re: 2026 Spring Garden Thread

I moved my potted tomatoes under a table on the back porch for last night. I'll add a blanket and maybe small heater for this upcoming low.
How hardy are peppers?

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How hardy are peppers?

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I have always been told 42 degrees is the magic number. The closer you get to 42 to more stunted they will be, but below 42, many peppers will die. I have used those little plastic domes before over my peppers when an unexpected front passed with success.

Amazon Dome

forecast for Hammond is not backing off, it’s getting worse. 31 tues morning and now 34 wed morning. frick a duck

everything here is either sprouting, budding out, fully erupted or blooming and the vegetable plants are cranking

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Confidence is increasing that a late season freeze will occur overnight Monday into the Tuesday morning hours. Below freezing temperatures are forecasted along and north of I-12 and the coastal lakes. The main threat with this freeze will be sensitive vegetation that has begun to grow during the last few weeks of above normal temperatures.

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37 projected here. Guess I’ll get the frost clothes back out to cover peppers, tomatoes, and green beans.

Soaking them overnight helps. They need consistent warmth, and moist but not wet conditions. Then, they'll take forever to germinate.

I've had pepper seeds sprout up to 6 weeks after sowing. But usually at least a week to a week and a half.

Good luck with the wind.

I got a 17 yr old son and lots of bags of mulch!

I have failed to sprout peppers many times, but have had good success recently. I soak pepper seeds in warm water the night before planting. I never follow the sowing depth on the package. I always sow shallower, basically surface sow then sprinkle an extremely light dusting of very fine seed starter medium on top. I’m trying to sow as shallow as possible but not see the seed on the surface. I start these inside around 68-70 degrees without a heat mat. Keep a dome on your trays until they sprout then remove and place a grow light 2-3” above the sprouts. I feed a very weak liquid fertilizer to the roots after they have a set of true leaves.

We’re prepped and ready with peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and squash covered. We’ll see if it holds against the wind shortly.