Grow Better Bell Peppers (Capsicum annuum)

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Jay White

Have you seen the picture on Pinterest and Facebook that says bell peppers with three lobes are “male” peppers and those with four lobes are “female”? Well, it is very popular right now and very, very false. This is one of those times where you can’t believe everything you read. All peppers (and all of their family members-tomatoes, potatoes and egg plants) come from plants that produce flowers that have both male and female parts. These flowers are called “perfect” flowers in the botanical world. Because of this, there is absolutely no need for “male” or “female” fruits. Each little flower has all it needs to produce a fruit full of seeds that will in turn grow into plants that produce more “perfect” flowers. While there are plants out there that do produce only male or only female plants, bell peppers are not one of them.

I don’t know who originally posted this, but it is 100% incorrect.

This is just one of many false “horticultural facts” that I see on the internet. I could literally do an entire post on them. However, I am going to move away from this and tell you some real, verifiable facts about bell peppers. First, bell peppers are the most commonly grown pepper in the United States. According to the National Nursery survey, 46% of gardeners grow them every year. Second, according to the same survey, bell peppers are the third most popular vegetable grown in American gardens. Third, the bell pepper is the most consumed pepper in America. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Americans eat 9.8 pounds of them per year. And finally, bell peppers are the only peppers in the genus that do not produce capsaicin. Capsaicin is the compound that makes most members of the genus Capsicum hot. In my opinion, it is this missing capsaicin that makes these peppers appeal to so many Americans.

Bell Peppers are relatively easy to grow and they are relatively pest free. They have the longest growing season of any of the annual vegetables that you will plant. Transplant them as soon as the threat of freeze has passed and you will be able to harvest fruit until the first killing frost.

Big Bertha did great in last year’s garden!

In my opinion, the hardest part of growing bell peppers is finding the right variety for your area. Through the years I have grown many different varieties. Some have been much more successful than others. Some of the better ones for my Zone 9 garden have been “Big Bertha”, “Blushing Beauty” and “California Wonder”.

This year, I am growing a variety called the Better Belle Hybrid. I ordered my seeds from Tomato Growers Supply (http://www.tomatogrowers.com/) in January and grew my own transplants. I ordered “Better Belle Hybrid” because (according to their website) it is a thicker walled and earlier producer than the original Better Belle. It is a vigorous, long season producer of green fruit that will turn red on the vine. Basically, I ordered it because it claims to have everything going for it that I look for in a bell pepper.

Bell pepper foliage can be brittle. Because of this I never “pull” the peppers off of the vine.

Growing – Bell peppers require full sun so place them in the sunniest part of your garden. They also need at least an inch of water per week. When it gets really hot, I up that to about an inch every four days. Bell peppers love rich, loose, well-draining soil that has been thoroughly worked with compost. If you want to ensure the biggest, firmest and most thick walled bell peppers consider adding dolomite (rock dust that is high in calcium and magnesium) to the soil before planting. If the soil, sun and water are right, you can expect to start harvesting your first peppers 45 to 60 days after transplant. Bell peppers are always the first pepper to produce in my garden. Peppers will produce well until temperatures go above 90F, then their production will fall. However, if you add more organic material at this time and continue to water, your peppers will continue producing right up to the first freeze. In fact, my plants generally produce more in the fall than they did in the spring.

Last year I planted my bell peppers on April 13. These three bells were my first harvest on June 2. That is just 50 days from transplanting to harvest.

Harvesting-Bell peppers can be harvested anytime they look like a bell pepper. However, they are immature at this point. That is no problem unless you want red, yellow or orange peppers (depending on variety). To get these beautifully colored peppers you will have leave them on the bush until they change colors. Just be aware that the longer you leave the pepper on the bush, the more pests it will attract.

A ripe bell pepper will snap right off into your hand when it is ready to be picked. However, the limbs of pepper plants are brittle. If you try and pull a pepper before it is ready you can get a lot of foliage along with your pepper. For this reason I always use a sharp pair of shears or scissors to harvest my peppers.

Hornworms ca n decimate peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and egg plants

Pests-Aphids, cutworms and hornworms can all be a problem for peppers. Aphids can be controlled by regularly applying a good shot of water to the underside of the leaves. Cutworms can be controlled by “wrapping” the stems of the young plants in cardboard. Simply cut a toilet paper or paper towel roll into three inch sections. Split these up the sides. Loosely wrap this around the base of your plants after transplant. Stick an inch or so of the tube into the ground and leave an inch or so above ground. Hornworms are always a double problem for me. I know they can wipe out my tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. However, they are the immature form of the hummingbird moths that I love to watch feed on my datura. Regardless of my fondness for hummingbird moths, I pull all hornworms that I find and quickly squish them. If you have a bad infestation you can apply BT but is only effective if applied when the caterpillars are small.

One of our favorite bell pepper uses. Slice thick, saute, and drop in egg. Top with cheese and more sauteed peppers

Red & Green – The Colors of Fall

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jay White

This weekend was undoubtedly one of my top weekends of the year. The weather was unbelievable. My wife and I took advantage of this weather to go and help my buddy Greg Grant harvest sugar cane. Then, on the way home we stopped at the Sale Barn in Crockett and shared steaks with old friends and watched the end of the best game of the year. Yes, I am talking about the Aggies and their totally awesome victory over the Number 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Whoop!!!!

Sally and Greg cutting sugar cane

After church on Sunday, Sally made us a fabulous pot of peas that we had frozen back in the summer. She also made a pot of pinto beans straight off the vine. To me, there is nothing better than fresh beans and peas from the garden.

Fresh picked pinto beans

After lunch we headed out to the garden to harvest. Since it is supposed to be in the thirties this week I wanted to get as much in as I could just in case. I picked pinto beans, acorn squash, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, pimento peppers and tons of tomatoes. I am so glad that I nursed those tomato plants through the summer. They have been so productive in the past couple of weeks. As I put all of these peppers, tomatoes and squash in an old bread bowl, I was taken by how beautiful all of the reds and greens were. I know that to tree watchers, the colors of fall are reds, yellows and oranges. However, to us that garden, I am convinced that red and green are the real colors of fall.

The colors of the fall garden

After our harvest we planted three short rows of Louisiana Blue Ribbon sugar cane that I got from Greg. While planting the sugar cane my wife discovered the biggest horn worm I have ever seen. This thing was as wide as my hand and as thick as my thumb. He was happily stripping what was left of the foliage on one of my vitex. After a few pictures, he became part of my garden forever. We also planted a ton of spider lily bulbs that he gave us as well. I put them all in a single small bed by my backdoor. I now cannot wait for next fall. This bed is going to be spectacular. Thanks Greg!

The biggest horn worm I have ever seen. Since it is deer season and the taxidermists are working overtime, I thought about getting this guy mounted!

Yes this weekend had everything that makes life worth living and celebrating; great friends, great food and great weather that allowed for great gardening.

The corn crib at Greg’s parents house

Growing Poblano Peppers (Capsicum annuum v Poblano)

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Jay White

Each season one particular vegetable seems to out-do all of the rest. This year, the award for most amazing production in my garden goes to the poblano peppers. I planted three poblanos transplants in early April. By late May the plants had grown to about three feet and were beginning to provide me with a steady supply of very tasty and pretty spicy peppers. These plants produced well through the heat of July and August. Then, when the temperature dropped slightly in September, pepper production sky rocketed. I am now harvesting (and sharing) a grocery bag full of peppers every week.

If you have never grown poblanos I highly encourage you to try them. They are easy to grow, fairly resistant to pests and they have an excellent taste that falls somewhere between a banana pepper and a jalapeño on the hotness scale. These peppers are great chopped into a salad or incorporated into your favorite soups. Grill them until their skins blister and they become a soft spicy addition to you burgers. Cook them in hot oil on the stove and then use them to make your eggs, omelets and breakfast burritos really shine. Plus, they are big enough to be stuffed with just about anything you would stuff into any other pepper.

The poblano pepper originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It has become a very popular pepper throughout Mexico. Most of us gringos learned about these peppers when we ordered our first chile rellenos. Poblanos are often used in mole’ sauces and each year they help Mexicans celebrate their independence as the green ingredient in the red, white and green dish called chiles en nogado. Poblanos are sold both fresh and dried. In their dried form they are called ancho chiles. The dried ancho is often much hotter than the fresh poblano. Because of this, the dried peppers are often ground into a spicy chili powder that is used in many dishes.

Growing –Pepper seeds will not germinate until the soil warms up to about 70 degrees. In order to get their peppers producing as soon as possible, most pepper growers start their seeds inside about three months before soil temps reach this level. For me, this is early January. Eventhough my Poblanos were transplants, I regularly grow several varieties of tomatoes and peppers from seed. I use special planting trays that have little indentions that hold those dried peat pellets that expand with hot water. To start my peppers I make sure the pellets are fully expanded and then I use tweezers to put three seeds in each pellet. I then place the clear lid over the tray, place in a sunny window and wait.

The seeds can take 10 to 14 days to germinate. I leave them in the trays until the end of February. At that time I take little scissors and cut out the smallest plants, leaving only the sturdiest. I move the plants into a four inch pot filled with a high grade potting mix. Once they are in the pots I put them in a tray saved from previous plant purchases and then place the tray in a large, clear plastic storage bin. This bin allows me to water with abandon and also allows me to easily harden off the shoots by moving the plants outside on warm days. The sides of the container also protect my tender seedlings from wind damage.

Tomato and pepper starts ready for transfer to their 4″ pots

Sometime in early April, when soil temps are right and night time temps are staying above 60, I plant my pepper (and tomato) transplants. Peppers require full sun. They also need at least an inch of water per week and a well drained soil that is very well worked with organic matter. If the soil, sun and water are right, you can expect to start harvesting your first peppers 45 to 60 days after transplant. Peppers will produce well until temps go above above 90, then their production will fall. If you add more organic material at this time and continue to water, your peppers will continue producing right up to the first freeze.

Harvesting-Poblanos are ready to harvest when they are 4” to 6” long and their skin has a glossy sheen to it. Technically, poblanos at this stage are immature. That is fine though because they are less hot when they are green. However, if you want to dry or smoke your poblanos, leave them on the bush until they turn red. If you leave them long enough they will eventually begin to shrivel and turn a deep purple.

A ripe poblano will snap right off into your hand when it is ready to be picked. However, pepper limbs are brittle and if you try and pull a pepper that is not ready you can get a lot of foliage along with your pepper. For this reason I always use a sharp pair of shears or scissors to harvest my peppers.

Pests-Aphids, cutworms and hornworms can all be a problem for peppers. Aphids can be controlled by regularly applying a good shot of water to the underside of the leaves. Cutworms can be controlled by “wrapping” the stems of the young plants in cardboard. Simply cut a toilet paper or paper towel roll into three inch sections. Split these up the sides. Loosely wrap this around the base of your plants after transplant. Stick an inch or so of the tube into the ground and leave an inch or so above ground. Hornworms are always a double problem for me. I know they can wipe out my tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. However, they are the immature form of the hummingbird moths that I love to watch feed on my datura. Regardless of my fondness for hummingbird moths, I pull all hornworms that I find and quickly squish them. If you have a bad infestation you can apply BT but is is really only effective if applied when the caterpillars are small.

As much as I love hummingbird moths, their larvae (Hornworms) can decimate your peppers, tomatoes and potatoes

TLC for Your BLTs (Big Luscious Tomatoes!) By Patty Leander

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jay White

I came in from working in the garden the other day and declared to anyone that would listen that my vegetable garden was looking AWESOME, and my dear husband hardly looked up from his work as he replied, “EVERYBODY’S vegetable garden is looking awesome this spring”. True enough, the rain and mild temperatures have been just what we needed here in Central Texas to shake off the drought doldrums, but I can still revel in the beauty and bounty of my own little piece of earth. It is my sincere hope that you are experiencing the same success. One reason our vegetable gardens are so splendid is because tomato time is finally here, and for tomato lovers, especially those who try to eat local and in season, it has been a long and mostly tomato-less winter.

Hopefully by now your tomatoes are growing strong and you may have already savored that first juicy bite of your home-grown and sun-ripened treats. But just when tomatoes are in the home stretch it seems a plethora of plague and pestilence begin a full assault, and that is when our plants will benefit from a steady diet of attention, inspection and TLC.

As we move toward summer make sure your plants receive at least 1½” of water each week, preferably from drip or soaker irrigation that places water at the root zone and avoids wetting the leaves. A 2-4 inch layer of mulch is essential to moderate soil temperature, to keep water from splashing soil onto the leaves (fungal spores are often lurking in the soil underneath plants), and to conserve moisture in the soil. Dried leaves or grass, alfalfa hay, pine straw, or even partially decomposed compost are suitable mulches. Side-dress your plants with fertilizer as soon as the first fruit set, and then continue to dole out small servings of fertilizer every 4 weeks. One way to side-dress a tomato plant is to pull the mulch back and apply 2-3 tablespoons of fertilizer (feather meal, blood meal, ammonium sulfate or other packaged fertilizer) around the diameter of each tomato plant, scratch it into the soil, water lightly and then replace the mulch. Some gardeners prefer to spray their tomato foliage with a water soluble fertilizer every week (using a product like Miracle Grow or liquid fish emulsion) and that seems to work well, but remember that plants are not designed to take in nutrients from their leaves, so it’s important to also get fertilizer into the root zone. A hybrid approach may be best – side-dressing at the root zone every 4 weeks and applying a foliar spray every 7-10 days.

Tomatoes generally stop setting fruit when the daytime temperature hits 90º and nighttime temps reach the mid 70s, though cherry varieties may often produce through the heat. If your tomato plants are healthy and you can keep them that way you might be able to carry them through the summer for a fall crop. If you would rather start with fresh tomato plants for the fall garden most local nurseries will have transplants available in late summer or you can grow your own. It takes 6-8 weeks to grow a good size tomato transplant so plant those little tomato seeds in early June so you’ll have decent size transplants by late July or early August.

Inspect your tomatoes every few days for signs of insect damage or disease, and as the plants grow gently guide the stems so they stay within the cage. Eventually those stems will be laden with fruit and they will need the support that the cage provides. Below is a rundown of some of the most common problems associated with tomato cultivation:

Leaf Footed Bug. Photo By Bruce Leander

Leaf-footed Bugs: these grayish brown bugs with the flattened hind legs are a common pest of tomatoes. They have what entomologists call “piercing-sucking” mouthparts, and that is exactly what they do to tomatoes. They pierce the skin, inject an enzyme to dissolve the juices, and then suck the juice out, leaving small, hard, white spots or lesions on the surface of the tomato.

Leaf Footed nymphs and eggs. Here you can clearly see how they are laid in "a chain". Photo By Bruce Leander

Their eggs are laid in long chains along the stems or leaf midrib; after hatching the nymphs, with their orange bodies and black legs, congregate together making them easy to spot. Do not be deceived – the nymphs may not look like adult leaf-footed bugs, but they will in approximately 30 days after morphing through five instar stages.

Adult and nymph Leaf Footed Bugs on a tomato leaf. Photo By Bruce Leander

These soft-bodied orange nymphs cannot fly, they can only scatter, so this is the preferred stage to treat them with insecticide, squish them or drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Also destroy any egg cases that you find. Spinosad and insecticidal soap may be effective against the nymphs, but nothing seems to bother the adults – they just glare at you and fly away. Handpicking is the best way to get the adults, but beware – they are a type of stink bug and when you squish them it is not pleasant.

The first sign of early blight. Photo By Bruce Leander

Early Blight: Alternaria solani, a common fungal disease that attacks tomatoes, especially during rainy periods. Foliage starts to yellow at the base of the plant and then gradually moves upward. Ideally we should prevent this disease by providing adequate spacing and air circulation, mulching below the plants and avoiding overhead watering that wets the leaves.

Early Blight can decimate your tomatoes. Photo By Bruce Leander

Once the disease takes hold it can be treated with an approved fungicide; if early blight is a perennial problem it’s best to start treatment early in the season, to prevent spreading of the disease. Serenade and neem oil are organic controls and Daconil (active ingredient chlorothalonil) is a conventional fungicide that is effective in combating early blight. Using these products on an alternating schedule may give better results. Even though Daconil is not organic, it requires approximately ½ teaspoon per quart of water and the solution can be judiciously directed at foliage, not fruit.

Spider mites can cause a strippling effect on leaves. Photo By Bruce Leander

Spider Mites: a nuisance in most spring and summer gardens, this tiny pest inhabits and feeds on the underside of leaves, causing a stippled effect on the surface of the leaf. If left untreated spider mites can quickly destroy a crop. It is amazing how many teeny tiny mites can be on the back of a leaf, they are just near impossible to see without magnification. Their numbers usually increase in hot and dry conditions, but I am already seeing huge numbers of spider mites on my tomatoes even though we’ve had more rain than usual this spring and the temperatures have been mild.

Patty is blasting away her mites with the MiteyFine mister created for her by her brother. Photo By Bruce Leander

Spider mites are difficult to control, but my first line of defense is to wash the mites off using a strong spray of water directed at the underside of the leaves every 3-5 days. My favorite tool for this purpose is the Mite-Y-Fine Sprayer™ – a tool that my engineer brother built for me. It is a long-handled tool with a high pressure nozzle that allows me to wash mites off of leaves efficiently and without stooping – it’s such a useful tool I told my brother he should make more and sell them – and he is! They are made of quality materials, hand built by him, his wife and their son. I use mine almost every week during the spring and summer growing season. See www.miteyfine.com for more information.

Insecticidal soap, neem oil and wettable sulfur are labeled as miticides and can be sprayed on leaves to help control mites. Many gardeners swear by a weekly seaweed spray to keep them at bay though I prefer to use the Mite-Y-Fine because I like to eat tomatoes off the vine while standing in the garden, and I’d rather not spray them with anything.

A great shot of a serious tomato predator - the hornworm. Photo By Bruce Leander

Tomato Hornworm: prevention is the best control here. A single tomato hornworm can defoliate a tomato plant in short order if left unchecked, so it’s best to scout the plants for signs of damage (large chunks of missing leaves and moist, dark green worm poop on the soil or in the branches. These large caterpillars usually show up as an army of one, rarely do I see more than two on a plant. When there’s only one or two it’s easy to pull them off and toss them into your neighbor’s yard, or do as one lady told me – she just goes after them with a pair of scissors (ugh).

Nematodes can decimate a tomato's root system. Photo By Bruce Leander

Nematodes: if your healthy tomato plant begins to gradually decline, turning yellow, drooping, losing vigor and/or wilting without reviving by the next morning then you may have nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms that get into the roots and form small galls or knots in the root, blocking the uptake of water and nutrients and causing the plant to gradually decline. Once a plant has nematodes you might as well pull it up as there is no treatment and leaving it in the ground will only allow the nematodes to increase in numbers. When pulling an infected plant be careful not to fling nematode-infested soil to other parts of the garden.

Below are two of my family’s favorite recipes for utilizing the season’s tomato harvest:

Patty's salsa is made with only fresh veggies from her garden. Photo By Bruce Leander

¡salsa!
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped (peeled and seeded if desired, but I usually don’t)
2-3 jalapenos, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup cilantro
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
2-4 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar

Chop the onion, jalapenos, garlic and one tomato in a blender or food processor. Then add the seasonings and the remaining tomatoes, and blend till it seems right. This is personal taste. You can leave it chunky but I usually blend out most of the chunks. Then I taste and usually end up adding more tomatoes, lime juice and sometimes another jalapeno. I let it sit a bit and then go back and taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. It gets a little redder and a little spicier as it sits.

** You do not have to use a blender/food processor. If you prefer, finely chop the first five ingredients by hand, then stir in the seasonings and adjust to your taste.

Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted tomatos - Yum! Photo By Bruce Leander

Roasting tomatoes brings out an amazing, concentrated flavor – they can be used in sauces, pasta, sandwiches or simply as a savory snack. They don’t last long around my house, but they can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks or frozen for up to three months without compromising the flavor. ‘Juliet’ tomatoes and small roma varieties are perfect for this recipe.

Wash, dry and slice tomatoes in half vertically. Remove seeds and juice (don’t worry about removing every single seed, you just want to scoop out most of the wet pulp). Arrange on a foil-lined pan, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 325º oven for 1½ -2 hours. Watch carefully to be sure they don’t burn and adjust temperature or time, depending on size of tomatoes.