Compared to my 2010 bell pepper harvest, I had more fewer peppers, and less overall weight. In 2010, each plant produced 3 peppers and the average pepper weighed 2 oz; this year, 2011, each plant only produced 1 or 2 and they weighed only 1.5 oz, on average. This reduction in overall production is probably due to the cramped spacing I tried out…
Spacing:
- 2010: 2′ apart in all directions
- 2011: pairs planted about 6″ apart, then the next pair was planted 2′ away
Seedling Care:
- 2011: seeds started 3/10, up-potted 4/5, then planted out on 5/7
- 2010 was the same seed starting & planting out dates, but they were not up-potted
Pests & Diseases:
- don’t recall any particular problems with the bell peppers this year…
Temperatures:
- nighttime lows in the 2nd week of May were in the 40’s, with some nights getting above 50, but a cold snap occurred in the 3rd week. Temperatures got down to 38°F on one night, but generally stayed below 50 for a week or so. Temperatures didn’t get above 55 until the 2nd week of June. These cold temperatures could have resulted in stunted pepper plants
- summertime highs were generally above 90°F, but I had shade cloth that I put over them most days
- don’t have records to compare 2010 temperatures with 2011, but I do recall that the 2011 spring was generally thought to be colder than 2010.