Roses and Peppers

[apachefirecat]

I'm looking for any advice I can get on growing my first roses and peppers (starting with bell, but hoping to add jalapeno or other such before too long). A friend pointed me this way. :)

Comments

[boxofdelights]

First question is, where are you? Peppers need a lot of sun and warm days to ripen. Green peppers are also nice to eat, but they don't have the flavor you want if you're putting the effort into growing them. In North America, you should either start them indoors next month, or buy starts from a greenhouse when your climate allows you to plant outside. There are ways to extend the season, but how much effort you want to put into that depends on how long your frost-free season is naturally!

[apachefirecat]

I'm in south Alabama, about a hour from Florida.

When the season ends, does that mean the plant dies, or is there a way to keep it safe and healthy enough for next year?

[rahirah]

I'm in Phoenix AZ, and I planted bell and jalapeno peppers about three years ago. Over winter I just make sure to cover them up with a sheet or something on the few nights a year the temperature drops below freezing. The main issue here is keeping them watered, because once it gets up past 100 they start to wilt if they're not watered every few days. (I assume this won't be as much of a problem in your area since you probably get much more rain.) They'll need fertilizing every now and then if you want decent sized peppers.

[boxofdelights]

If you grow them in containers and bring the containers inside for the winter, they will survive and start producing again in the spring. People disagree about whether you will get more fruits that way, or by starting fresh with a new plant every spring. Probably the answer is "it depends".

I don't know whether peppers can survive outside in an Alabama winter. How cold does it get there? You can look up your zone here: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Even if your winter isn't cold enough to kill the plant, it might be cold enough to stress the plant badly, which would decrease its ability to fruit.