[CH] Too deep or not too deep
Lorraine Heidecker (lheid@saclink.csus.edu)
Wed, 4 Mar 1998 09:22:28 -0700 (PDT)
Re the sun/shade question I agree that here in the Great Central Valley
of California where daytime temps go over 100 degrees F on a regular
basis peppers prefer to be shaded from the sun during the hottest part of
the day.
My solution is to plant them in BIG pots which I can move around on my
(small) garden and (pretty big) deck as the summer waxes and wanes.
(This also makes bring them inside or to a sheltered spot for wintering
over easier.)
This has worked pretty well for me over the past four years.
BTW the plants I have were started from seed outdoors in pots covered
with about 1/4 inch of potting soil. They started slow and I did not get
much of a harvest that first year but the same plants are still with me
and going strong. The first couple of years I left them outside to
overwinter (remember this is California) heating them with strings of
Christmas lights in their branches and covering them at night. That
turned out to be a royal pain so this year I hung flourescent lights in
the coolest part of the house (in front of patios doors in a back
bedroom) and brought them inside. They are faring much better there.
They still have leaves and nice green stems and the serranos (bless them)
have been bearing all winter. They'll go back outside again in a few
more weeks and I expect them to perk back up and start flowering even
earlier than last year.
Peace, love and peppers
Lorraine