more prior to listing.
1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft.
100 sq.ft. = 0.0022956841 acre.
8,000#/acre = 18.37#chicken manure/100 sq.ft.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/en...tables/peppers.
html
When should you fertilize your peppers? Take your choice -- either
before planting or throughout the growing season.
---
During the season, since side dressing is out, use ORGANIC fish emulsion.
---
Avoid chemical fertilizers that can kill off soil microbes that feed
your plants. Chemical fertilizers are salts.
-----
Don't fertilize and water blindly--if your plants look healthy enough,
let them be, lest they ignore fruiting for vegetative growth. (Another
good reason to leave a opening in the plastic is to be able to gauge if
the soil is dry to a depth of 1".)

http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm (for other manures)
Manure Alfalfa Fish Emulsion
N 3 5
P 1 1
K 2 1

Bell peppers typically produce 7 to 10 peppers a plant, hot peppers
more. When to harvest: on the one hand, leaving peppers on the vine till
they're completely ripe somewhat reduces the total productivity of the
plant; on the other hand, immature peppers are notably less sweet.

Let them ripen on the vine. We're not commercial growers: if you want
more peppers than your plants produce with the fruits left to fully
ripen, grow more plants next season.

Peppers are usually picked when they've stopped increasing in size, are
firm to the touch, /and have reached their expected color/. Don't pull
peppers, because the plant's branches are rather brittle and you can
break them that way: harvest by cutting the peppers off.

Oddly, clear plastic warms the soil better than black plastic.

Buona fortuna!
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Andy Petro wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in
zone 5 . How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

Why do you want to do this? Presumeably for weed control. How to feed and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems. You should also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Andy Petro wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in
zone 5 . How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

Why do you want to do this? Presumeably for weed control. How to feed and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems. You should also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David

David,
I don't know what part of the country he is in, but Ibelieve he said
that he was in a region 5. See explanation:
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html
In the winter it will get down to -26°C - -29°C, so it is a fairly cool
spot. By using "plastic mulch" (sheets of plastic sheeting), he can
raise the soil temperature, and the plant should develop more quickly
than in cold soil. The sheeting is usually good for 3 years, and care
must be taken during hot weather not to fry your plants.
http://lubbock.tamu.edu/horticulture...lasticMulchTyp
eonTomatoGrowthandYield_2004_.pdf
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Andy Petro wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in
zone 5 . How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

Why do you want to do this? Presumeably for weed control. How to feed and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems. You should also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David

David,
I don't know what part of the country he is in, but Ibelieve he said
that he was in a region 5. See explanation:
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html
In the winter it will get down to -26°C - -29°C, so it is a fairly cool
spot. By using "plastic mulch" (sheets of plastic sheeting), he can
raise the soil temperature, and the plant should develop more quickly
than in cold soil. The sheeting is usually good for 3 years, and care
must be taken during hot weather not to fry your plants.
http://lubbock.tamu.edu/horticulture...lasticMulchTyp
eonTomatoGrowthandYield_2004_.pdf

Being in region 5 myself. Peppers have been a problem for me as well.
The season is short, just one hundred days from frost to frost. I have
never used plastic either. I will guess that Billy is correct, it is to
raise the soil temperature. I have found bugs and weeds rarely effect my
pepper plants. I started my pepper plants indoors in Mid March this
year, not early enough to get nice red or gold sweet bell peppers, just
green. Most summers in Michigan are mild - upper 70's°F to Mid eighties
during the day, mid sixties at night. However, on occasion some summers
have hung around the low nineties. Rare to get above 100°F.

I use raised beds for my peppers. In raised beds soil temp does get
warmer faster. Still, I think I need to start peppers indoors in early
February.

My guess, not positive, that a drip irrigation system waters and
fertilizes the plants. Leave a future posting and let me know how well
plastic sheeting works.

--
Enjoy Life... Dan

Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

In article
,
"Dan L." wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Andy Petro wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in
zone 5 . How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

Why do you want to do this? Presumeably for weed control. How to feed
and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems. You should also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David

David,
I don't know what part of the country he is in, but Ibelieve he said
that he was in a region 5. See explanation:
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html
In the winter it will get down to -26°C - -29°C, so it is a fairly cool
spot. By using "plastic mulch" (sheets of plastic sheeting), he can
raise the soil temperature, and the plant should develop more quickly
than in cold soil. The sheeting is usually good for 3 years, and care
must be taken during hot weather not to fry your plants.
http://lubbock.tamu.edu/horticulture...lasticMulchTyp
eonTomatoGrowthandYield_2004_.pdf

Being in region 5 myself. Peppers have been a problem for me as well.
The season is short, just one hundred days from frost to frost. I have
never used plastic either. I will guess that Billy is correct, it is to
raise the soil temperature. I have found bugs and weeds rarely effect my
pepper plants. I started my pepper plants indoors in Mid March this
year, not early enough to get nice red or gold sweet bell peppers, just
green. Most summers in Michigan are mild - upper 70's°F to Mid eighties
during the day, mid sixties at night. However, on occasion some summers
have hung around the low nineties. Rare to get above 100°F.

I use raised beds for my peppers. In raised beds soil temp does get
warmer faster. Still, I think I need to start peppers indoors in early
February.

My guess, not positive, that a drip irrigation system waters and
fertilizes the plants. Leave a future posting and let me know how well
plastic sheeting works.

I think this is my plan
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...ce/a/minihooph
ouses.htm

and this is roughly how I'm going to do it. The other possibility is to
put short pieces of rebar in the ground to hold the PVC.
http://westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article
,
"Dan L." wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Andy Petro wrote:
I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer in
zone 5 . How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

Why do you want to do this? Presumeably for weed control. How to feed
and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems. You should
also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David

David,
I don't know what part of the country he is in, but Ibelieve he said
that he was in a region 5. See explanation:
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon3.html
In the winter it will get down to -26°C - -29°C, so it is a fairly cool
spot. By using "plastic mulch" (sheets of plastic sheeting), he can
raise the soil temperature, and the plant should develop more quickly
than in cold soil. The sheeting is usually good for 3 years, and care
must be taken during hot weather not to fry your plants.
http://lubbock.tamu.edu/horticulture...lasticMulchTyp
eonTomatoGrowthandYield_2004_.pdf

Being in region 5 myself. Peppers have been a problem for me as well.
The season is short, just one hundred days from frost to frost. I have
never used plastic either. I will guess that Billy is correct, it is to
raise the soil temperature. I have found bugs and weeds rarely effect my
pepper plants. I started my pepper plants indoors in Mid March this
year, not early enough to get nice red or gold sweet bell peppers, just
green. Most summers in Michigan are mild - upper 70's°F to Mid eighties
during the day, mid sixties at night. However, on occasion some summers
have hung around the low nineties. Rare to get above 100°F.

I use raised beds for my peppers. In raised beds soil temp does get
warmer faster. Still, I think I need to start peppers indoors in early
February.

My guess, not positive, that a drip irrigation system waters and
fertilizes the plants. Leave a future posting and let me know how well
plastic sheeting works.

I think this is my plan
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...ce/a/minihooph
ouses.htm

and this is roughly how I'm going to do it. The other possibility is to
put short pieces of rebar in the ground to hold the PVC.
http://westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html

I have thought about hoop houses.
But are they more for insect control than temperature control?
Deer and Raccoons are more of a problem than bugs.

Some areas grow things better that others. I usually end buying most of
my peppers. Michigan does grow things well like blueberries.

--
Enjoy Life... Dan

Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

In article
,
"Dan L." wrote:

Being in region 5 myself. Peppers have been a problem for me as well.
The season is short, just one hundred days from frost to frost. I have
never used plastic either. I will guess that Billy is correct, it is to
raise the soil temperature. I have found bugs and weeds rarely effect my
pepper plants. I started my pepper plants indoors in Mid March this
year, not early enough to get nice red or gold sweet bell peppers, just
green. Most summers in Michigan are mild - upper 70's°F to Mid eighties
during the day, mid sixties at night. However, on occasion some summers
have hung around the low nineties. Rare to get above 100°F.

I use raised beds for my peppers. In raised beds soil temp does get
warmer faster. Still, I think I need to start peppers indoors in early
February.

My guess, not positive, that a drip irrigation system waters and
fertilizes the plants. Leave a future posting and let me know how well
plastic sheeting works.

I think this is my plan
http://organicgardening.about.com/od...ce/a/minihooph
ouses.htm

and this is roughly how I'm going to do it. The other possibility is to
put short pieces of rebar in the ground to hold the PVC.
http://westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html

I have thought about hoop houses.
But are they more for insect control than temperature control?
Deer and Raccoons are more of a problem than bugs.

Some areas grow things better that others. I usually end buying most of
my peppers. Michigan does grow things well like blueberries.


I think my plans for a hoophouse hit the wall when I found that they
absorb 5% - 20% of the sunlight. As I have often lamented, I live on the
north side of a hill, and at best I get 6 - 7 hr.s of full sunlight per
day during the height of summer, and none from Dec. to mid Jan. I don't
think I can afford to give up any sunlight.

The last time I used a plastic mulch, I had small plants that got burned
from the plastic. My plants are much larger this year, so I think I'll
give it another go.

On other gardening fronts, I laid down some 2 X 4 wire fencing in one of
my beds where Mr. Raccoon liked to dig in the mulch. There was a little
digging around the perimeter of the metal mesh afterward, but its been 2
weeks since I've seen any sign that he has been here.

Today, I'll lay down some more of the fencing on the lettuce patch, and
then plant it. That dibble is a damn handy tool.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:10:13 -0700, Billy
wrote:


That dibble is a damn handy tool.

Funny thing, ain't it...the more we advance the more we return to the
"primitives" way....planting with sticks, burying garbage and burnt
stuff, etc....

Charlie

The future doesn't seem to be working out for us. Maybe we need to go
home, where we came from, the past, and eat real food again. I really
need to get out and **** on my plants more.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:10:13 -0700, Billy
wrote:


That dibble is a damn handy tool.

Funny thing, ain't it...the more we advance the more we return to the
"primitives" way....planting with sticks, burying garbage and burnt
stuff, etc....

Charlie

The future doesn't seem to be working out for us. Maybe we need to go
home, where we came from, the past, and eat real food again. I really
need to get out and **** on my plants more.

I want my indoor toilet! I want my Truck! I like my power tools!
If they can make them in a environment friendly way - cool!

They can have my grow-lights when they can pry them from my cold dead
fingers! However, if gas gets much higher, I want a scythe.

--
Enjoy Life... Dan

Garden in Zone 5 South East Michigan.

In article
,
"Dan L." wrote:

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:10:13 -0700, Billy
wrote:


That dibble is a damn handy tool.

Funny thing, ain't it...the more we advance the more we return to the
"primitives" way....planting with sticks, burying garbage and burnt
stuff, etc....

Charlie

The future doesn't seem to be working out for us. Maybe we need to go
home, where we came from, the past, and eat real food again. I really
need to get out and **** on my plants more.

I want my indoor toilet! I want my Truck! I like my power tools!
If they can make them in a environment friendly way - cool!

They can have my grow-lights when they can pry them from my cold dead
fingers! However, if gas gets much higher, I want a scythe.

Some people want waaaay too much. What if we throw in a cleaner
environment, healthier food, and lower medical costs? Besides, if you
don't **** outside, you're missing one of the great joys of nature (not
on rainy days, or in the snow, YMMV)
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html