THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996                  TAG: 9604050073
SECTION: HOME                     PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   60 lines

WATER WELL AND YOU'LL PICK A PECK OF PEPPERS

NEARLY ALL GARDENERS try to grow pepper plants, but some give up after a year or two because of meager yields. They don't get many peppers, and they don't know why.

According to research scientists at the University of Illinois: ``The single most limiting factor for pepper production is moisture. Drought stress at any point of fruit development, including pollination, will reduce yields.''

Many gardeners, including me, thought peppers failed to set fruit in mid-summer because of heat, but the university experts says it's lack of rainfall. Often that occurs during the hottest days of summer. With lack of moisture, peppers drop blossoms and small fruit or they fail to set fruit.

To prevent the problem this season, improve the soil and its moisture-holding capacity by incorporating organic matter such as compost, ground-up leaves or grass clippings. Then mulch around the plants with pine bark or pine straw to reduce surface evaporation. Finally, water by hand or with an irrigation system during dry, hot spells.

If you take these precautions, you should pick more peppers than Peter Piper.

As to planting peppers, delay putting them in your garden until the weather has warmed considerably. They are sensitive to cold soils, if stunted by cool weather, they recover very slowly, say Louisiana State University authorities. Late April or early May is usually an ideal time. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.

You can buy plants in any garden center and can grow peppers in a variety of colors, including green, red, yellow, orange or chocolate.

Some varieties to consider are: Ace, the fastest producing variety, yielding medium-sized peppers that ripen red in only 50 days; Jupiter, a large, blocky green pepper; Orobelle, a medium-sized, yellow pepper; Whopper from Park Seeds, a large-fruited pepper that ripens red; and Chocolate Beauty, a large pepper that ripens brown.

The popularity of Mexican food has given renewed favor to hot peppers, with many people believing that hotter is better. Planting instructions are generally the same for hot peppers as they are for sweet varieties.

Most garden centers carry a choice of hot peppers, including jalapenos, cayennes, New Mex's and habaneros. You can also grow numerous varieties from seed. One of the ``hottest'' sources is Pepper's Seed Catalog, 2009 Highway One, Dewey Beach, Del. 19971. Call (800) 998-FIRE. MEMO: To learn more about hot peppers, join the local Pepper Lover's Club. The

club publishes a bulletin called the Hot Pepper Chronicle. Its projects

benefit the SPCA. For information, write Pepper Lover's Club, P.O. Box

5043, Virginia Beach, 23455-0043. Or e-mail Terry and Marty Ward at

chilpepr@norfolk.infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO.

With proper planting and watering, you can grow big, healthy peppers

in many colors.

by CNB