Has anyone grown peppers in large pots? Any luck growing them this way?
Hardiness Zone: 7a
By Betty from Lubbock, TX
I'm in West Michigan, zone 5 I think. I have very good success using what is referred to as Self Watering Containers. I use 5 gallon food grade plastic buckets that I get from a pizza shop. If you are not familiar with Self Watering Containers they are a container with a false bottom about 3 inches or so from the real bottom. Cut an opening in this false bottom and fasten a plastic jar that has holes int it.
When you fill the container with your potting soil, fill this first, then the rest of the container. This will act as a wick to draw up water. I put a length of tubing (hose or whatever) through the false bottom so it extends out the top for easy access. Drill an overflow hole in the bucket about a half inch or so below the false bottom. Then when adding water through the tube, if you add too much, it will drain out. This method allows the plants to draw water as needed.
I have successfully grown regular tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, a variety of peppers (green bell, hot peppers) in these. They are spread about on my deck as my arthritis prevents me from the old style of garden. I'm very pleased with the results.
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I am growing yellow and chocolate bell peppers in containers. My first peppers that started to grow were looking beautiful but soon started to mold on the lower half of the pepper before they matured. All containers have drainage holes on the bottoms of them so I do not believe that they can be to moist. Any idea as to what is wrong? Thank you,
Mold is always an indication of too much moisture. Your soil may be wrong or kept too wet. Your humidity may be incorrect. Peppers love sun and heat and little wind. Have you moved your plants from one area to another?
Trying adding vermiculite next time, also some pebbles or shells or something that will help the soil drain as the water flows through it, the vermiculite will capture enough of the water to maintain moisture but the rest will drain off.
