Slow Growing Bell Pepper Plant

It's fairly obvious by now that out Purple Beauty Bell Pepper plant isn't going to make any peppers this year. Truth is, it's not even getting large enough to transplant outdoors. About two months have passed since I planted it. During that time, the plant has grown to a lofty height of two inches. Save a miraculous growth spurt, I just don't foresee any purple peppers.

So, not counting on a miracle, I made a trip to the local nursery yesterday. While there I picked up a healthy looking red bell pepper seedling. This plant is pretty far along, already sporting several blooms. I'll be interested to see if they make or fall off after it's transplanted. If this one fails too, it will be my third and final strike on bell peppers this year.

Growing Peppers

This certainly isn't shaping up to be the year of the pepper in our container garden. So far, our plants have produced only six small Jalapenos (four of which were on the plant when I bought it), two very small Tabascos, and one Bell that rotted before it ripened. The Tabasco and Habanero plants look great, but just aren't putting on any blooms or peppers. But at least they are still alive, which is more than I can say for the Jalapeno and Bell (granted, our Mastiff Tessa sat on the bell). Finally, the Purple Beauty Bell Pepper is the slowest growing seedling I've ever encountered. At its current rate it might be ready to set out by next March. Do any of you seem to have more trouble growing peppers than other vegetables?

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Habanero on left, Tabasco on right

Very slow growing Purple Bell Pepper plant

Purple Bell Pepper Plant

Marianne's "Purple Beauty" bell pepper plant finally came up a couple of days ago. I planted the thing over two weeks ago and was just about ready to give up on it. That's yet another lesson in patience. Anyway, I'm glad to see it growing now and I hope she gets lots of purple bell peppers off of it in the Fall.

World's Smallest Vegetable Bed

Well maybe there is one smaller somewhere in the world, but the flower/veggie bed that I built yesterday is pretty tiny. I plan on growing a tomato plant (haven't settled on a variety yet) and perhaps one of the Purple Beauty bell peppers that I bought for Marianne (I detest bell peppers, but she loves them). The things are supposedly purple even before they ripen, and should look very cool. When I decide on a tomato plant variety, I will plant another of the same age and type in one of my containers. Then, at the end of the year, I can compare their growth and production. I'm curious to see if the tomatoes on the plant in the ground will grow larger than those on the container plant.