Vegetable Varieties for Containers II

By C Rae Hozer, Cumberland County Master Gardener

Suitable pepper varieties for containers include sweet bell, banana peppers and some sweet specialty types. Hot peppers, too. Use a 2 gallon container. Have 12 to 18 inches between plants for good air circulation. Peppers like full sun and heat. Transplant peppers outdoors at least two weeks after our last frost date. (Nighttime temperatures shouldn’t be below 50 degrees.) Containers are handy- just move the pot indoors overnight if it gets too cold. Don’t plant peppers and other vegetables as deep as tomatoes. Transplant peppers at same level as grown in pots to start. Use a water soluble fertilizer high in phosphorous. Once established in their containers, a straw mulch on the surface helps keep soil moisture even.

Bell peppers have sweet (not hot) flesh and a fat, bell shape. Tequila bell peppers grow on a  dwarf plant (18 inches high). They turn a deep purple then red and are very sweet. Tequila won the 2007 Mississippi Medallion Award. 72 days from transplant to mature peppers. Prolific producer. It takes about 80 days for Redskin and Mohawk peppers. Redskin peppers are red and Mohawks are orange when ripe. Lady Bell, 71 days, are red at maturity. A Bell Boy  plant grows about 24 inches tall with 4 1/2 inch, green fruit. Bell Boy (70 days) is an All-America Selection (AAS) winner. This variety is great for stuffing and keeps well. Yolo Wonder (75 days) is red. Keystone Resistant Giant (75 days) has large blocky peppers up to 4 3/4 inches wide, with heavy yields. New Ace peppers (65 days) turn red when ripe.

Like hot peppers? Try Apache Chile hot peppers for a prolific crop on an 18 inch dwarf plant. Cherry Bomb hot pepper (65 days) has red, oval, 2 1/2 inch fruit. They’re great for pickling. Long Red Cayenne (85 days) is a good one to grow for drying, chili and salsa. Super  Chile red hot peppers (AAS in 1998) are 1 1/2 inch long by 1/2 inch. Prairie Fire peppers mature in 85 days on a 48 inch plant. Hot Red Cherry peppers (75-80 days) are said to be moderately hot. Hot Lemon peppers mature to a bright yellow in about 80 days. This is an heirloom pepper from Ecuador. Red Chilies are excellent for drying, pickling and hot sauce. NuMex Twilight hot peppers grow to maturity in 85 days. These peppers are really hot.

Grow sweet specialty peppers. Yummy snack peppers (73 days) are 2 inches long, apricot-orange in color and extra sweet tasting. Pizza My Heart peppers (mature in 80 days) are red, sweet, crispy and juicy. Gypsy peppers are easy to grow, orange, sweet peppers. Sweet Banana peppers are yellow and shaped like 4 inch long bananas. (True to their name)

Grow bush type squash in containers. Use 5 gallon pots. Be sure to research size at maturity if trying a new variety. I grew Eight Ball Zucchini from seed one year. (The seed packet didn’t warn me the fleshy part would be dry if the fruit was left on the plant too long.) When over-ripe, that type of zucchini is only good for the compost pile, not for eating. Other zucchini recommended for pots: One Ball, Cue Ball, Gold Rush (yellow), Diplomat, Senator, Green Zucco, and Dixie. Grow yellow squash- Papaya Pear, Pic-N-Pic and Early Prolific Straightneck. Or try Bush Delicata winter squash and Scallopini patty pan squash.

Kale and other greens like Arugula, Pak Choy, Watercress, Radicchio, Komatsuna or Mizunare should be grown in 5 gallon containers with 10-15 inches between plants. Greens produce well in either full sun or partial shade. Starbor, Redbor, Winterbor, Dinosaur and Kale-Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch are kale variety names to look for.     

Plateau Gardening is written by Master Gardeners for those tending home landscapes and gardens in Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland Region. Contact UT Extension Cumberland County, P.O. Box 483, Crossville, TN 38557, (phone 931-484-6743) for quick answers to specific questions, free publications, or to learn about becoming a Master Gardener. Email comments or yard and garden inquiries to Master Gardener Rae, mgardenerrae@frontiernet.net.