Moving

[rhm3769]

Im due to move from Okinawa to the camp Pendleton area after the winter.... Couple of questions....

Is there anyone here around Okinawa who wouldnt mind an extra plant or two close to march? I have a buddy here who said he would take everything, but I'm sure they'll die on him, he tried growing some way before I did and that is what got me started.... He bought a few pots and got some dirt from behind his building but it ended up being more clay than dirt and then put the seeds down about an inch.... When it would rain, more water sat on top than what was absorbed.... He only had one thing sprout and it was some weed that was already there in the dirt and that even died on him.... I've been teaching him alot from what I've been reading and even brought a few younger plants to work so he can help.... I have just enough to feel comfortable taking care of them, but I don't know if he can handle it....

Second, I've read the temps around Pendleton go between the 50s and 60s.... Here in Okinawa it seems more like from the 40s to 90s with alot of humidity.... How is it there for growing peppers? Would I be fine sowing seeds around may directly outside or should I be looking more into a grow room or greenhouse?
I'm sure I'll have more questions

 

[Dave2000]

Seems like camp Pendleton would be zone 10a or b, you could probably direct sew outside in late Feb or early March, or start plants inside in January. Sewing pepper seeds outside in May would be a pretty late start, though in my zone the last frost date is near the beginning of May. On the other hand due to the longer growing season there you would still have plenty of time to reap a harvest sewing in May.

Keep in mind that the seed may sit and wait to germinate (or rot if it stays too damp) if it stays below 70F daytime highs, the best result would be germinating them inside at over 80F then transplanting outside. A greenhouse might allow you to grow year round, or at least have good odds of surviving the winter.

 

[rhm3769]

Looking at some floor plans, I might have room for a growing area inside. How much of a difference is there between two zones? I've seen a few things saying I'm in an equivalent to zone 11 and others saying zone 11b and another saying zone 9.... One chart I saw seemed to indicate only a few degrees difference....

 

[Dave2000]

There's 10F degrees difference between each zone number and 5F between "a" and "b", though with the crazy weather the world has been seeing, it's hard to predict what next summer will be like. Okinawa appears to average about 10F warmer at any time of year, both look like great places to grow compared to here where it was 105F a couple weeks ago and drops below 0F in the winter.

Keep in mind that it rains a lot more in Okinawa, if that affects your decision on what to do.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USCA0982
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/JAXX0067