Hi - I’m new to the community!
I’m planning my vegetable garden for next year, and am looking for pepper suggestions. I’m in USDA Zone 7a, grow in raised beds, rotate crops every year, add home compost and fertilizer (bloodmeal at planting, bonemeal when flowering) annually, and start my seedlings indoors.
I’ve had good production the past few years with Greek pepperoncinis, Petit Marseillais, shishito, and various habanero varieties, but have had poor yields in the past when trying to grow the peppers my wife prefers: poblano, jalapeno and banana.
Any suggestions for either varieties or technique? Ideally I’m looking for a versatile heirloom (I save seeds) with a moderate (sub-habenaro) level of heat.
Rareseeds.com aka Baker Creek has really good varieties of the more unusual varieties and I really enjoy them. For yields, I’d look into the soil. You may need more compost, or moisture retention, or drainage… Etc. peppers love a lot of nitrogen in the beginning, then potassium and calcium/magnesium to build the fruit.