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Post by daylilydude on Jun 7, 2018 5:11:58 GMT -5
We all have different ways of supporting our tomato plants, cages, stakes and such, but if your growing peppers in what way do you support them?
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Post by carolyn on Jun 7, 2018 6:52:22 GMT -5
I actually learned from one of my friends from Hungary to plant two peppers side by side so they can support each other. no cage necessary, this year I planted them that way and then pinched one of them to make the one bushy to help prevent sunscald. we will see how that helps or works. I plant inside a high tunnel and outside in the garden. I probably have 250 pepper plants out. the plants are pretty cheap to do this this way. cheaper than a cage and nothing to store. plus you may have extras you can donate to a food shelter or even just friends or family members who can't garden.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 7, 2018 7:24:48 GMT -5
I saw this method at a farm that sells peppers for market and I have been doing this for several years and like it.
My garden is 17' wide so I plant 2 rows of plants fairly close together, 1-2' apart, across the width of my garden.
After the plants get bigger I put in 3 or 4 stakes on each side of the rows and run para cord between the stakes. This makes a cord that runs across the entire width of the garden on each side of the rows of plants. If the plants get too tall I sometimes add a second cord higher than the first one. I discovered para cord last year and it is so much stronger than the garden twine that I used to use. It would occasionally break when the peppers got heavy with fruits.
The peppers support each other within the row and the cord keeps them supported on the sides.
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Post by paulf on Jun 7, 2018 7:30:36 GMT -5
Pepper supports in my garden are what hybrid tomato growers call tomato cages. Those wire cages with two or three circles and three wire prongs connecting them all and the ends go into the dirt. These cages work on tomatoes for about a month and then they are useless, but for peppers they work pretty well and are cheap and reusable if treated carefully.
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Post by spike on Jun 7, 2018 7:40:49 GMT -5
I have 4X4 foot raised bed, 2 feet tall, divided into 2X2 foot sections. 4 foot welded wire is wrapped around the outside, to keep bunnies from making my bed a nursery. ANYWAY, all of that to say that is where I plant most of my peppers. I plant 4 to 5 in each 2X2 section. The plants support each other and have the welded wire for back up. If I plant peppers in the garden I am with paulf, and use tomato cages.
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Post by september on Jun 7, 2018 9:38:22 GMT -5
I use the small tomato cages like Paul does, too. I suppose they may not work as well in the south where pepper plants can grow a lot taller than up here and have long seasons, including some lasting for several years.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Jun 7, 2018 9:41:50 GMT -5
Yep, tomato cages here as well if they need them.
But, I also plant them closer together so they grow with a buddy or two and they tend to not need the cages. But I have them on hand if needed.
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Post by paulf on Jun 7, 2018 10:34:10 GMT -5
Just went out to check the peppers. Harvested a one inch pepper from a two inch tall plant. Our early hot weather is forcing the pepper plants to stay small. I need a couple more cages. delete your account page
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 7, 2018 11:32:31 GMT -5
Most of my peppers don't need support, but sometimes I put a small bamboo stake in the ground to support them in the beginning, until they get stronger. Occasionally a variety with larger peppers needs some support, due to the weight of the fruits, but I don't grow many of those.
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Post by Hensaplenty on Jun 7, 2018 18:55:59 GMT -5
In the past I've used smaller tomato cages to support the peppers. This year the plants are all in pots. Two to a pot with one stake in between.
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Post by pondgardener on Jun 7, 2018 21:03:40 GMT -5
brownrexx, that is what I do as well to support my jalapeños and bell peppers. But I use 30" sections of rebar, pounded halfway into the ground at each end of the beds, between rows. I use baling twine tied to each piece of rebar on each end, so for three rows of peppers, there will be four lines of twine stretched out. When it gets windy here it really helps to keep the peppers upright, especially after a heavy rain, which is sorely needed at the moment. And short strips of twine can be attached perpendicular between parallel lines to support individual plants if necessary.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 7, 2018 22:54:03 GMT -5
I grow a lot of large heavy sweet peppers, and they are bad about blowing over or breaking branches when we have thunderstorms. Also, since I grow mine in Earthoxes where the soil is very soft and fluffy, I think the plants are more prone to tipping over than if grown in the ground. So, I cage mine.
Funnily enough, the pea fences from Gurney's and Burpee fold into a rectangle that fits perfectly on an Earthbox, as if it were designed that way. Expensive, but they are fairly heavy and galvanized, so they will likely outlast me.
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Post by daylilydude on Jun 8, 2018 5:17:48 GMT -5
I use stakes for mine and you know i'm frugal... neighbor had gotten satellite dish but had one of those old school aluminum antennas, well it had little arms that came out on the side and they threw it out down by the road so I picked it up and cut the little arms off and threw the rest in our aluminum scrap pile. They are just long enough to use for the way I used to grow peppers... in-ground, so i'm hoping that now i'm growing them in buckets that they will work just as well there?
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 8, 2018 9:08:10 GMT -5
And short strips of twine can be attached perpendicular between parallel lines to support individual plants if necessary. pondgardener , I do that same thing too. Most of my peppers are bell peppers and the heavy branches can break off in the wind. This method of string works great for me.
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