Topic: Hell's Bells - must do my homework?

[tim]

PEPPERS

With cus - we get about 40-50 per plant. We're happy with that. And, this year, I thought that the peppers were doing brilliantly. Until I counted. We did leave them to ripen, which normally takes 6 weeks beyond the green stage, but we only averaged 14 per plant. That prompted me to look at the RHS trial results. Dear oh, dear!! For Ace - which we grew - 64 if you pick them all green: 46 if you let them ripen!! The strange thing is that their first ripe one was 19 Sep, whereas ours was 14 Aug. How do they do it?? I have to say that there were dozens of babies still on the plants when we pulled them out.

Does it all hang on the old teaching - not less than 59F at night in a cold 'house?? Fat chance - we have 50F well into June!! Oh, well?? = Tim

[john_miller]

More fruit will cause increased dissipation of manufactured and absorbed nutrition, Tim (the principle behind fruit thinning of, for instance, apples), and may partially explain your earlier cropping of fewer fruit. The quantity of fruit will have been affected by your lower temparatures initially (bud initiation happens early in the plant development, so set will be lowered) as phenological factors will have the most influence but, with your ambient temperatures increasing as the season progresses, then, once ripening is initiated, it will happen more quickly. Can anyone translate that into something less convoluted?

[Hugh_Jones]

John, at the risk of over simplification, how about:

Colder conditions when the plant is in its early stages result in reduced numbers of flower buds forming and setting

Reduced number of fruits set results in faster development of those set and earlier arrival at ripening initiation stage

Warmer conditions once ripening initiation is reached speeds up ripening further.

[Derekthefox]

That makes it all sound so simple ...  ;D

[john_miller]

Thanks Hugh, my mind was too taken up with other things to concentrate on editing it. Could also be called laziness?
How did your mustard growing turn out Derek?

[tim]

Laziness, John? With my peppers at risk??

But all this raises the $ question. We strive to give things a long growing season - especially aubs - but, in bringing forward the planting date, we are open to more chilly days/nights. So - would it be better to delay planting so that we have more warmth for bud initiation?? With chillies, I don't mind picking green to encourage production - they often have a better flavour green. But my peppers I do like reddish.

Strangely, the aubs - planted at the same time as the peppers - averaged 33 fruit.

Just give me some warmth next year. = Tim

[john_miller]

My laziness, Tim, at not finding the energy to edit my own posts. Not yours.
As to late planting being better, that is a question that any grower wishes they had the answer too! The weather is such a lottery that some years you will get away with early planting, most you won't. If you ever figure out which is which start planning how you would spend your millions.
Warmth next year? Heaters help, but is it worth it?

[tim]

No!! = Tim

[Derekthefox]

thanks for the question john.

The answer . . .
Well not very well at all. The black mustard germination was so poor that the weeds took over. The yellow mustard grew well, but harvesting the seed proved so difficult that in the end I agreed with those who were cynical of my adventure - pretty much a waste of time for small time gardeners.
However, hope springs eternal etc, and I will find another crop to entrance me next year . . .