Hiya bunks, I'd take a wild guess that it's the lack of direct sunlight causing you problems- I've got a capsicum growing in a pot that flowered but didn't set fruit til I moved it from the slightly shady backyard to the very full-on sunny frontyard. Capsicums seem to be one of those plants that a) tolerate crazy Australian sun where other 'full sun' plants struggle, and b) actually need sunlight. Even crazy full-on Australian sun. Not sure what your solution could possibly be. Some sort of fetching array of reflective surfaces to bounce some light to your plant? A pedestal to lift it into the sun's path for at least an hour or so a day? Hmm. Don't suppose you have a spare balcony facing the other way or you'd already be using it... Or it could be something else entirely. This is gardening, it could *always* be something else. Let us know how this works out, cheers Slashy

Yah, I just keep my peppers grouped by variety on individual trays. As they dry, you just pull out a tray and process them and let the rest go. In fact, it is a good idea to rotate the trays every 2-4 hours so the peppers or jerky or whatever dries more uniformly. I agree on the picking and even watering. I grow most of my plants in containers and I built a shelf along the front of our deck that i put the containers on. The shelf is about 3' or so off the ground which puts the peppers at face level. I also grow peppers in a raised garden in the back which is about 4' off the ground. I have a bad back and it makes the harvesting, watering and weeding sooooo much easier on the back. Bruce

I am just starting to try peppers with a touch of heat, since I have small children and a DH that doesn't care for peppers, but I have decided my homemade salsa needs a little more kick, even if I have to eat it all, or send it to my siblings. Anyway, I have spent WAY too much time on this list, and I'm still unsure, but here is where I'm at now. (The more I work on narrowing the list, the more things get added!!!) Alma Paprika - this is a definite, love it! Anaheim Beaver Dam Boldog Hungarian Spice Botinecka Zuta Cascabella Chervena Chushka Chinese Giant Keystone Giant Feherozon Giant Szegedi Gourmet Healthy Lipstick Mariachi Poblano Patio Red Marconi Red Cheese Senorita - one of my favorites last year Soroksari TAM Jalapeno Sweet Pickle and maybe Tollie's Sweet Italian I'm sure this list looks wimpy to you folks on the Hot Pepper forum! If there are some flavorful, mild peppers I should be growing, I'd love to hear about them (even though I already have seeds for about 75 different peppers, and only room for around 18 plants). I've tried Pizza, and Fooled You Jalapeno thinking they were mild, but mine had no heat at all. Bonnie

As a Zone 6 grower myself I've followed your issues with interest and the problems you've encountered seem to be all over the place but have one thing central IMO. So I think a history of your growing might help: 6/22-I just received my chili plants. 7/8-Are these leaves healthy? 7/12-Help!!! What's wrong with my pepper? (Upper leaves wilting.) 7/8-Are chinenses all VERY slow to grow? Stuck at between 2-3 inches of growth. 7/8-Arroz con Pollo pepper plant, what's wrong? When I pulled out the plant the roots had not grown at all and were dryish and brownish. 8/6-One side of this pepper plant dying? 8/10-Need help growing Peri Peri, Capsicum Frutescens, pepper plants Now, the leaves are yellowing and falling off, tens and tens of pods that had formed are drying and falling off, the stems are drying. 8/19-Flowers drying and dying before maturation and bloom On most of my pepper plants, mostly the temperate climate ones I think, whole flushes of flower buds are drying, yellowing and falling off. 8/22-growing tips of pepper plants drying, sickly....? All my pepper plants, save one or two, across species and varieties, are having this problem. The growing tips are sickly, drying, wilting and not growing. In all my years of growing, about 20, and offering help on forums I've never seen anybody have such varied problems. The first thing I noted is you're a novice and it makes me wonder about your garden bed preparation, the central issue - the soil. What did you do to the soil before covering it with the weed block? Did you add any amendments like peat or compost? Did you add any time release fertilizers? Next is the weed block covering the soil, it helps retain moisture so your soaker hose watering regimen needs to be correct because most of these issues can be caused by roots suffocating due to over saturation, they need air too! And last but not least is your devotion to your babies, while concern important, I've found the below lifted advice very helpful for new growers of Capsicum: In closing, I realize that the above sounds like a lot of info, so I'm going to pass along something that a very knowledgeable person said to me once: that peppers thrive on benign neglect. Give them lots of sun, some good soil, adequate water, and feed them once in a while, and relax and enjoy them!