Two Week Update Since the Pepper Plants Have Been in the Wild

May 20, 2019 | Article Topics: ,

It’s been 15 days since all of the pepper plants were transferred to their outdoor homes. And in that time, we’ve had some near frosts and several inches of rain – and blistering heat as of yesterday. All of that has been pretty tough for the young plants to combat and, as expected, some of them look much better than others.

Pepper Plants

The Overflow Plot

Typically I start these updates with the plants at home, but this time around we’ll begin with the overflow plot as those plants are, much like last year, starting off hardest hit. The fourteen plants in the ground just down the road from home sit in soil that doesn’t particularly drain that well. This is only my second season gardening here and I suspect it will take a few years for the soil to get to a good spot as I continue to amend during the off season.

Pepper Plants
Pepper Plants


As you can see in the two photos above (Grenada Seasoning and MA Wartryx), there is a good bit of yellowing to these plants’ leaves. Some are doing better than others, but again, much like last year, I have a feeling these plants will ultimately thrive. It just may take more time for them to get going compared to my other plants.

Self-Watering Buckets

As expected, the plants in the self-watering buckets look the best so far this season. They have been bombarded by just as much rain as everyone else, but due to the way the system is designed, they drain much quicker than the overflow or the raised beds.

Pepper Plants

The Bequinho plants look excellent and have great color to their leaves. In fact, there is very little yellowing to any of the plants in these systems. These are also the plants that have displayed the best overall growth and development compared to my other plants. Hell, the little Criolla Sella already has a tiny pepper forming!

Pepper Plants
Pepper Plants

The Raised Beds

All of the plants (18 total) in the three raised beds are doing well – at least, better than the overflow plot plants. There are some here that have absolutely thrived regardless of the weather conditions. The three Cardi Scorpions (not shown) have displayed the most growth of any of the raised bed plants.

Pepper Plants

As evident in the trailing photos, these plants (Aji Fantasy and Freeport Scotch Bonnets) are still showing some slight yellowing, but for the most part they all look good.

Pepper Plants
Pepper Plants

I’m hoping that an upcoming dry spell and minor heat wave will help dry some things out a touch and provide the plants a respite to recover. That warmth should also help spur some more growth from these guys. That said, when compared to this time last year, I think I’m at just about the same place in terms of development. I don’t think I’ll have to replace any plants at this time, so that’s a good thing (knock on wood).