Peppers are Very Easy to Grow…basically plant and watch grow.  There are a few tips though that can help the process.

Water in moderation.
Peppers are thirsty plants! They need a moderate supply of water from the moment they sprout until the end of the season. However, peppers won’t tolerate a saturated soil that waterlogs their roots. The soil must drain well, yet hold

Growing Peppers Is Easy

enough moisture to keep the plants in production. To maintain a proper balance, before transplanting, work some organic matter into the soil to enhance moisture retention. Use mulch to prevent excessive evaporation from the soil during the dry summer months.

Don’t overfertilize. 
This tends to make the pepper plants develop lush foliage at the expense of fruit production. Peppers are light feeders. If you work 5-10-10 fertilizer into the soil prior to transplanting, that’s probably sufficient. You can also side-dress the plants with a light sprinkling of 5-10-10 when blossoming starts, just to give them a boost if needed.

Plastic Mulch. 

To get an early start with your peppers, particularly in the North, cover the prepared bed with a dark colored polyethylene mulch at least a week before transplanting. This will heat the soil beneath and provide a better growing condition for young pepper plants. The mulch will also help the soil retain moisture throughout the season as the plants grow.

Companion Planting.
If you practice this technique, try planting peppers near tomatoes, parsley, basil, and carrots. Don’t plant peppers near fennel or kohlrabi.

Staking.
Peppers are easily damaged when laden with fruit. For support, tie the plants to stakes using old nylons, which have some ‘give’ as the stems enlarge. Don’t use wire twist-ties or twine which will gradually choke off or even snap the stem.

credits:  burpee.com and bettervegetablegardening.com  Check out both of these sites for more information about growing peppers

Determinate Tomatoes, or “bush” tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height (generally 3 – 4′).  Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. All the tomatoes from the plant ripen at approximately the same time (usually over period of 1- 2 weeks). They require a limited amount of staking for support and are perfectly suited for container planting.   Examples are: Rutgers, Roma, Celebrity (called a semi-determinate by some), and Marglobe.

Indeterminate Tomatoes will grow into vines and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12 feet although 6 feet is normal. Indeterminates will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the season. They require substantial staking for support.

So what is your choice?  The answer to that is why do you grow tomatoes?  If you can tomatoes, or makes sauces and salsa’s then Determinate tomatoes are probably your best choice because you will have a good quantity all at the same time.  If you like to have tomatoes to eat throughout the whole summer season right up until frost then indeterminate is probably your best choice.  Examples are: Big Boy,  most “cherry” types, Early Girl, and most heirloom varieties.

Or simply plant a supply of both.

1. Tomatoes like a nice warm area in full sun, and need at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, or they get spindly and produce little mature fruit.

2. They like soil that has a pH of 5.5 – 6.8, is fertile, deep, well-drained, and that is rich in organic matter. If the soil stays soggy where you want to plant, build a raised bed.

3. You want soil that will hold water as evenly as possible because uneven uptake of water can cause all kinds of problems with tomatoes including: flower drop, fruit splitting and blossom-end rot.

4. To help give your tomatoes the best-suited environment you can, till in a good amount of compost or organic matter. A general guide would be 3 inches of organic matter into the top 6 inches of soil.

5. Use a small amount of balanced organic fertilizer such as a 5-5-5 and work in right before planting to give plants a healthy start. Don’t fertilize again until the plant is well established and begin to flower.  Otherwise, because of the nitrogen, you will have lots of foliage and not a lot of fruit.  Spraying your plants with a kelp solution or compost tea two or three times a season boosts vigor, which helps the vines fend off diseases.

6. Always plant tomatoes deep, and/or on their sides. Dig out a shallow trench. Remove the lower stems and branches off the tomatoes, leaving only the upper most top leaves.  Lay the entire plant down a trench on its side and cover with soil. Leave only the top leaves showing.  The entire stem that is now buried will form roots, giving the plant the best foundation possible and allowing the plant a greater ability to absorb nutrients and water. Plus a larger root system near the soil surface will mean that more heat will be available to the plant, producing earlier tomatoes. Don’t worry if the foliage is pointing to the side, the sun will right itself and grow upright in a few days.

 9.  Once the tomato plants are about 3′ tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1′ of stem. These are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems. They get the least amount of sun and soil born pathogens can be unintentionally splashed up onto them.

Empty Paper Rolls Protect Stems

 

Prune Lower Leaves

Straw Makes Good Mulch

10. Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant. But go easy on pruning the rest of the plant. You can thin leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but it’s the leaves that are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavor to your tomatoes

11. Water deeply and regularly while the plants are developing. Irregular watering, (missing a week and trying to make up for it), leads to blossom end rot and cracking. Once the fruit begins to ripen, lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.  

 Credits:  weekendgardener.net and gardening.about.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When to Prune Trees and Shrubs

With the unusual weather we have seen this year, plants are well ahead of their normal scheduled blooming. Early flushes of spring growth in some cases were frosted or froze, when temperature dipped back down, causing dead growth at the tips.    

Use Sharp Pruners for a Clean Cut

Tender New Growth On Boxwood After Freeze

Don’t be intimidated by pruning your trees and shrubs.   Knowing when to prune can alleviate most of the guesswork. Observing a few simple pruning tips will also make the job easier on you and your plants.

Dead limbs and branches may be pruned off at any time.  If you’re unsure whether or not a branch is truly dead, scratch the bark with a fingernail.  A living branch will appear green beneath the bark.  Also a living branch is flexible whereas a dead limb snaps & breaks when bent.

Remember also that pruning the tops of trees/shrubs to control the height will generally cause it to become thicker and larger in circumference.

Below is a list of common plants in South/Central Ohio and the best times to prune.

Arborvitae  -  Prune anytime from late summer through late winter.

Azaleas  -  Clip off spent flower clusters and prune immediately after blooming

Trim Spring Flowering Trees & Shrubs Directly After Blooming

Barberry  -  Prune after flowering

Boxwood  -  Prune late fall through early summer.

Bradford Pear  -  Prune in early spring while dormant

Bridal Wreath Spirea  - Prune in late spring to early summer, after blooming

Butterfly Bush  -  Remove spent flower spikes to encourage more blooms.      Prune in late winter through early spring while dormant

Clematis  - Timing depends on variety.  Spring-bloomers are pruned in late spring, after blooming.  Summer and fall bloomers need little pruning, but can be pruned to shape while dormant in winter.

Cotoneaster  -  Prune while dormant in winter if necessary

Flowering Crabapple - Prune as needed after flowering, but before flower buds form in June for the following year

Crape Myrtle  -  Prune in late winter

Flowering Dogwood  - Prune in early spring while dormant

Red Twig Dogwood  - For best red color, prune all stems to the ground in early spring every 2-3 years.  When not fully cut back, 25% of oldest      stems may be removed in early spring to encourage new growth.

Euonymus  - Prune deciduous varieties late fall through early spring, Evergreen varieties late fall through early summer

Forsythia  - Prune immediately after blooming

Honeysuckle  - Prune in early spring while dormant

Hydrangea  - Prune spring-blooming varieties after blooms fade, summer-blooming varieties late fall through winter while dormant

Juniper  - Prune late fall through late winter, while dormant

Lilacs  - Prune in late spring to early summer, after blooming

Magnolia  - Prune in late spring to early summer, after blooming

Mock orange  - Prune in midsummer, after blooming

Mountain Laurel  - Prune in late spring to early summer, after blooming

Pussywillow  - Prune mid spring to early summer, after blooming

Pyracantha  - Blooms on old wood, prune in early summer

Rhododendron  - Prune in late spring to early summer, after blooming

Roses  - Timing varies by variety.  Roses that bloom on last year’s canes are    pruned after flowering.  Roses that bloom on new growth are pruned in    spring when leaf buds begin to swell

Sandcherry  - Prune immediately after blooming

Serviceberry  - Late spring to early summer, after blooming

Smoke Tree  - Prune in late fall to late winter, while dormant

Spirea  - Prune spring-blooming varieties in early summer, after blooming.   Prune summer-blooming varieties in midwinter, while dormant

Weigela  - Prune late spring to early summer, after blooming

Wisteria  - Remove spent flowers after blooming.  Prune new growth in late     summer to shape plant.