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Down the Garden Path: Snacking peppers bring big flavor in a small size · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Down the garden path. Snacking peppers bring big flavor in
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  Speaker 1: a small size. Written by Alexis R. Barnes, University of
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  Speaker 1: Illinois Extension. This article is being read by an automated
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  Speaker 1: voice brought to you by Everlett. Peppers are a staple
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  Speaker 1: for many summer gardens, yet high heat combined with humidity
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  Speaker 1: can challenge plant performance. While peppers are often considered heat
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  Speaker 1: loving crops, extreme or prolonged high temperatures can cause more
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  Speaker 1: problems than productivity. Recent growing experiences highlight how weather, variety, choice,
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  Speaker 1: and timing all play key roles in pepper success for
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  Speaker 1: home gardeners. During graduate research in South Dakota, the bell
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  Speaker 1: pepper cult of ar Red Knight x three R performed
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  Speaker 1: well under temperatures near ninety fahrenheit. Those plants thrived in
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  Speaker 1: the region's hot, dry conditions, which helped limit disease and
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  Speaker 1: nighttime stress. However, growing peppers in high humid summers with
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  Speaker 1: temperatures swinging through the nineties and limited rainfall tells a
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  Speaker 1: very different story for northern Illinois. Under those conditions, even
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  Speaker 1: reliable bell pepper varieties can struggle, which raises the question
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  Speaker 1: if other sweet pepper varieties are better to experiment with alternatives.
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  Speaker 1: A snacking pepper SVPs Eero eight ninety seven was added
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  Speaker 1: to the garden alongside red knight bell peppers. Snacking peppers
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  Speaker 1: are smaller, long, and slender, and are bread for sweetness
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  Speaker 1: and convenience. They're great for dipping, fresh eating and quick
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  Speaker 1: snacks straight from the garden. This variety is bread to
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  Speaker 1: resist bacterial leaf spot, an important advantage in humid growing
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  Speaker 1: conditions when summer turns stressful. Despite their tropical reputation, peppers
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  Speaker 1: have their limits. Once daytime temperatures climb above eighty five fahrenheit,
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  Speaker 1: pepper plants often reduce fruit set, especially if nighttime temperatures
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  Speaker 1: stay above seventy fahrenheit Shoot and Tong twenty twenty four
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  Speaker 1: during the hottest as part of summer. Common problems can
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  Speaker 1: occur even for snacking varieties, including blossom drop, where flowers
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  Speaker 1: fall before forming fruit. Suns called which leaves pale, damaged
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  Speaker 1: patches on exposed peppers, yields fewer and smaller fruits overall
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  Speaker 1: compared to cooler temperatures. These issues are most noticeable in July, August,
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  Speaker 1: and early September, when heat, humidity, and dry conditions overlap
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  Speaker 1: plants remain green with plenty of foliage, but they tend
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  Speaker 1: to produce fewer peppers than expected a long season crop.
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  Speaker 1: As temperatures cool into the seventies and low eighties in September,
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  Speaker 1: snacking peppers can hit their stride. Plants set fruit more consistently,
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  Speaker 1: and produce many small peppers, often allowing for multiple harvests
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  Speaker 1: per plant. This makes snacking peppers an excellent option for
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  Speaker 1: gardeners looking to stretch their harvest from late spring to
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  Speaker 1: late fall. Their strong performance in cooler, warm season weather
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  Speaker 1: also raises an important point for gardeners eu using small greenhouses.
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  Speaker 1: These structures can become very hot during summer. Installing shade
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  Speaker 1: cloth can help lower temperatures by several degrees and reduce
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  Speaker 1: heat stress, keeping peppers productive when conditions get extreme Hoidl
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty four Tips for thriving peppers. Home gardeners can
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  Speaker 1: support pepper growth during hot weather by choosing varieties suited
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  Speaker 1: to local conditions, watering consistently, especially during dry conditions, mulching
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  Speaker 1: with straw to keep roots cool and soil moist. Providing
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  Speaker 1: light afternoon shade during heat waves. Give snacking peppers a
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  Speaker 1: try snacking peppers offer big rewards in a small package.
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  Speaker 1: They're productive, easy to eat, and well suited for raised beds, containers,
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  Speaker 1: and urban gardens. Their steady season production and fun shape
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  Speaker 1: make them a great compliment to traditional bell peppers. Seeds
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  Speaker 1: for snacking, picnic or lunchbox peppers are available from Johnny's
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  Speaker 1: Selected Seeds, Burpie, high growing organic seeds, driftless seeds Supply,
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  Speaker 1: and Harris seeds. With the right expectations and a little
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  Speaker 1: heat management, bell peppers can still be a highlight of
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  Speaker 1: the summer garden. For more information, check out the University
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  Speaker 1: of Illinois Extensions Local Food and Small Farms YouTube channel
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  Speaker 1: for growing tips and other horticultural advice. Illinois Extension does
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  Speaker 1: not endorse any products, varieties, or companies mentioned in this article,
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  Speaker 1: nor is it endorsed by any of the entities referenced.
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  Speaker 1: Alexis R. Barnes is the University of Illinois Extension Local
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  Speaker 1: Food Systems Small Farms educator serving DuPage, Cane and Kendall Counties.
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  Speaker 1: Barnes' areas of expertise include specialty crops, fruit quality, and
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  Speaker 1: reduced tillage