How do you raise your peppers?

[boutros]

Hmmm. Maybe its my water. Or overwatering. I'm just all spun out. I had good results w/MG ten years ago when I lived on the beach. Now just up the hill and the past couple years I haven't.

 

[joeknowsjolokia]

Oh, and just for giggity factor:



That's what she said.

I know, she told me!

 

[AlabamaJack]

How much of your container mixes do you reuse? I know about crop rotation in the ground, does it ever have to be done with container soil? Just wondering- I can see you're doing it right at any rate. I'm a container idiot.

If building your soil up is that arduous, it must be the same kinda soil I have. Takes awhile to get stuff other than palms cactus and iceplant to do well in it.

I reuse all of it...have to add to it each year from what pulling the plants take with the roots take...I pour it out in a pile, cover it with a couple of layers of black plastic and leave it there until it is plant out time...

I'm on my 3rd year with my old Miracle Grow soil. It still seems to be working and I had a ton of pods last year with it. All I do is poke holes with a sharpened welding rod for aeration and stick in 3 Jobe's plant spikes for food. Water and sunshine do the rest. The way I look at it is, trees keep growing every year, who changes their soil?

I put over $400 of MG potting soil in my raised bed about 4 years ago and have only added to it, but what I adding to it has no fertilize in it at all...I stir it up when I add the new soil, add some 10-10-10 fertilize about 2-3 weeks before I plant in it...then thru the grow season, I will side dress after one month with another application of 10-10-10 and now, two months later it is time it is time to side dress with 7-14-7...I water in with a weak solution of botanicare progrow or probloom depending on what stage of the growth cycle it is...

 

[Silver_Surfer]

I grew up either in Alabama or within 4 or 5 miles from the Alabama line in south Mississippi or extreme west Florida...plus my great great grandfather lived in Alabama, his name was Jack, and he was a riverboat gambler, thus the name AlabamaJack.

the reason I don't grow in the ground is it would take me a long time to "build the soil" and growing in containers or in my raised bed allows me to blend my own mix to grow in...

Figured ya must have some Bama blood some where in the past.

Since I've planted in soil all of my life I felt silly the first time buying stuff in a bag, but I knew it had to be done if I wanted to plant in pots and try and save some pepper faves from ole man winter. You still won't see me planting okra, corn, water mellons, cantaloupe, cucumbers, beans, peas, squash and peanuts anywhere but in the ground though.

When I run out of pots or dirt I still plant peppers and tomatoes in the ground too, but they aren't as fast growing as the ones in the pots that receive more attention and earlier planting.

 

[skealo]

I've got 8 raised beds. It was not inexpensive to build and fill, but I'm happy with it. I also have a couple in pots.

Here's the Pic

 

[Pepperfreak]

I mostly grow in raised bed and as Potawie mentioned, raised beds are basically very large pots cause you control everything including drainage. I also plant in 5 gallon buckets, mainly used for all of my extra plants.

As for making raised beds look nice. I stained mine using a concrete stain I found at Lowe's. It was very easy to apply, just spray on with a garden sprayer. I am planning on adding a top layer of solid core block or paving bricks to my beds to give them a more finished look, but will prob wait till next year.

Here is what they look like

Construction...

Lowe's had a variety of stain colors to choose from. Just be sure to get the one that is for concrete.

 

[ABurningMouth]

The way I look at it is, trees keep growing every year, who changes their soil?

Worms do.

 

[Noshownate]

Peppers in sand

I have been growing in the ground i live right on the water so my soil from the ground extremely full of nutrients and very soft and have found plants i have been growing in the pots much slower growing than in the natural salty soil. i think with the sand the water drains very easily. I actually just dug up soil close to the water very sandy dirt and the peppers seem to get the local salt water nutrients i'm not a pro at this but i like sandy soil seems to work for me. seeds seem to germinate in this much faster than miracle grow potting mix(prob not the best) still learnin

 

[Noshownate]

hey

what kind of stones or rock did you use on the bottom for drainage. how is your drainage set up.

I mostly grow in raised bed and as Potawie mentioned, raised beds are basically very large pots cause you control everything including drainage. I also plant in 5 gallon buckets, mainly used for all of my extra plants.

As for making raised beds look nice. I stained mine using a concrete stain I found at Lowe's. It was very easy to apply, just spray on with a garden sprayer. I am planning on adding a top layer of solid core block or paving bricks to my beds to give them a more finished look, but will prob wait till next year.

Here is what they look like

Construction...

Lowe's had a variety of stain colors to choose from. Just be sure to get the one that is for concrete.