It seems to be a great pepper year

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

There is a PH element to peppers, they don't grow well for me if there's too much peat in the soil mix. Some might disagree but peppers don't like too much peat, it lowers the PH too much.


Here's some good info on peppers.
http://www.ecoseeds.com/Pepper.growing.tips.html

With a soil pH of 6.0 you can grow just about anything you want and it will thrive (with the proper nutrients in the soil). Onions and Lettuce like it a wee bit higher (~6.5) but they still like it below 7.0.

Think about your water pH, mine is 6.8-7.0 right out of the well and very soft so it buffers quickly downward to where the soil pH is. Plants take their nutrients from the soil most effectively when it's moist.

If your water is very hard and alkaline pH>7.5 you could really be shooting yourself in the foot. Hard alkaline water does not buffer down in pH too easily. In this case, maybe stored rainwater might be a better option to consider for watering.

Don't forget to test your water along with your soil as it can make a difference too.