hardland
Senior Member
Posts: 248
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:05 am
Location: Sth Florida

Is there a difference in how you grow Tomatos VS Peppers?

I'm in Sth FL. Been growing Tomatos in the winter for a few years. I'm going to try some peppers this winter. My question, is there a big difference in how you grow toms versus peppers? Seed starting, light/heat needs, ferilizer requirements, containers OK? Etc Thanks

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30504
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yep. Peppers just don't germinate or grow well without warm root zone, so when starting them from seeds in late winter, bottom heat is essential. It usually takes them longer to germinate and the seedlings to get growing (so you want to add t least two more weeks -- 10-12 wks -- to growing transplants), and peppers need temps that are 5-10°F warmer than tomatoes (at least 50's for tomatoes, 60's for peppers).

Peppers are more sensitive to overwatering/root rot and grow better a little bit on the dry side and shouldn't be watered until the soil starts to dry. Well draining soil with more sand/perlite/etc. added than tomatoes is helpful. However, they will bloom and fruit with less light exposure/sun than tomatoes.

When planting out, they need warmer temps than tomatoes and are planted a week to two weeks later in spring. Again, they want warmer root zone than tomatoes.

Peppers, especially hot peppers can be treated as perennials and can relatively easily be overwintered since they are tolerant of heavy root and top pruning to be potted up and brought inside (and tolerate less light). In areas where winter freezing temps don't fall below mid-upper 20's, some members of the forum have reported that their peppers can grow back in the following spring.

...I don't know how to adapt these snippets to Florida fall-winter growing, but hope that helps. :wink:

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13947
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Peppers have a narrower temperature range in which they are happy. I start my peppers when the weather is still warm with night temperatures above 68 degrees. 80 degree days are normal here. I don't start seeds indoors and I don't use heat mats so starting peppers outside in cooler weather usually results in poor germination and slow growth.

Peppers need to be well drained and grow more slowly than tomato seedlings. Peppers produce best with temperatures between 70-88 degrees. Some hot peppers have very long lives and can live for years, but most of the bells are very short lived.

Peppers and tomatoes share the same pests and diseases and should not follow each other in succession, particularly if you had issues with pests and disease.

I find that I have more problems with diseases on peppers than I do with the tomatoes. It can also be because there are more resistant strains of tomatoes for more diseases than there are for peppers.

I live in a frost free climate, but during the winter months the peppers (hot) and eggplant do not produce very well. I suspect if you are going to grow them in winter indoors you would have better results with sufficient light and heat to keep the production up.

hardland
Senior Member
Posts: 248
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:05 am
Location: Sth Florida

Thank you both for the information. So, warmer, dryer is better. Any differences with fertilizer needs?

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Interesting:

"I find that I have more problems with diseases on peppers than I do with the tomatoes."

Lot of differences between growing in Ohio and growing in Hawaii, but I would have said the opposite. Tomatoes I have to be really careful with or they will get all kinds of fungal diseases, blights, septoria, etc. And no matter what, in my humid summers, they are pretty well guaranteed to have at least some septoria by the end of the season. And they get attacked by hornworms, aphids, stinkbugs, etc as well as birds, squirrels, raccoons.... NOTHING ever bothers my bell peppers. I have never seen them get any kind of disease and nothing eats them except slugs; the insects and the 4 leggeds do not touch them. I have to cage tomatoes in to get any, but I do not fence the peppers.

hardland
Senior Member
Posts: 248
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:05 am
Location: Sth Florida

I start my tomatos in a seed tray fror about 2 weeks, then pot up into 5 inch plastic pots for about 3 more weeks, all this time under lights 16 hours a day. Then into final container outside, gradually to harden off. This seems to have been quite effective for me. Do you start peppers the same way? Fertilizer, should it be the 2-6-7 kind I use on my toms? Thanks

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Starting tomatoes and peppers is basically the same, but as people have noted, peppers are on a slower schedule--slower to germinate, slower growing. I start my peppers 2-3 weeks earlier than tomatoes because of that. Otherwise your process and fertilizer sound fine.

hardland
Senior Member
Posts: 248
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:05 am
Location: Sth Florida

I'm ready to move the peppers from seed cell, into 5 inch pots. I'm not sure if I should plant the root ball deep like I do with Tomatos?

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Well, yes and no. Peppers don't have all the little hairs along the stem that can develop in to roots. But they can root from the stem when they are young and the stem is still tender. Your seedlings would be fine buried deeper. But once the stem hardens up, it is not good for peppers to be buried deeper, while tomatoes can always root from the stem if buried deeper.

hardland
Senior Member
Posts: 248
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:05 am
Location: Sth Florida

Thank you RG. I will bury deep into the 5 inch pot. When I re pot into final container I will not bury as deep as I do with tomatoes. I assume this has to do with the stem rotting.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”