Bell Peppers in the heat!

Originally Posted by Redbaron

Ted,
I may have mentioned this to you before, not sure, but the trick that got my bells through the heat and the drought was companion planting low growing companions. I had read that bell peppers especially needed other plants nearby transpiring and creating a micro climate. So I tried it. It worked. I am not so far from you. Just a bit north. So try it and see if it works there too. I got a really big late harvest from my bells this last fall. The peppers were smaller, but actually over-all production was better in fall than spring/early summer because there were a lot more of them. I used basil, tarragon, cilantro, and dwarf marigolds all mixed in my peppers last year.

PS I also used borage, but not inter mingled, the borage was a row over because it gets too big to plant between the peppers in the same row.

Thanks Scott! This year, I am growing them in 25 gallon pots with various herbs growing around the edge of the pots. The pots are twenty four inches across at the top so there should be plenty of room for both. They will be drip watered on a timer so moisture should also not be a problem. Last year growing in smaller pots, the soil would be dry by the time they received their second watering of the day. This year they will have a separate timer and will be able to receive as much water as they need without over watering the tomatoes. With the larger volume of soil in each pot, they shouldn't dry out so much between watering cycles. I'm also considering adding some earth worms to each pot and let them convert some of the organics to fertilizer. I think the size of the pots should create an environment favorable for the worms.

Ted