End of the 2020 Pepper Season?

September 21, 2020 | Article Topics:

The 2020 pepper season started off rough with a two week delay to getting outside, so it makes sense that it would end just as bizarrely. Mother Nature has seen fit to crash the party with overnight temperatures so low that frost advisories were triggered last night and predicted for tomorrow morning, as well. Oh, and did I mention that it’s only September!?

I’m not entirely sure that it made sense to keep fighting at this point anyway. The majority of my plants have decided to call it a day on their own. All of the self-watering buckets have been suffering for a few weeks now after six inches of rain over the back half of August. Only the Ghostly Jalapeno was still putting out fruit despite losing the top half of all its leaves. Breaking down those buckets was an easy decision to make.

pepper plants

The plants in the raised beds have also been reduced in number, though I have a feeling after the next two nights of unseasonable cold temperatures, I might be digging those out as well. As of this weekend, however, I have removed all but five plants – Chocolate Bhutlah, Primo, Bih Jolokia, Red Bonda ma Jacques and Yellow Murupi. The only reason these remain is due to the large number of ripening and unripe pods weighing them down. I would hate to not give them the opportunity to finish up, if they are able run another week or so.

pepper plants

I’m not sure how the next couple of night are going to go or how the plants will be affected, but I can tell you that this will be one of the earliest ends to my grow season that I have had in the short time I’ve been growing peppers. Mother Nature has been particularly difficult this year.