Hi. I'm wondering if there's anything I could be doing to make my ajis happier. I live in the UK, and the weather here has been absolutely ridiculous. After a beautiful March, April and May were unrelentingly chilly and wet. I'm growing both ajis and dwarf bell peppers in a windowsill at work - very little control over temperature. I've got them on the north side of the building (unfortunately that's where my desk is) but I could move them to the south side. They do get great filtered (usually by clouds) light. From a whole pack of seeds, I've got three plants living, but only one thriving. One keeps threatening to die, but hasn't quite made it yet. I've heard they are slow-growing, but they are at least 2 months old now and the largest one is only 1 inch tall, but the largest leaves are a bit longer than an inch. The dwarf-variety bell pepper, on the other hand, well, the smallest is 4 inches tall and several of those plants nearing half a foot tall (from the dirt level). I give them water every couple of days, or a trickle every day. I tend to think of peppers as liking hot, slightly dry conditions, so I make sure not to drench them. But I have some of my bell peppers in the same modules as the ajis and the bells are quite happy campers.
Do you think they need more or less water? Direct sun (when we have it) in a Southern window? I can't seem to do anything about the temperature, I have to wear a sweater (!). They're still in their modules because I'm afraid to move them, do they need repotting into something they can stretch their roots in?
I would also be open to suggestions for varieties - I chose aji dulce because it was the mildest pepper I could find. All my favourite chefs use peppers in their recipes, but my mouth's so sensitive I get burned by mouthwash!!! So I was looking for something that I could respectably call a pepper, but without any heat at all.
Thanks for your help!
Zoe