peppers plant density

C

cneal

This year I'm corralling 18 -10 gallon plastic bag containers in a 4'x8' bed.  They're all peppers. Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, Jalapeno, Poblano, Aji Lemon Drop, Aji Benito, Cayenne and Jimmy Nardelo. If I don't mess them up I'm thinking this is going to be very densely populated by about August. I read that a few of theses can get up to 3 feet wide. Any problem here other than the difficulty harvesting the middle row?
 
The image of what I've got. 
 

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I put 5 plants in a 4x4 raised bed and it has room to spare. The heavier canopy when they get larger will help keep the pots/ground cooler. Looks ok to me.
 
I don't get it. Why not just plant in the bed? Or, if you're leaving them in the bags, why not just spread then out when they get crowded?

I will say that, last year, I had my 8'x4' beds planted out in three rows of six plants, just like what you got going. They all grew well, and yeah, it got really crowded. What I noticed was that the plant in the center row never produced nearly as many pods. I don't know the science behind it, but my theory is that the center row got kinda lost under the canopy, and they either flowered less of the flowers were less likely to pollinate due to either a lack of airflow, a lack of sunlight, or less accessed to pollinating critters(?)... Maybe a combo of two of all of those factors. Or it might be something else...

At any rate, because of that lackluster result from my central rows, this year I'm just planting two rows of six, for a total of twelve plants, in the same beds. I have to confess, in a little worried about wind causing more damage bc the plants used to lean on eachother, but I'll see how they do.

Good luck with your grow!
 
If you got shaded out in the center, why not just move the taller plants into the center, and the shorter to the outside?
 
the reason I'm in bags this year is we had a vole problem coming up through the bed. I shoveled all of the soil out and screwed hardware cloth to the bottom. I didn't want to put all the soil back in only to have to move again in the future, it is rented property.I wanted to give containers another go and after reading all of your inputs about container media I'm hoping it will go better for me this time.
 
I'm going to research which will be the tallest and try to place them accordingly. I think I have quite a few bushy type plants.Tallest in center doesn't seem a bad idea. The photo is facing south. I thought perhaps the tallest plants on the western most edge or the right side in the photo. Not sure yet. 
 
thanks,
 
cneal said:
the reason I'm in bags this year is we had a vole problem coming up through the bed. I shoveled all of the soil out and screwed hardware cloth to the bottom. I didn't want to put all the soil back in only to have to move again in the future, it is rented property.I wanted to give containers another go and after reading all of your inputs about container media I'm hoping it will go better for me this time.
 
I'm going to research which will be the tallest and try to place them accordingly. I think I have quite a few bushy type plants.Tallest in center doesn't seem a bad idea. The photo is facing south. I thought perhaps the tallest plants on the western most edge or the right side in the photo. Not sure yet. 
 
thanks,
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Guldurned voles!!!

That makes sense. I hope I never have to do battle with those things...
 
Bicycle808 said:
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 I have to confess, in a little worried about wind causing more damage bc the plants used to lean on eachother, but I'll see how they do.
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Click to expand...
In my side of country, people use to put 2 plants together, because they will lean one on another. But yes, people here are cultivating annuums, and many have no idea there are other kind of peppers. And this could be difficult with some others, but still can give it a try.
 
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