A lot of cross pollination questions on the site right now. Most years, I grow a pepper patch of mixed sweet & hot peppers - with the two often directly adjacent - and have not observed any heat in the sweet peppers. I don't entirely discount the possibility that crossed seeds might possess some heat... but sweet peppers are not generally eaten without cleaning them. If there were such heat, I would expect to feel it or smell it during cleaning, which has not been the case.

Growing great plants even in your heat! Good job. Be proud. in response to your q: Tomatoes I don't see how you could cage the tomatoes now, so just let them sprawl if you can't get in there to tie to them to the stake anymore. Splitting might be uneven watering or just genetically programmed in the plants. When I've grown split prone cherry types I try to pick when orange to ripen inside & especially before a rain. Peppers Don't cut off the peppers: let them ripen. P plants are smaller like that, so look fine. Cukes They will grow up & over the trellis okay, so don't cut vines off. You can lift vines to find the cukes to harvest. Squash Yours is a small space just 1 squash plant that can be 15'+ in length & width, so removing others would work. Alternatively you can cut vine leaving just one squash on each vine. Also could build a trellis to let them climb up & attach squash to trellis with a pantyhose or tshirt sling. Trellis ideas: http://athomeinthenorthwestblog.com/2012/04/garden-trellis-tutorial.html http://www.digginfood.com/2010/05/vegetable-trellis-round-up/ This one would need something sturdier like wood to go across (squash can grow up & over the support you create) http://oregonkaisers.blogspot.com/2010/05/pea-trellis-tutorial.html In 100 degree heat you need mulch for all the plants (except lavender & go light around the rosemary) Ideas: -If you can purchase a bag of compost it would be better than the wood chips. -Loose straw from a feed store. They sweep up & throw away at the end of every day. One around our place puts in a separate dumpster & you can pull it out. -@ least 10 layers of newspapers overlapping, then topped with a bit of whatever you have (can also shred the newspaper 1st, spread, water it, then cover a bit to keep weighted down -dried grass clippings (no herbicides used) - Do you have friends with lawns if you don't have one? -used coffee grounds or teabags (coffee shops nearby?) -any garden clippings or vegetable waste chopped & dried 1st -leaves make great mulch if you have any nearby trees dropping leaves in the dry hot weather. Yesterday, while walking in Seattle we saw lots of dried bamboo leaves on the sidewalk from a hedge & spread quite a ways, so would have been a garbage bag full if raked up.

andyandy: How much heat? Actually, there are many mildly, hot peppers that are sweet if you let them ripen to final color. Jalapeno, serrano, poblano, pasilla, and anaheims to name a few. Hell! Even the Nagas I grew last summer were real sweet. Of course, the focus on flavor went out the door about 30 seconds later...LOL Sunnibel: Yeah. I was just hoping to isolate seed easier. Plant a chinense next to an annuum without the need for netting blooms. Oh well...learn something new every day. Kevin

This is the forum regarding capsicum plants im mostly a hydroponic grower and soilless mix grower so i cant help you with the soil question, without knowing more about what you're trying to do. they'll do fine in neutral soil. shoot for a pH of 6 to 6.5. water when the soil is dry on top. if you try to make a clump of soil into a ball and it doesnt hold its form, its too dry. if you see the leaves wilting that is an obvious sign it needs moisture.