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Peppers not performing very well

Gary_L67Gary_L67 Posts: 14
in Fruit & veg
Just clearing greenhouse and my tomatoes have done really well, also cucumbers but the sweet pepper plants have been awful. The plants were healthy with really good roots but they have not formed many fruits, some flowers dropped off, some fruits turned black, some were burrowed into and the leaves were eaten. How can I rectify this or where did I go wrong?

Posts

  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Bear in mind that you need different conditions for all 3 plants you mention.
    You obviously provided suitable conditions for your Cukes and Toms but perhaps not for your Peppers.
    If you still have any of the pepper plants, perhaps a pic or 2 may help others to give you an idea of what went wrong.
    Certainly the weather this year hasn't been conducive to peppers ripening but IME, there hasn't been a problem with the plants as such - just a good harvest of green ones for me ( SW UK ).
    I'm sure others will add to this with their experience this year :)
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Interesting @philippasmith2 about the different conditions.
    We have grown tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and chillies (and others ) in our polytunnel over the years.
    Had no problem until this year and the sweet peppers didn't grow at all well, then did very slowly and eventually produced some fruit.
    We did have some very cold nights earlier in the year but the plants were sown indoors and planted out "when" we thought the really cold spells were over.
    Maybe we just did it too early.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I’ve never put pepper plants out, garden or GH,  I keep them in the conservatory, in big pots, they’ve done well, lots of large peppers, finished now though and on the compost.
    Flowers dropping off could be that they weren’t pollinated, I always pollinate by hand just in case. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    I think flowers sometimes also drop without forming fruit ( certainly in my experience they do for chillies, so i am speculating peppers might be the same ) if night time temps aren't high enough ( I forget the cut off but guessing  14/15 celcius). In London ( so i guess probably warmer than OP in Liverpool), plentiful flower drop on patio outdoors ( not so indoors) on chillies this season even in June. If OP greenhouse is heated (?) then please ignore , that cannot be it.
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Living in the warmest corner of the SE UK I never grow peppers or cucumbers outside. Tomatoes yes. I don't grow them in the same green house, either. They need a very long season. I sow them in the kitchen window sill on January. Then they move to the conservatory,then normally April into the green house,end of may this year. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I grow toms, peppers, chilis and a cucumber in GH every year and they seem to get on well.
    I had a lovely harvest of peppers from a sowing on 9 March




    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Gary_L67Gary_L67 Posts: 14
    Thanks for all the comments, I will be more careful next year I think, obviously something I'm doing
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Like chilis, peppers need a long season to perform well.
    They like similar conditions to tomatoes, so plenty of warmth and plenty of sun.
    I feed mine about once a week with tomato feed when the first flowers form and leave the greenhouse doors and windows open so pollinators can do their work once the flowers are open.
    They don't like to be in wet compost, so pot them on 2 or 3 times as they grow and try not to overwater
    Best of luck for 2022!!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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