heat needed for peppers and eggplants, HOW?

[DoubleJ]

OK, I need a difinitive answer. Is the heat needed for good pepper and eggplant growth needed in the roots or the plant as a whole? If it's needed in the plant as a whole, I can place them in a greenhouse. If I only need the soil hot so the roots stay hot, can I just place them in 5 gl pots and leave them on the concrete driveway? That should warm the soil enough. It gets 75-80 in the summer here with night temps about 50ish. I would prefer to keep my greenhouse for other things but, if I need to put my peppers and eggplants in there, I guess I have to.

[barkeater]

I don't know for sure, but a local friend of mine grows his hot peppers in a small, old, glass greenhouse, and he gets habaneros and others to ripen that I can't in outside pots.

[Polar_Lace]

Originally Posted by DoubleJ

OK, I need a difinitive answer. Is the heat needed for good pepper and eggplant growth needed in the roots or the plant as a whole? If it's needed in the plant as a whole, I can place them in a greenhouse. If I only need the soil hot so the roots stay hot, can I just place them in 5 gl pots and leave them on the concrete driveway? That should warm the soil enough. It gets 75-80 in the summer here with night temps about 50ish. I would prefer to keep my greenhouse for other things but, if I need to put my peppers and eggplants in there, I guess I have to.

In the plant as a whole.
A 75-80 in the summer with night temps about 50ish is not really good for the plant as a whole.

Fruit set will be delayed dramatically, blossom drop will happen in a 15 degree temperature drop over time. Garden Fabric is a good thing to use if you want to keep them outside with temperatures rising and falling so much; but it requires that you remove it at 1 hour after sunrise, and place it back up at 2 hours before sunset. You have to keep them at a good steady temperature. Even if you do put them on a concrete driveway that radiates heat back to them.

This has been my experience while living in Upstate New York.

~* Robin

[Love2Troll]

There are so many diff species and varieties of peppers that there is no perfect answer w/o knowing just what you intend to grow and how.

First off, black containers on concrete is a great way to get peppers started in coooler zones or started earlier in warmer zones. By mid-summer you might have to pile mulch around them to keep cool. I don't like even hardening off my pepper seedlings unless both day and night temps are above 50 while tomatoes seem to do just fine with sunny day temps in the 40s. So for me it will be a lot of indoor at night and outdoor during the day hardening off.

A great place for local growning info is your local Cooperative Extension Office: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ Ask for someone familiar with local home gardening practices as the people there may vary greatly in fields of expertise. Local nurseries and gardening clubs might be available for info too.

[maryinoregon]

Our temps in my part of western Oregon aren't usually as cool as yours, but I feel your pain.

If necessary, you might put a small tomato cage around your pepper plants, or maybe some big sticks, dowels, or whatever you can find. Wrap some clear, thick mil plastic around them. Or you could use WOWs if you have them. WOWs-Walls of Water. Sometimes I use one or the other around my plants all summer and you will notice a small temperature jump. Might be just enough to keep your peppers growing and setting, as well as keeping them warm enough at night.

I have also found microclimate is absolutely important in growing warm weather crops here. Put peppers in the sunniest spot you have. The maximum amount of sunlight is so important. If it's the driveway in pots, go for it. And try what I suggested above to warm them further.

Planting against a brick wall that has a southern exposure is great. Or a house with a southern exposure. The heat they absorb will bounce back into the plant at night. Great way to keep them just warm enough.

Examine your planting spaces for the warmest spots you have. And that receive the most hours of sunlight a day. Are you willing to move anything so your peppers can have that spot or those spots?

Do you have the room and the time to create a hoop house for your peppers? Excellent way to keep them warm enough if you plan on growing more than a few plants.

Getting back to smaller amounts, 2 liter pop bottles filled with water and set around the plants will bounce added warmth into the plants. Or you could use milk jugs or other large containers.

I hope these suggestions help. They have worked for me and for many in our part of the country.

[feldon30]

I vote for squeezing peppers (especially hot peppers) into 4-5 gallon pots in your greenhouse.

[Sprocket]

Well since there is no room in the in for peppers right now I opted to use the front of my old beater that is sitting in the drivway.....daytime temps 8o+ and nighttime down to 40-50 right now....is this too extreme andshould I bring them in at night? Oh my first post ; )

[Blueaussi]

If it's getting below 50F at night, you should bring them inside.

[Sprocket]

Thanks Blu I'll be bring them in. Do you think that with the inside temps being 80-95 is that warm enough???

[Blueaussi]

Originally Posted by Sprocket

Thanks Blu I'll be bring them in. Do you think that with the inside temps being 80-95 is that warm enough???

Oh yeah, that's fine for right now. Once they start producing, though, that's too warm for nighttime temperatures. They'll produce better with nighttime temperatures in the 60's and 70's. Once you start getting into the 80's at night, they'll start dropping blossoms.

As Love2Troll said, there are so many different varieties, and some tolerate cool nighttime temperatures better than others. What varieties are you growing?

[Polar_Lace]

Hi Sprocket and Blueaussi,

Do you know about the Blue, Brown, Green Tarps?

They make an excellent cover to keep cold out! For real!

People use them to cover up their old jalopies in their driveways and such.

To test it; place a thermometer in the place where you want to keep the pepper seedlings/plants at night. Hook up your tarp to cover over the location the sides, behind and in front - bungee cords, rope and cement blocks/bricks/rocks work great for this!

Leave a space to easily remove the tarp when you want to check the temps at night. You should see a dramatic rise in the temps there. Believe me, tarps are cheaper and as warm as a coldframe. The frame would be the front of your old beater.

~* Robin

[veggie babe]

Sprocket welcome to TV, hope your peppers do well. The gardeners/pepper guys here will help you pull thru and have a successful year.

neva

[Sprocket]

Thanks guys and gals....I'll check out those tarps.

[Blueaussi]

Polar Lace, I don't have heat, or lack there of, issues. I'm a reasonably experienced pepper grower trying to offer a little advice.

I think the tarps aren't such a good idea, personally, and think some of the other solutions offered here are much better. The wall o'water or plastic wrapped tomato cages would be better for the pepper plants than throwing a tarp over them everyday. Slugs would consider the tarp a flashing "Good Eats!" sign around here.

[velikipop]

Sprocket,

In your neck of the woods it's too early to have the peppers outside. Wait until the night temps are in the 60's. If you are planting in soil then I would recommend that you cover it with plastic mulch so that the soil can get warm ...clear is the best for raising the temp. I would use black mulch to plant and maybe build a cheap plastic hoophouse out of PVC pipe to keep the warmth in at night. Don't plant until the last week of May. If I am correct you normally get at least two months of warm humid conditions that are ideal for peppers and tomatoes. Don't be in a rush to plant out too soon.

Chilis will do well in containers but bring them in at night until the temps get warmer and watch out for cats..they love to eat pepper leaves. Manzano and Lemon Drop are cold hardy late in the season.