Help with Bell peppers

[dougmays]

hey all,

i've tried several times to grow bell peppers..my latest attempt was a Red Bell plant i got at a local nursery. I had a nice looking pepper grow to a decent size but never turned red...i waited and waited for weeks and it only was green and then rotted right there on the vine :(

what am i doing wrong? do i have to pick it when it's green and let it ripen off the vine?

 

[linguica]

Peppers will turn red right on the vine. Growing them shouldn't be a problem where you live. They require the same general care as tomatoes and eggplants.

 

[fpnmf]

Most bell peppers turn red..do you have them in full sun??

If so then it is a soil issue..

  Craig

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Bell peppers can be stubborn, it takes some cultivars a long time to turn red.
You could try a cultivar that's shorter season.
The rot could be caused by several different things, the one thing you don't want to do is over-fertilize the plant(s), which is an easy thing to do because with just a plant or a few, folks tend to take too good of care. That's probably the most common error.

If you want a shorter season cultivar that will turn red sooner and you can start from seed, "King of the North" (not just for northern climates) would be a good one to try, avoid cultivars that are prone to sun scald, that can lead to spots that look like rot.

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-seeds-king-of-the-north-pepper.html

~Martin

 

[dougmays]

hmm thanks guys...

i could have easily over fertilized it...i usually try to give it veggie fertilizer every couple months

i'll try the shorter season ones..

 

[linguica]

hmm thanks guys...

i could have easily over fertilized it...i usually try to give it veggie fertilizer every couple months

i'll try the shorter season ones..

Try using a quality potting soil and fertilize only half as much as the fertilizer label suggests.

  or better yet use chicken fertilizer.

 

[dougmays]

Try using a quality potting soil and fertilize only half as much as the fertilizer label suggests.

  or better yet use chicken fertilizer.

i have a mixture of Black Kow and Miracle Grow Garden soil.....so maybe i just over fertilized it...

 

[linguica]

Try using a quality potting soil and fertilize only half as much as the fertilizer label suggests.

  or better yet use chicken fertilizer.

i have a mixture of Black Kow and Miracle Grow Garden soil.....so maybe i just over fertilized it...

MGGS has fertilizer in it already. Over fertilization will produce a massive, healthy plant without flowers or fruit.