1) How long can tomato plants live?
2) They seem to like unpacked soil. If the soil gets packed they tend
to get yellow leaves and die. Is that correct or what else might make
leaves start to turn yellow?
3) I've read that tomatoes should not be replanted where tomatoes
have grown before. What should I plant in place of the tomatoes?
4) Is there a plant that might make a great complement to tomatoes,
maybe provide nutrients to the tomatoes and get nutrients that the
tomatoes do not soak up?

And one question about belle peppers...
1) How long can a belle pepper plant live for?
2) If it dies, what should be planted in place of it?
3) The leaves are not growing as big as they used to. Is this a part
of aging? It's going upon 8 or months of age. Or is it lacking in some
other like thing (nitrogen)?
4) The main stem is turning woody. I've noticed that when basil
starts to die, it's stem starts to turn woody. Is anything similar going
to happen with the belle pepper plant?

Thanks much in advance.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

Both bell peppers and tomatoes are perennial. They can last AGES in the
right climate.
I am eager to see how large mine grow here. I hope a hurricane doesnt
come wipe them all out.

http://www.growingedge.com/magazine/...hp3?AID=110558

Perennial Capsicum Peppers in the Greenhouse

By Alan M. Kapuler, Ph.D.

In the early 1970s, I was working on an organic farm harvesting green
(immature) and red (mature) sweet bell peppers. The 2-foot stocky
plants each had 6-10 fruits. After picking the fruits, I looked out at
the 1/2-acre field and was overtaken by a wave of sadness as I realized
that very soon all these beautiful, young, vibrant plants would be dead
from the impending frost and freezes. So without much thought, I got a
shovel and a dozen large pots, dug up a plant for each pot and moved
the pots into a modest cold frame that I'd had built adjacent to the
house we were renting. By the following spring, two plants had survived
and by the following June they had grown, flowered and fruited so that
we had edible fruits months ahead of all the other local growers.

While involved in saving the pepper plants, I remembered that in the
mid-altitude mountains of Bolivia where Capsicum-type peppers are
native, they grow to shrubby bushes and small trees as perennials. So
while those of us in the United States who love and grow peppers treat
them as annuals, in their native environment, they live as perennials
for 3-10 years, or more.

Now, more than 25 years later, I have significantly expanded the
horizon of my perennial pepper project.


Jim Carlock wrote:
1) How long can tomato plants live?
2) They seem to like unpacked soil. If the soil gets packed they tend
to get yellow leaves and die. Is that correct or what else might make
leaves start to turn yellow?
3) I've read that tomatoes should not be replanted where tomatoes
have grown before. What should I plant in place of the tomatoes?
4) Is there a plant that might make a great complement to tomatoes,
maybe provide nutrients to the tomatoes and get nutrients that the
tomatoes do not soak up?

And one question about belle peppers...
1) How long can a belle pepper plant live for?
2) If it dies, what should be planted in place of it?
3) The leaves are not growing as big as they used to. Is this a part
of aging? It's going upon 8 or months of age. Or is it lacking in
some
other like thing (nitrogen)?
4) The main stem is turning woody. I've noticed that when basil
starts to die, it's stem starts to turn woody. Is anything similar
going
to happen with the belle pepper plant?

Thanks much in advance.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

Hi jim ,
I have have had a pepper plant live for 10 years before it croaked from old
age.Yes the stem got very woody . It was grown first in soil , then
transplanted to a hydro-ponic system for a few years, then was planted back
into a soil system .It was called a bolivian rainbow pepper , small marble
sized,... firecraker hot!!
All the while it gave a steady supply of peppers. It periododicaly needed to
have it leaves trimmed off, dont worry as they will grow back , albeit a bit
smaller each time.
Welcome to the world of bonsai!! when grown in containers you will need to
do a %25 root trimming maybe every other year. if you keep the same sized
pot.

Btw
Strip the tomatoes of the bottom leaves as they start to yellow, the bottom
leaves are not needed as the plant gets bigger, the bottom leaves are a bit
more shaded and most of the plants energy is directed to the growning tip
and fruit production

So in ending , dig up your pepper plants in the fall , and bring them
indoors. You can get it to produce again in the winter if you add some
suplemental light in the winter. just set it ( the light) for a 12 hour
on/off cycle . Hang a flourescent light just above a south facing window.
about a foot or less above the tops of your pepper plants and you'll be
allright. then next summer plant them back in the garden.

Jim Carlock wrote:

1) How long can tomato plants live?
2) They seem to like unpacked soil. If the soil gets packed they tend
to get yellow leaves and die. Is that correct or what else might make
leaves start to turn yellow?
3) I've read that tomatoes should not be replanted where tomatoes
have grown before. What should I plant in place of the tomatoes?
4) Is there a plant that might make a great complement to tomatoes,
maybe provide nutrients to the tomatoes and get nutrients that the
tomatoes do not soak up?

And one question about belle peppers...
1) How long can a belle pepper plant live for?
2) If it dies, what should be planted in place of it?
3) The leaves are not growing as big as they used to. Is this a part
of aging? It's going upon 8 or months of age. Or is it lacking in some
other like thing (nitrogen)?
4) The main stem is turning woody. I've noticed that when basil
starts to die, it's stem starts to turn woody. Is anything similar going
to happen with the belle pepper plant?

Thanks much in advance.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

il Mon, 02 May 2005 01:33:47 GMT, "Jim Carlock" wrote:

1) How long can tomato plants live?
2) They seem to like unpacked soil. If the soil gets packed they tend
to get yellow leaves and die. Is that correct or what else might make
leaves start to turn yellow?
3) I've read that tomatoes should not be replanted where tomatoes
have grown before. What should I plant in place of the tomatoes?
4) Is there a plant that might make a great complement to tomatoes,
maybe provide nutrients to the tomatoes and get nutrients that the
tomatoes do not soak up?

And one question about belle peppers...
1) How long can a belle pepper plant live for?
2) If it dies, what should be planted in place of it?
3) The leaves are not growing as big as they used to. Is this a part
of aging? It's going upon 8 or months of age. Or is it lacking in some
other like thing (nitrogen)?
4) The main stem is turning woody. I've noticed that when basil
starts to die, it's stem starts to turn woody. Is anything similar going
to happen with the belle pepper plant?

Thanks much in advance.

Crop rotation is what you're needing info on. Not only does one have
to consider the nutrients sucked up by plants, but also the rooting
depth. Not to mention will tall plants then shade the short ones. I
have yet to work out a successful rotation scheme as too many are
similar. I have an old "Mother Earth manual of organic gardening."
(editor John Bond, 1976, 0 589 000991 5) that goes into it a lot.
But no doubt there are newer books around.


--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

il 2 May 2005 08:59:20 -0700, "nina" wrote:

Both bell peppers and tomatoes are perennial. They can last AGES in the
right climate.
[snip]
While involved in saving the pepper plants, I remembered that in the
mid-altitude mountains of Bolivia where Capsicum-type peppers are
native, they grow to shrubby bushes and small trees as perennials. So
while those of us in the United States who love and grow peppers treat
them as annuals, in their native environment, they live as perennials
for 3-10 years, or more.

Now, more than 25 years later, I have significantly expanded the
horizon of my perennial pepper project.

I have a variegated pepper plant that has survived on my back porch
for several years now, despite the frost and cold southerlies that
come in winter. Sometimes a bare twigged pot plant will rejuvenate if
not too badly damaged although I'm not convinced it has an advantage
over a new seedling as far as speed of growth goes. But that may be
more due to my lassez faire approach and zero mollycoddling. :-)
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

I am thinking about bringing in some of my tomatoes and peppers but with the
cost of electricity, I can't bare to think of how much it would cost ot run
the light for 12 hours a day.
"chris" wrote in message ...
Hi jim ,
I have have had a pepper plant live for 10 years before it croaked from
old
age.Yes the stem got very woody . It was grown first in soil , then
transplanted to a hydro-ponic system for a few years, then was planted
back
into a soil system .It was called a bolivian rainbow pepper , small marble
sized,... firecraker hot!!
All the while it gave a steady supply of peppers. It periododicaly needed
to
have it leaves trimmed off, dont worry as they will grow back , albeit a
bit
smaller each time.
Welcome to the world of bonsai!! when grown in containers you will need to
do a %25 root trimming maybe every other year. if you keep the same sized
pot.

Btw
Strip the tomatoes of the bottom leaves as they start to yellow, the
bottom
leaves are not needed as the plant gets bigger, the bottom leaves are a
bit
more shaded and most of the plants energy is directed to the growning tip
and fruit production

So in ending , dig up your pepper plants in the fall , and bring them
indoors. You can get it to produce again in the winter if you add some
suplemental light in the winter. just set it ( the light) for a 12 hour
on/off cycle . Hang a flourescent light just above a south facing window.
about a foot or less above the tops of your pepper plants and you'll be
allright. then next summer plant them back in the garden.

Jim Carlock wrote:

1) How long can tomato plants live?
2) They seem to like unpacked soil. If the soil gets packed they tend
to get yellow leaves and die. Is that correct or what else might make
leaves start to turn yellow?
3) I've read that tomatoes should not be replanted where tomatoes
have grown before. What should I plant in place of the tomatoes?
4) Is there a plant that might make a great complement to tomatoes,
maybe provide nutrients to the tomatoes and get nutrients that the
tomatoes do not soak up?

And one question about belle peppers...
1) How long can a belle pepper plant live for?
2) If it dies, what should be planted in place of it?
3) The leaves are not growing as big as they used to. Is this a part
of aging? It's going upon 8 or months of age. Or is it lacking in some
other like thing (nitrogen)?
4) The main stem is turning woody. I've noticed that when basil
starts to die, it's stem starts to turn woody. Is anything similar going
to happen with the belle pepper plant?

Thanks much in advance.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.