Peppers - How much sun, temperature?

[brekehan]

The different plants in my garden are succeeding at different levels. I don't really want to spatter plants all over the yard, as a garden in one spot looks alot better. Maybe I can build shade over certain plants?

Question is - What temperatures are optimal for growing
Bell peppers?
Jalepeno peppers?
Tomatos?

It has been > 100 degrees for almost 2 months here in Texas.
My peppers are probably smaller then when I bought them 2 months ago due to trimming the burned and dead limbs or leaves.

The leaves on my peppers shrivel up during the day, but look healthy at night. Jalepenos too.

The tomato plant just turns spotted brown spots on some leaves, but others look fine. It never shrivels either.

Should I water more when the temperatures are high or does it a difference?

How can I go about building something to help protect plants from these extreme temperatures? I doubt I could make a swiveling roof on a timer Perhaps some shaded transparent plastic?

[rainbowgardener]

Tomatoes and peppers love temps in the 70 -80 degree range and if watered well can handle it up to 90. Above that and especially in the triple digit range you are talking about, they are heat stressed, drop their flowers and won't set new fruit.

You can look for shade cloth also called row cover, in any garden store. It's a very light, loosely woven cloth that filters and diffuses the sun. Just set up some kind of frame (they sell wire hoops for that in different sizes, but you can make your own, for the peppers, the wire frames they use for political campaign yard signs work well, I always save mine) and drape it over. Then you can also mist your shade cloth and create a little evaporative cooling.

For your climate, you are probably growing in the wrong season. Plant some new tomato and pepper seeds now to grow through the fall and winter.... They may do a lot better. Also look for tomato varieties that have been designed for hot climates. They have names like Heatwave, Sunmaster, Solar Set. Any garden store where you are should have them, since everyone in your area has the same problem.

[Duh_Vinci]

Exactly what rainbow said.

We've been in the mid to upper 90's for the a while, and what I'm finding that work well, if you could find a location with a shade in the second part of the day, so the peppers get their dose of first morning sun, and till about 12:00 or so.

If the plants are in the ground, moving out of the question for you, but in portable containers - if you could find that place, you will have increased crop! I noticed huge flower drop in my container peppers about a month ago, moved them up against the house, so first rays of sun and till about 12:30pm right now. Poblanos, Red Cherry, and Hungarian Wax are all flowering and setting the fruit now.

Good luck!

Regards,
D

[stella1751]

This is probably dumb, but I always thought that if Wyoming didn't have so much wind, I would put out one of those lawn umbrellas or lawn awnings, the ones you can open or close at your leisure. Peppers and tomatoes enjoy a spot of shade, a break, during the mid-day heat.

Last year, though, I grew mostly Poblanos. They spent hot, sunny days gasping for breath, slumped, their leaves like cloth. At night and during the morning, they were fresh as a daisy. I got a bumper crop from them, despite all their anguish