I'm new as well, but from reading about the bhuts, you may want to leave them in pots in case you decide to over winter them. It seems these plants have the potential to grow for several years with larger cops each year. I think the habaneros will be okay in your garden. I intend to plant some golden habs in mine. I too still have them under lights. I'm sure someone with a lot more knowledge will answer soon. Until then, Good luck and Semper Fi! (0351 Golf Company 2nd battalion, 8th Marines) Also, Thankyou for your service!

Whatever works best for you. If you have the room, the garden is perfectly fine.

If you think you might want to keep a couple over the Winter, it is easier to clean them up / prune them if they are in containers, but, I've overwintered them from the garden as well.

They do get big by the end of the season, so, 25 might be pushing it in your space depending on how much room is taken up by your other plants.

I have a similar sized garden that is about half taken up with tomatoes and usually have 12-14 peppers in there and the rest go in pots. By the end of the year, the garden is pretty full / hard to get between some plants, but, I usually have a path somewhere. :-)

I would consider doing both. I am in zone 5a, and I get peppers several weeks sooner in pots then in the ground. You are only one zone warmer, so you may find similar results. My belief is that the root temperature is the reason for later maturation of the in-ground peppers. Black mulch may help them mature sooner. I use black pots though, and get ripe peppers late July through to frost in pots. In ground, they are much slower, and I barely get ripe pods by frost. If you do both, you can make the same comparison, and then you'll know the best course for next year. I almost gave up on peppers due to late maturation. Containers have renewed my interest in growing peppers of all kinds.

PepperNovice- Semper Fi! I was an 0341 3/6 Wpns Co

Thank you everyone for the information. I lined out my garden with string today (just for an average so I know the spacing) and think I will take the advice of trying both. From what I read, I guess I can transplant again from their 3 inch pots to larger 5-6 gallon pots? Thanks again!!

Yes, you can. I found no advantage between 3 gallon and 5 gallon pots in my climate, but your slightly longer season may allow for the plants to take advantage in the larger pot size. Good luck!

One more note: Superhots such as bhut and habs, as well as sweet bell peppers seem especially productive in containers. If you have to make a choice, put Hungarian and sweet bananas, and Jalepenos in soil as they are earlier then superhots. Sweet Bells though are not very productive no matter what you do, and they produce the most fruit in containers from my experience.

Hmmmmm, Sweet Bananas and Hungarians in the ground? I have garden space for about 4 or 5 plants. I may just put the Sweet Bananas in there by themselves. Something to think about before I have to make a decision. The rest will all be containers.
Bruce

Capoman,

Thanks for all the information. I'm sure I'll be back asking a hundred more questions as the season goes on....Looks like the backyard is going to have an addition of my potted pepper plants :)

It will be a better backyard for it.
Bruce

@usmcgrunt Just be careful. Apparently growing pepper plants is an addiction. I just started this year, and they seem to be multiplying. I swear I don't remember planting this many! :)

The second year is generally worse.

My problem is that I usually plant about double what I plan to keep for the year. That way if a few meet an untimely demise, I still have enough of each variety. But then when they all survive and it is time to pick which ones to keep, I have a tough time tossing a perfectly good plant in the trash.
Bruce

Hahaha....Man, I'm in for some trouble next year than. I have about 25 now, and still some that are germinating. I don't know if they are going to take or not. If they do, I'll be giving early Christmas presents.

I have more then 50 on the go right now, and even that is after culling about 20 plants, as I didn't lose a single seedling this year. I'll try to find places for most, but I also have friends that are willing to take any extras from me. Although I have added more garden beds this year, I also have about 50 tomato plants as well as many others. Need to get more containers. Going to be another busy year. I had a big yield last year, and this is the first time I've made it through winter without running out of salsa, peppers, tomato sauce and beans, as well as several berries. It's great to move toward self sufficiency.

Capo,

Do you transplant after the first true leaves from the flats into larger pots (say 3 inch), then transplant again into their final pots? I read somewhere on here that is the way to do it?. I know everyone has their own little thing. I'm trying to get a link up with photos of most of mine.

usmcgrunt: I am assuming you have small seedlings right now, probably around an inch tall. I would let your seedlings go to a set of true leaves or more before transplanting them. You will know when they are crowding each other. Then probably up to 3.5 - 4" pots. Then, I would move them to bigger pots when they start to get root bound in the 3.5" pots. You will be able to see a mass of roots in the drain holes. They will be in the 8-12" range. Then you want to go to a 1 gallon pot unless it is time for them to go outside for the summer, at that point just put them in the 3 gallon plus pots or in the ground.

I see you are in zone 6. I would think you would be able to get your plants outside by the end of April or early May. I would plan on potting up to 3" containers and waiting until they have several true leaves and are about 4" or so tall and then putting them outside for the year.

Just remember to harden them off before you send them outside.

Bruce

Bruce,

Thanks for the information. I'm trying to get a photo of mine on here with Flickr, but for some reason it keeps rejecting my post.

I transplanted some of the larger ones already to 3 inch pots. Just like you said, I think I am going to wait until it is time to go outside for the final transplant. I only moved them after they developed full first true leaves. If I can get this picture up you will see what I mean....Thanks...

Here is a link that might be useful: Peppers

Yes, those are fine for putting in 3.5" pots as you have done. And I would assume you can get them outside for the summer within a few weeks so you won't have to transplant before then. I would begin the hardening off process pretty soon with them.

Here are your photos posted below.
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I use photobucket to host my photos. I am not sure how flikr works or I would help you out with that.
Bruce

Bruce is close to what I do. I transplant from cells when first true leaves are open to 3" pots. I try to keep the ones in 3" pots until plant out into the ground. For containers, I go direct from 3" to 3 gallon containers. I've also done 5 and 7 gallon, but haven't noticed an advantage in my zone, so I plan to stay with 3 gallon this year. I like 3 inch pots, as they fit in trays nicely. I put them in netted (screened?) trays that sit in a solid tray. This makes them more easily watered as I can transfer them as a group to another solid tray after watering to avoid making them soggy, or alternatively dunk them in a tray of water for a short time to water them. I am all about simplicity.

Man, the whole in the ground and watering process will be another feat that I will have to figure out. I keep telling myself trial and error, but I'm more for the trial part because I'm gonna be pi%%ed if I lose them after all this work...haha..

My frost date isn't until May 15th. I am in the process of hardening Sprouts and Onions now and wanted to wait until at least a week or two after the 15th. Think they will be ok in those 3 inch'ers until then?

And I just moved those ones in flats with the true leaves (Bhut's) to 3 inch pots as well.

Hard to say without pics, but even if they are a bit big for the pot, keep an eye on the watering, as they will use more water if underpotted, but will survive. You can always pop one out of the container and check the roots. If they are circling around the pot, then they need to be transplanted, if not, they can wait. You should be able to do this without disturbing the roots too much. Hold your hand on the soil in a Spock V with the stem between the middle and ring fingers, turn upside down and it should pop out easily by tapping the bottom of the container. You should be able to place back without damaging the plant or roots. I usually avoid transplanting just before hardening. One stress at a time.

Capo,

I didn't know if you saw the link, but if not esox07 reposted my pics for me (thanks for that).

I didn't see them as I was at a location that wouldn't download pics. I've viewed them, and they look like they'll be fine. They look pretty good actually, good job!

Thanks Capoman. Now I get this whole watering thing down and I'll be in business.

Bruce, if you have more superhots than you can use, you can probably offload them for $5 each on Craigs List. Put lots of warnings in your listing and you'll get even more replies. I've done that for the past few years and they never stay here more than a day or two after listing them. That way if they're going to die, at least I don't have to see it happen!

Great idea Preston. However, the only super hot that I have is my three Trinidad Scorpion Butch T's. I probably will only keep one or two of them but I am sure a friend or family member will take the extra's off my hands. I had several more but with the soil issues I had with my initial seedlings, I had to cut down my sprouts to basically what I needed for the summer.

If I had a green house, I would probably do as you say and grow and sell a few dozen super hots each spring to help recoup some of the $$$ that it takes to raise the rest of them.

Bruce

LOL, I guess we aren't the only ones that want to play with fire! I bet those Butch T's would go fast with the recent record.

Well I officially went nuts today. There are outdoor garden lots right by my house. I rented a 40 x 40 foot lot. I guess I will have enough room now...lol

I was worried about the dogs getting near the peppers, the company (seeds and things) told me to put them in 10-15 gallon pots or at least 3 foot of spacing all around if in the ground. I have no where enough room for all of that. I do now!!! I may try to run some watermelons and cantaloupe as well. Just thought I'd tell everyone how crazy I went....

I don't think that's crazy at all! I think you are just doing what we jarheads do. Your prepared for anything! Congratulations and best of wishes for a bountiful year.

In ground and watering is no biggie. I've had luck with an Orbit digital timer screwed onto my faucet. I have a filter and a pressure regulator on it. Probably spent $35-$45 on these. Flexible poly run to my rows which t off with soaker hose. All covered in mulch I never had a water problem even with a long string of 100 deg + days. My suggestion is to set it up but don't mulch right off. This way you can judge water times and intervals as a base line. It's easy to run it too much thinking that's what it needs but never knowing as it's hidden by mulch and I don't uncover a lot to check. This way you can tell with your soil type and temps how much it needs watering. Of course with a good layer of mulch it will go longer before it needs water. But it will probably be hotter and the peppers bigger (using more water) so you can uncover a little to judge how to adjust your schedule and times. I was amazed. Never did I have to run any kind of sprinkler or such. No weeding either.

usmcgrunt:
I dont think you really need 10-15 gallon pots for your peppers. I am not an expert but I had mine in 7 gallon pots last year and they were happy plants. I guess there might be benefits with pots that big but no so much as it would justify the added cost and space requirements.
Bruce

Those are tomato numbers,not pepper. 3-7 gallon is plenty. Spacing is much less as well.

That's exactly what I figured. And from reading on here, no one really talked that much about anything that extravagant or large. Only in certain cases. I have read mostly 3-7 gallon pots. I have enough room now to pretty much do what I want...

And Peppernovice, that is exactly what we do!!

Hey I was wondering what recommendations there are for my peppers starting to grow through pots? I have transplanted from trays now into 3 inch pots (pics above). I have about two more weeks until they go outside. They are getting huge under the lights and the roots are really starting to come through on some of them.

Should I pot up to another size or wait the two weeks out until they go outside? Thanks.

I would not pot up to much transplanting can cause them to go into shock. They should be fine for two more weeks, Another tip is keep your Bhuts away from any sweet peppers because they will cross pollinate like crazy.

Hot sauce thanks. I plan on keeping the hots and sweets in totally seperate gardens.

I agree with HotSauce911, with only a couple weeks left, I would wait and put them into their final pots at that time.
Bruce