the plants are in the ground, monitoring for nutrient deficiencies, drought, and pests can head off problems. It helps to keep the beds weeded because weeds compete for moisture and nutrients. Some pepper experts suggest pinching off the first blossoms on each plant, which is said to encourage the production of more fruit in the long run. Sometimes I do that, other times I don’t have the time or can’t bear to put off the harvest. I’ve yet to document the differences.
In normal soil, peppers usually need a supplemental feeding of organic fertilizer soon after the first fruit has set. Apply a balanced organic vegetable fertilizer or an organic nitrogen fertilizer (such as fish meal, fish emulsion, or blood meal) according to the directions on the package. Scratch dry fertilizers into the soil around the plants and water in well.
Once the young pepper is in the ground, water it in gently. I usually apply the water at least three times to make sure the whole root ball gets wet.
If the soil is insufficiently warm, mulch the plant with a few inches of compost. If it’s still cool, wait a few weeks. If you have cutworms, place a cardboard collar around the transplants.
Peppers need regular watering but not too much—most pepper problems are caused by overwatering or poor soil drainage. In most cases, a drip-irrigation system is preferable to overhead watering. In extremely hot climates, overhead sprinklers are sometimes used to cool down plants and soil. See Appendix A for more information on watering, drip-irrigation, and weeding.
The large hybrid bell peppers, New Mexico chilies, and jalapeños usually need staking (above) or the branches break from the weight of the fruit and plants can blow over in the wind.
Peppers don’t need their own garden. Here, ‘Golden Bells’ were planted in a little garden (above) in the same type of soil and on the same drip lines with zucchinis, popcorn, and tomatoes. A few months later (below) they had all filled in and were doing well.
In warm climates, applying a thick organic mulch can increase your pepper yield as well as save you time, effort, and water. Mulching also helps keep weeds under control. See page 28 for information on maintaining and mulching peppers in cooler climates.
Preventing Pests and Diseases
In most climates, peppers have far fewer pests and diseases than most vegetables. The key to most pepper problems is prevention, which is my emphasis here. If you do develop pest and disease problems, there is information in Appendix B on how to identify and control them.
One of the keys to preventing pepper problems is to understand the role of beneficial organisms in our gardens. Peppers do not grow in a vacuum, and we need to consider the entire ecosystem in which they are grown. This concept was made most clear to me the year the State of California mandated that my county be sprayed with malathion for control of the dreaded medfly (Mediterranean fruit fly). Within a few weeks after the helicopters sprayed our neighborhood, most of my vegetables were infested with insects and my peppers were no exception—they were so covered by aphids and whiteflies that the leaves drooped. I ended up taking out all my vegetables because they were so overrun with pests. Most years I seldom if ever see an aphid or whitefly on my peppers, much less have a problem. That year, nature was completely out of balance, because malathion is a broad-spectrum pesticide and consequently killed off the beneficial insects as well as the pests. Unfortunately, most beneficial insects have a much slower recovery rate than pest insects. Sadly, it was two years before the insect population returned to normal.
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