What do the plants look like? To get peppers or tomatoes like they show on the packet the plant has to be big, strong, pest and disease free and robust. The seed companies are showing you the best of the best but if the plants are lacking the peppers will follow. Still, it tasted dood and that is all that matters.

Perhaps it's not California Wonder? Labels may get switched @ stores & odd seeds mixed into seed pkts - it's happened to me.

OTOH, it may be a nutritional thing - but if the plant appears healthy, I'd go w/ mislabeling. I bought a pepper plant @ HD labeled 'Corno di Toro' but it is NOT - it's some type of skinny hot chile pepper.

I have a plant has fruit just like that, abt. 1 inch tall.... delicious.... I thought I bought a large pepper-plant however.... I notice at HD they have plants with the tiny peppers and I'm guessing the pots got mixed up or the wrong label placed on it.... the plant is quite attractive with all these tiny red peppers on it, very prolific..... sally

Sally,

The one you mention was probably a Yum and they are indeed yummy. Tall prolific plants that were not even phased by the summer heat when I had to screen the rest of my pepper plants that were melting under the scorching sun. The Yums get to maybe 3 inches high though some of the fruit matures at a inch. They are almost seed free, have a moderate wall thickness and are very sweet. They do take longer than the bell types to hit full stride in production. We actually used a bunch of them last night to make stuffed peppers as a appetizer for a party we were having and they were a huge hit. Stuffing them was a bit tedious lol. We cooked them in a full size muffin tray, 4 peppers fit per muffin cup. We had maybe a dozen left out of I have no clue how many we did but was at least 200 and they all were picked yesterday and I only have 3 plants of it so shows how prolific they are. The leftover ones my wife claimed and informed me they were going to be her lunch today and if I ate them before her I would be removed from the gene pool. I told her that it sounded like a threat and she informed me my ears work just fine:)

My peppers are doing the same thing...I think as it is cooling off they are starting to grow larger.

They get smaller with age, even with "Geritol" (fertilizer/minerals) you usually won't get peppers the size that you first picked. I can live with that though,it's easier than starting all new plants every year....

Tom

My peppers are small this year too. I had a few yellows just like yours. This is my first year growing in containers, though, so I probably did something wrong.

This is my first year growing in containers, though, so I probably did something wrong.

You have to keep the soil cool, it's easy to let the soil temps get too hot in a container. If your containers can be moved into the shade when it's really hot they'll do better, or on the east side of a biulding, where they'll get morning sun and afternoon shade. If they have to stay in a sunny spot all day you'd be better off with larger containers - more soil so that the core temps stay cooler. And as always, the soil must drain very well so that it doesn't stay moist for long.

Tom

The plant itself looks relatively healthy, but then what the heck do I know! I'm such a newbie at this I don't know if I'd recognize a problem unless the plant actually died! LOL

It is in a container; it's a bit over 4 ft. tall and has developed a woody trunk-like stem. It is on my lanai so it gets filtered sun through the screen and I also have it mulched with wood chips to keep the soil cool. The pot is a huge glazed ceramic pot and I think the drainage is fine. Maybe I should try a little more fertilizer... (?)

I agree, Tom, if it continues to produce I'm fine with them being smaller anyway as long as they stay as sweet and wonderful as they are. I have two new seedlings started that are doing well and am going to put those into 5 gallon buckets to grow. Should I punch some drain holes in the bottom????

Mrs Tlc,

I drill holes using a forstner bit, it makes a nice clean hole in plastic buckets, and yes you absolutely need to make drain holes or else the roots will rot. I use the plastic 5 gallon buckets and I drill four opposing 1/2" holes in the sides at the very bottom of the side.

Lou

Will-rabbit- you are a CARD ! LOL ! yes, the name is Yum, and they are.....and really cute... what do you stuff them with ? cheese? a meat-mix ? sounds like a lot of work to me... and then you cook them ? the plant I have is several years old and I cut it back and feed it and it just keeps pumping them out... right now I am spraying with Malathion because the 'maters are coming along great and I see an occasional white-fly, I have gotten paranoid abt. white-fly, there are fruit setting on the 'mater plants and I am absolutely obsessive, last year they all succumbed to the W-F virus so it looks like this time I'm actually doing it right... even tho' it's not organic... I have been going out there every morning and alternate spray, with Organocide, Neem Oil, and Malathion.... Lordy please forgive me ! sally

Do you think I should cut the plant back and see what happens? If so, what is the best time of year to do that spring?

Mrs tlc,

The pepper is under screen and that screening cuts down a LOT of the suns energy and now the angle is changing so the plant is getting even less energy. What sort of wood chips do you have it mulched with? The mulch can be robbing the soil of some nitrogen. Are the plants leaves dark green? I would smack it with some nitrogen, some trace minerals and some iron and see what happens.

The peppers were stuffed with a meat rice heavily herbed mix. Yep they were baked, not sure how long, not my department. I envy the fact you can have peppers that are "several years old".

Thanx Will, sounds like a lot of work to me, they are so small!..yes, peppers live for a long time, I just cut them back, prune them, and feed them put some Black Hen in the pot, and in the summer put them in afternoon shade... they look scraggley but they usually come back..... I always buy a few more from HD just in case, then I have a supply right along........sally

Sally,

Not here, they turn in to popsicles:) It is amazing the difference 60 miles makes...

Bamboo rabbit - I took your advice and pulled back the mulch and added some fert I got at Whole Foods called "Really Good Stuff For Your Garden" and then put the mulch back into place. The leaves are a darker green and it is flowering again. I also started two new plants in 5 gallon buckets that I'll have outside the pool cage.

You guys are all so helpful all of the time. I really appreciate it and am grateful to have found this forum!