Garden: Peppers thrive in hot Ohio weather

Peppers are a staple in many Ohio vegetable gardens, perhaps because of the variety of shapes, sizes,colors, tastes and level of hotness available to gardeners!

Peppers have increased in culinary interest over the past several years, and the sheer number of different varieties developed by vegetable breeders over the past several years provides the gardener with nearly endless choices of different peppers to plant.

Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are part of the Solanaceae family, which is also called the nightshade family. Other vegetables in this family include tomato, eggplant and potatoes. Plants in this family are considered warm-season crops and thrive in hot Ohio summer weather. These crops can be a challenge to grow in cooler summers.

Varieties

Peppers can generally be classified into two groups: mild or sweet-tasting, and hot or spicy. Within these two groups there are several different types of peppers:

• Bell types: Sweet, large, blocky-shaped fruit with thick flesh; normally harvested at the immature, green stage, although some may turn yellow or red to brown when mature.
• Pimento types: Sweet, slightly pointed, conical-shaped fruit with thick walls; red when ripe.
• Sweet-wax types: Fruits are yellow when immature, with waxy gloss, turning orange to redwhen mature; conical.
• Long-green types: Fruit vary in length and have relatively thin flesh; harvested either in themature green stage or mature red stage, although some varieties may turn yellow, orange orbrown; pungency ranges from sweet to hot.
• Jalapeño types: Fruit conical, with thick flesh and tapered blunt tips; immature fruit are darkgreen, turning red at maturity and are very hot and spicy.

Site requirements

Regardless of the type of peppers you plan to grow, all types and varieties require at least six to eighthours of full sun during the growing season. Ideally, soil should be well drained and contain a high level of organic matter, although peppers can thrive in moderately fertile soil.

The addition of organic matter, such as compost, peat moss or straw will slowly help improve soil texture, fertility and drainage of clay-based soils.

While peppers are not particularly sensitive to soil pH, the best yields are typically obtained in a pHrange of 6.0 to 6.8, which is more acidic than the native soils in many locations in Greater Columbus.

Peppers can also be grown in raised beds and make an excellent container-grown vegetable for the back porch or outside the kitchen door. Peppers can also be incorporated into flower or shrub beds as edible landscaping, as long as the beds receive six to eight hours of full sun each day.

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Be sure to rotate pepper plantings to a location in the garden where Solanaceae crops were not grown last season. This strategy will break the cycle of disease-causing organisms in the soil where members of this plant family are grown. Remember to rotate plant families, not specific plants within the same family!

Space pepper plants 18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart.

Harden off seedlings

Whether your plants are purchased or home-grown, harden off pepper seedlings before transplantinginto the garden. About 10 days before transplanting, set plants outdoors for a few hours each day toacclimate them gradually to outdoor conditions.

Start by setting plants in partial shade or filtered sunlight in a location protected from strong breezes. Each day, lengthen the period the seedlings spend outdoors, exposing them gradually to direct sunlight and wind.

Bring plants indoors at night and on days when temperatures fall below 60 degrees. Plant peppers in the garden when the risk of frost has passed and soil temperatures are above 60 degrees. Frost and late-night chills can damage or kill flowers on peppers and result in stunted or deformed fruit and reduced yields.

Daytime temperatures should be between 70 and 80 degrees, and above 55 degrees at night when planting peppers.

Caring for peppers

After plants are established, use a mulch to conserve moisture, prevent soil compaction and helpsuppress weeds. Peppers set fruit at nighttime temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees. Extended periods of daytime temperatures above 95 degrees will abort blossoms, but flowers will again begin to form when daytime temperatures moderate.

Once fruits have begun to set, a side dressing of fertilizer will boost productivity. Use a 12-12-12 fertilizer or other high-nitrogen fertilizer at the rate recommended on the package.

Control weeds by hand-pulling or shallow cultivation to avoid injuring plant roots. The incidence ofdisease can be reduced by proper spacing and watering early in the day, or by drip irrigation or a soaker hoses.

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Whatever irrigation system you use, be sure to water the soil, not the foliage of the plants and avoid the use of overhead sprinklers, as they create the perfect environment for the development of pathogens, which cause pepper diseases.

Peppers should receive 1-2 inches of water a week. If this amount is not received from rainfall, supplemental irrigation is necessary. Soak the soil thoroughly when watering. Frequent, light wateringwill encourage a weak root system.

Mulching with straw, clean hay, compost, paper or plastic will reduce soil moisture evaporation. Plants growing in small containers may need daily watering.

Harvesting

Bell peppers are usually picked when they are green and immature, but full-sized and firm. However, if they are allowed to ripen on the plant, they will be sweeter and higher in vitamin content. Other peppers are usually harvested at full maturity.

Be careful when breaking peppers from the plant, as the branches are often brittle. Hand clippers orpruners can be used to cut peppers from the plant to avoid excessive stem breakage.

The number of peppers per plant varies with the variety. Bell-pepper plants may produce six to eight or more fruit per plant.

In general, peppers have a short life of only one to two weeks. Cool, moist conditions (45-50 degrees) and 85-90% humidity are the ideal storage conditions for peppers. Sweet peppers should be stored at 45 degrees or above.

Mike Hogan is Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources and associate professor with Ohio State University Extension.

hogan.1@osu.edu