Cool spring challenged seedling growth, no matter the pepper variety
This not-jalapeno is another mislabeled pepper in the summer of #jalapenogate. Laura Litzinger Hafner via Facebook
It’s been a tough summer for peppers – no matter the variety.
First, there’s Jalapenogate. Thousands of gardeners in several states are dealing with mislabeled jalapeno (or purple bell) plants. Instead of producing what their buyers expected, these plants grew yellow fruit that looks like a banana or wax pepper (and definitely not a jalapeno).
“I planted jalapenos, habaneros, serranos, Anaheims, green bells, yellow bells, and red bells,” wrote SDG reader Hollie Snider of Colorado on our Facebook page. “One of my jalapenos appears to be either a golden jalapeno or a Hungarian wax. Another jalapeno appears to be a banana pepper.”
(Read more about Jalapenogate here: https://sacdigsgardening.californialocal.com/article/45405-jalapenogate-is-real/)
It’s not just jalapenos that have had a head-scratching summer; all sorts of peppers have not enjoyed 2023.
The trouble started with the cool spring temperatures, observed Evan Hanson, retail nursery manager at Big Oak Nursery in Elk Grove. “Our spring peppers didn’t grow well. We had a lot of problems with them growing. They just didn’t do anything. As a result, we didn’t have the hot peppers – such as Carolina Reaper and ghost peppers – like we usually do.”
Instead of developing, the baby pepper plants damped off or seemed stunted. It was an issue experienced by other local pepper growers, too.
Big Oak, which grows many of its own veggies from seed, avoided selling the mislabeled jalapenos, at least so far. Nurseries and customers can’t tell for sure until the peppers form fruit. “So far so good,” Hanson said.
But many pepper buyers found out the hard way that their “jalapenos” weren’t what they were labeled. For example, a quick survey of pepper plants at Fremont Community Garden in Midtown Sacramento found several peppers with “jalapeno” plant tags that were clearly bearing pale yellow peppers.
Mixing up pepper seed is an easy mistake, even for experienced growers.
“Pepper seeds look alike,” noted radio host-turned-podcaster Farmer Fred Hoffman, a lifetime UCCE master gardener and host of “Garden Basics with Farmer Fred.”
Pepper seed needs warm temperatures – above 80 degrees – to germinate and warm soil (above 55 degrees) to grow outdoors. That’s why local growers usually start their peppers indoors in February. Pepper seedlings take several weeks of development before they’re ready to transplant outside.
That need for warmth and a long growth period until maturity can make peppers challenging under the best of growing conditions. Although peppers need sun, they’re easily sunburned. The challenge now is to keep them semi-shaded during scorching summer days and evenly irrigated.
For more on peppers, check out these tips from the UCCE master gardeners: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/peppers/
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Garden Checklist for week of Dec. 8
Make the most of dry weather while we have it this week. Rain is returning.
* Rake leaves away from storm drains and gutters. Recycle those leaves as mulch or add to compost.
* It’s not too late to plant something. Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Trees and shrubs can be planted now, especially bare-root varieties such as fruit trees or rose bushes. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from winter rains.
* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location; bring them inside at night or if there’s rain.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Mulch, water and cover tender plants to protect them during threat of frost. Succulent plants are at particular risk if temperatures drop below freezing. Make sure to remove coverings during the day.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
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