[CH] Chiles in poor soil
Susan Byers (chilewmn@bluemarble.net)
Sat, 10 Apr 1999 06:47:45 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 7 Apr 1999 GarryMass@aol.com wrote:
> information for me. Some farmer-gardeners claim that peppers do best in
> poorer soils, so improving organic content may be counterproductive. Surely
> someone on this list has tested that hypothesis - and I'd love to hear the
> feedback.
>
Everyone is free to grow peppers in their own manner. As an organic chile
farmer, my belief is simple. If you put it in the ground it will grow. My
chile fields were rock-strewn (I'm in limestone quarry country) poor soil.
I have never treated the soil or used any type of fertilizer on the
plants. With the exception of last year's development runoff flooding, my
yields have been phenomenal.
I run my greenhouses in the same manner. I know many
people do harsh things to their seeds to get them to germinate quicker.
Without getting too touchy-feely about it, I am quite happy to give them
the extra time to come up on their own, and they will! I feel I am
rewarded for my paitence with a plant that will produce a superior yield.
Of course, the germination prayers I use may help (I am Lenape).
One of the reasons I like growing chiles is because they I feel they do
not need a lot of extra treatment.
Of course, I am also a very small-scale grower. Growing on a large
commercial scale is a different game. But for the home gardener, I say
relax and enjoy your peppers.
Susan Byers
The Chile Woman