Black plastic covering

 

I plan to use black plastic covering for my peppers this summer  in zone 5 .
How do i do it . How does it get watered and fertilized.

 



That is one hell of a good question. The answer to the watering, I
presume, is drip irrigation under the plastic. Alternatively, you could
leave a small spot uncovered where you could add water, and ORGANIC fish
emulsion.

As for the fertilizer, prep in advance.
<http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/Research/chili.html>
Chicken manure (three to four tons per acre) is custom applied a week or
more prior to listing.
1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft.
100 sq.ft. = 0.0022956841 acre.
8,000#/acre = 18.37#chicken manure/100 sq.ft.

http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/articles/vegetables/peppers .
html
When should you fertilize your peppers? Take your choice -- either
before planting or throughout the growing season.
---
During the season, since side dressing is out, use ORGANIC fish emulsion.
---
Avoid chemical fertilizers that can kill off soil microbes that feed
your plants. Chemical fertilizers are salts.
-----
Don't fertilize and water blindly--if your plants look healthy enough,
let them be, lest they ignore fruiting for vegetative growth. (Another
good reason to leave a opening in the plastic is to be able to gauge if
the soil is dry to a depth of 1".)

http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm  (for other manures)
Manure           Alfalfa         Fish Emulsion
N                  3                  5
P                  1                  1
K                  2                  1

Bell peppers typically produce 7 to 10 peppers a plant, hot peppers
more. When to harvest: on the one hand, leaving peppers on the vine till
they're completely ripe somewhat reduces the total productivity of the
plant; on the other hand, immature peppers are notably less sweet.

Let them ripen on the vine. We're not commercial growers: if you want
more peppers than your plants produce with the fruits left to fully
ripen, grow more plants next season.

Peppers are usually picked when they've stopped increasing in size, are
firm to the touch, /and have reached their expected color/. Don't pull
peppers, because the plant's branches are rather brittle and you can
break them that way: harvest by cutting the peppers off.

Oddly, clear plastic warms the soil better than black plastic.

Buona fortuna!
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.


http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

 

In article

I should have mentioned "Lasagna" gardening.
<http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1999-04-01/Lasagna-Gard
ening.aspx>
<http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnaga
rden.htm>
It is also no till (no digging). (1)Pick where you want your garden. (2)
Evenly spread your amendments over the area, N-P-K and such. (3) Lay
newspaper or cardboard over the area, to block weeds. (4) Spread mulch
over newspaper; leaves, straw, or, my favorite, alfalfa, also known as
lucerne. (5) Water the area thoroughly. (6) Spread out your plastic,
burying the edges. (7) Wait at least 2 weeks, make holes in plastic and
plant. Again, bury any exposed edges of plastic.

I would probably make the holes in the plastic 6" to 12" in diameter, to
allow for watering and fertilizing. When I tried this last time. My
plants were too small, and if they touched the plastic, they got fried
by the heat, so only transplant plants that are 7" tall or taller.


"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.


http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

 


My wife uses that and builds what she calls "barrows." These are long
ridges about 2 feet wide and a foot high built of dirt and compost
over a base of vegetable matter like hay and manure. She runs the
black plastic strips between the barrows so that she only has to weed
the barrow, not the rows between.

Depending on the size of your garden, you may consider covering with
the black plastic and cutting holes through it where you want to plant
your peppers. Till the soil under the holes, add some compost or
whatever, and plant your peppers. You'll only have to weed the small
area right around the pepper.

Paul

 

Andy Petro wrote:

Why do you want to do this?  Presumeably for weed control.  How to feed and
water your plants is just a small part of the problems.  You should also
consider:

How do you hold it down in a high wind?
What do you do with the bits as the plastic breaks down?
How do you deal with the weeds in the holes and splits?
How do you tell if watering is adequate?
Where does the rain go?
How do the roots respire?
How do you stop the roots and soil microbes from being cooked?

David