The Weekly Pepper Update

Look at these beautiful pepper seedlings!  They're still spending time at my desk at work, underneath a pair of standard T8 fluorescent lights.  But they spend at least 4 days a week for 6 hours each of those days out on the porch soaking up direct sunlight from 8am to 2pm.  So they're not leggy at all - nice and green and healthy looking.  I had transplanted them a few weeks ago from the small jiffy peat pellets into these 4" square pots, and there are roots coming out the bottom of the pots now.  They're totally ready to transplant into the ground!

HOWEVER, it's not time yet.  According to the N.C. State Vegetable Garden Planting Guide, hot and sweet peppers both like soil temperatures of 65 degrees and should not go into the ground until early May.  That being said, I'm probably going to keep these here at work for another week to week and a half, and then take them home to plant the weekend of April 30, though I might do it as early as Tuesday April 26th.

I've been watering these plants (through the tray liner) a couple times a week.  When they sit out in the sun they soak up the water pretty good.  I gave each try 48oz of water this morning and both tries are dry now with the top of the soil in each pot being just a little moist.  Perfect.