Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

until what is typically a major weather improvement (October 15). This is what I use for estimating tomato fruit set. 2 months from sowing to fruit set so earliest sow date estimated as August 15. I will probably do a few seeds then, and stagger the rest on a weekly basis.
I want to try one long season like Marsha at least for 1/2 of my plants.
We are finally back to the usual summer temperatures of <90. No rain in over 3 weeks though.

I was looking at a history of temperatures in Orlando when I read your post. Both thinking the same thing. When Will It Start To Cool Off? My information shows the average high in Orlando for this time of year is 92. On the 21st of Aug it drops 1 degree to an average high of 91, Sep 7th 90, Sep 18th 89, Sep 30th 88, In Oct it starts ticking down fairly quickly with the average high on Nov 1 at 81. Dec 1 the average high is 75.
Of course there are exceptions, e.g. the record high of Dec 1 in Orlando is said to be 95 degrees, set in 1928. That would have been a bit rough on the tomatoes.
I won't bore you any more and have a comfortable day.
Larry

[efisakov]

We had 98 yesterday.
I am covering cucumbers from the sun. Too many tomato plants to cover them.
We are having 7 days above 90. It fills like an equator had moved at least few degrees.

[Imthechuck]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Chuck when do you start your peppers? Try starting some in dec/jan to plant out at the end of feb. Whenever i start some in the fall they do great for about a month after planting out then get some crud and die. When i plant them out at the end of February they all flourish and go crazy even in the same untreated swc's that the others had died in. I know its hotter where you are but its worth a try if you havent already tried that.

Ginny

I will need to try this; I usually only try peppers in the fall and then pull them and plant and then pull them to plant kale/collards in the winter

I am going to try this and not even bother with peppers until later

Thanks!

[Imthechuck]

Originally Posted by Imthechuck

I will need to try this; I usually only try peppers in the fall and then pull them to plant kale/collards in the winter

I am going to try this and not even bother with bell peppers until later

Thanks!

[Fiishergurl]

Ella,

It is sooooo hot here. Hotter than Florida i think. I topped all of my tomato plants today since we are leaving this house Sept 30 and I want the plants to focus on the tomatoes already on the plants.

You must have a lot of tomatoes ripening by now.

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Right now cloudy and rainy, and 79 degrees. Unusually cool.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Right now cloudy and rainy, and 79 degrees. Unusually cool.

Wow go figure!! It's 93 here right now but has been higher.

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Imthechuck

I will need to try this; I usually only try peppers in the fall and then pull them and plant and then pull them to plant kale/collards in the winter

I am going to try this and not even bother with peppers until later

Thanks!

You might want to try starting some nov 1, dec 1, and jan1 (or something like that) and see if any batch does better than the others. That's how I found out what the problem was with mine. I had only grown them in the spring before and they always grew like gangbusters, but last fall I started some in the fall for the first time and no matter what I did or what kind of pepper plant it was they would eventually die after I planted them out in the SWC's (and there were no frosts or freezes). They would look so healthy when I planted them out and then slowly deteriorate. I started some in October, November and finally the ones I started in December and planted out in mid February took off, all of them and flourished with no changes to soil or routine, it was just a little warmer by the time I planted them out and I had tons of peppers.. yummy! Padrons, Shi-shi-tos, Aji Amarillo, and a few others.

It's hotter where you are so I don't know which dates would work for you... :-)

Good luck and I hope it works!

Ginny

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

You might want to try starting some nov 1, dec 1, and jan1 (or something like that) and see if any batch does better than the others. That's how I found out what the problem was with mine. I had only grown them in the spring before and they always grew like gangbusters, but last fall I started some in the fall for the first time and no matter what I did or what kind of pepper plant it was they would eventually die after I planted them out in the SWC's (and there were no frosts or freezes). They would look so healthy when I planted them out and then slowly deteriorate. I started some in October, November and finally the ones I started in December and planted out in mid February took off, all of them and flourished with no changes to soil or routine, it was just a little warmer by the time I planted them out and I had tons of peppers.. yummy! Padrons, Shi-shi-tos, Aji Amarillo, and a few others.
It's hotter where you are so I don't know which dates would work for you... :-)
Good luck and I hope it works!
Ginny

Spring Peppers work fairly well for me but Fall Peppers usually do horribly. This fall I'll not plant as many and try things I haven't before, such as Sweet Banana and Sweet Hungarian Yellow Wax. Also Cayenne which has worked well for me in the past. When I pulled last falls Carolina Wonder nematode resistant plants (which had produced all but nothing) there were literally no roots on them. I have 1 Touchdown Belle pepper (highly disease resistant) seed left, I might as well give it a try to see how it does. Touchdown plants did very well in the Spring and are still producing a few small peppers.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Ginny - are you sure your SWC wasn't too wet for peppers? I mainly grow them in Root Pouches, but have in a regular container and again in an EB.

Spring '15 I grew in EB and production was huge but after that then they kept wilting; Looking back, I think it stayed too wet and they got root rot. Roots were almost non-existent.

Larry's problem could be nematodes, etc.

-----
Kay - Purple plant has 2 peppers; I took a pic when I thought just one; but later saw another...... woohoo.

[Fiishergurl]

Barb, I guess it could be but I dont think so. The same containers did fine with the same soil as soon as it got a little warmer. I don't think I have ever had a problem with SWC's being too wet.

I could be wrong though. Maybe I will try some peppers in root pouches this fall and see if it makes a difference.

Ginny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Ginny - are you sure your SWC wasn't too wet for peppers? I mainly grow them in Root Pouches, but have in a regular container and again in an EB.
Spring '15 I grew in EB and production was huge but after that then they kept wilting; Looking back, I think it stayed too wet and they got root rot. Roots were almost non-existent.
Larry's problem could be nematodes, etc. -----
Kay - Purple plant has 2 peppers; I took a pic when I thought just one; but later saw another...... woohoo.

Who knows maybe I kept my bed too wet. Do peppers require less water than tomato plants? I found it odd that there were all but no roots. If it had been nematodes I would have thought I would have found some roots with the traditional swelling and knotting but I didn't. Instead I found no roots. Also Carolina Wonder is highly touted as nematode resistant. Wilting was another issue I had with the plants. Some fairly good looking plants in a single day went into a huge wilt and never recovered.
Puzzled in Orlando,
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

https://vimeo.com/176086361

Not sure if the video will show up but my moms milk weed plants are demolished by the monarch catepillars but my sister read that they like butternut squash. Hopefully the video will work.

It shows a monarcg catepillar eating butternut squash that my mom put out.

Ginny

Ginny

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Ella,

It is sooooo hot here. Hotter than Florida i think. I topped all of my tomato plants today since we are leaving this house Sept 30 and I want the plants to focus on the tomatoes already on the plants.

You must have a lot of tomatoes ripening by now.

Ginny

In the area with many factories and next to big city is always Hotter than the temperature posted.
Plus, the rain go around us all the times.
Right now is 2 degrees wormer than it is in Miami. Can you believe it?

[Barb_FL]

I don't think FL at any given time is hotter than a lot of the country; it's just that we have 5 months of it.

I get incensed when it gets over 90 because it rarely does. More this summer but hopefully that is behind us.