ORGANIC PEPPER PRODUCTION ON CALIFORNIA’S CENTRAL COAST: A Guide for Beginning Specialty Crop Growers

Introduction

Peppers are an excellent addition to most small-scale,

organic mixed cropping systems that focus on local sales.

Peppers are highly productive, and will reliably produce

fruit from July through October without season extension

technologies (such as hoop houses). They are relatively easy to

grow and harvest, and provide multiple marketing and culinary

options. Peppers can be harvested green or left on the plant to

develop color. They offer many possibilities for adding value

through processing or drying. Flavor options range from sweet to

very hot. A variety of colors, shapes, and sizes allows for striking

presentations at farmers’ markets and in Community Supported

Agriculture (CSA) boxes.

This grower guide addresses the basic production steps in

growing peppers organically in California’s Central Coast region

and provides a varieties’ overview for those interested in adding

peppers to their specialty crops.

Features of pepper production

•PeppersgrowwellinmostCentralCoastlocations

•Relativelypest-anddisease-free

•Easyandfasttoharvest

•Donotbruiseorcrackeasily

•Providecontinuousharvestoveralongperiod

•Highlysoughtafterbychefs,retailers,wholesalers,andhomecooks

•Highlyadaptablefromfreshmarkettoprocessing

•Seasoncanbeextendedusinghightunnels

peppers

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PRODUCTION PRACTICES — SUMMARY Climate •Warmseasoncrop.•Performbestwhendaytimetemperaturesdon’texceed 90ºF;highertemperatureslimitpollinationandincreasepotentialforsunburnoffruit.

Soil type•Growwellonsoiltypesfromsandyloamstoheavierclaysoils.

•PerformbestonheaviersoilswithCEC(cationexchange capacity)ratingsgreaterthan12.

•Mayrequiresupplementalfertilitythroughoutthegrowing seasononlighter-texturedsoils.

•Requiregooddrainagetominimizesoilbornefungaldiseases.

Fertility requirements•Peppersrequirerelativelyhighfertility.• Incorporatelegume/cerealcovercropand5–7tons/acreofcompostbeforeplanting.

•Peppersmayrequiresupplementalfertilitytomaintaingrowthandgoodfruitproduction(seepage6).

In the greenhouse•Buyfreshseedeveryyear.•StartplantsingreenhouseearlytomidFebruary,8–10weeksbeforetransplanting.

•Useheatmatsunderseedflatstopromoteseedgermination.

Soil temperature•Transplantwhenthethreatoffrostispast,andsoiltemperaturesaregreaterthan60ºFatplantingdepth(6”)for5–7days.

•ThebestwindowfortransplantingontheCentralCoastismidAprilthroughMay.

Plants per acre•12,000–14,000,variesdependingonspacingandgrowthhabit.

Planting technique•Transplantstartsbyhand,orwithamechanicaltransplanterforblockslargerthan0.25acres.

Bed spacing•Plantpeppersinasinglelineonbedsspaced36” centertocenter;singlelineplantingfacilitatescultivation.

•Plantindoublelinesonbedsspaced40–60”centertocenter(standardspacinginmostproductionsystems). Doublelinesmayhelpshadefruitandprotectagainst “sunburn.”

Plant spacing •1–2’betweenplants,dependingonrowspacingandgrowthhabitofthevariety.

•Totalplantpopulationsof12,000–14,000plantsperacre, varydependingonspacingandgrowthhabit.

Planting depth•Placetransplantsasdeepaspossibleintopre-irrigatedbedsthathaveadequatelydrieddownwhilekeepingallfoliageaboveground.

Irrigation •Driptapefacilitatesuniformwaterapplication,savesonwater costs,andminimizesbothweedanddiseasepressure.

•AvoidexcessivesoilmoisturetopreventPhytoptheraspp. (rootrot).

Days to maturity•Dependsonvarietiesandweatherconditions—mostpeppers arereadytoharvestapproximately90daysaftertransplanting.

Harvest tips•Forsmall-scaleproduction(blocks<1acre),harvestinto 5-gallonbuckets;walkbucketstotheedgeofthefieldfor sorting/packing.

•Cullinthefield:pickanddiscardfruitthatissunburned,insectdamaged,orhashadsoilcontactthatwillcauserotting.

Post-harvest handling •Easypost-harvesthandling:lighttocarry,donotbruise easily,anddonotrequirewashing.

•Storewellincoolerfor7–10days.Crop rotation•Rotatepeppersfromothersolanumsandstrawberriesevery fouryears,ifpossible,tominimizebuildupofsoil-borne fungaldiseasepathogens.

OrganicPepperProductiononCalifornia’sCentralCoast | 3

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PRODUCTION SEQUENCE — SUMMARY

(crop day -25*) In spring, mow cover crop to facilitate breakdown.

(crop day -25) Incorporate cover crop residue.

(crop day -11) Form beds with rolling cultivator or listing shovels.

(crop day -10) Pre-irrigate beds with overhead irrigation (1–1.5”). Wait for dry down and weed emergence.

(crop day -1) Work bed surface lightly with cultivator to terminate weeds.

(crop day 0) Plant transplants.

(crop days 0, 1, 4, 7) Irrigate (overhead) to water in and establish transplants.

(crop day 11) Cultivate for weed management (sweeps, knives).

(crop day 11) Hoe out small weeds on bed tops. Lay drip lines.

(crop day 12) Initiate drip irrigation; run drip irrigation weekly.

(crop days 35, 65) Hand weed large weeds as needed or cultivate with furrow chisels and sweeps.

Apply supplemental fertility as needed through drip lines.

(crop day 120) Initiate harvest; harvest weekly July through October.

(crop day 175) Remove drip lines from the field. Mow following last harvest. Prepare ground for cover crop planting.Drill cover crop seed

prior to fall/winter rains.

*Numbers in parentheses refer to crop day, with crop day 0 = planting day, based on a typical season at the CASFS/UC Santa Cruz Farm.

See Appendix (page 8) for more on crop days and related activities.

(crop day -1) Shape beds using rolling cultivator or rototiller/shaper combination. Mark planting rows.

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Production Practices — Additional DetailsInitial fertility

Becausepepperplantshavealongseason—theymaybeinthegroundforupto8monthswithaproductionwindowupto4months,orlongerifseasonextensionisused—theyhavearelativelyhighfertilityrequirementcomparedtomanyothercrops.

Adequateearlyseasonfertilityiscriticaltohelpplantsdevelopastrongscaffoldtoholdfruit,andadequatefoliarcoverage(enoughleaves)toprotectfruitfromsunburn.Onheaviersoils(CECratingsgreaterthan12),fertilityrequirementsofpeppersthroughtheseasonmaybemetbyincorporationofalegume/cerealcovercrop,and5–7tonsperacreofhighqualitycompostpriortoplanting.

Timing

Plantasearlyinthespringasisreasonablebasedontheestimateddateoflastfrostandsoiltemperatures.Pepperscontinuetoproducefruitaslongastemperaturesallowforpollination(<90ºF),andfertilityandmoistureareadequate.Harvestweeklyfromfirstfruit(July)throughlatefall.Becauseasingleplantinghasalongharvestseason,thereisnoneedtostaggerplantings.

Irrigation

Irrigate(overheadordrip)assoonaspossibleaftertransplantingtoensuregoodinitialgrowthandminimizetransplantstress.Keepplantsmoistuntildeeperrootsareestablished(~10days;Figure3).Assumingthereisdeepsoilmoisturefromwinterrainsorpre-irrigation,initialirrigationscanbelight(2–3”infirst2weeks).Ifusingoverheadforinitialirrigations,switchtodriplinesafter2weeks.

Oncetheplantshaveextendedrootsbelowtherootball,decreaseirrigationfrequencyuntilthecanopyisestablished.Astheweatherwarmsup,irrigateweeklyonheaviersoils,and2–3timesaweekonlightersoils.

Calculate irrigation amounts based on estimated evapotranspiration(Et)lossesusinglocalCIMISstationdata(cimis.water.ca.gov)orothersource.Duringtheinitialgrowthstages,multiplyestimatedEtlossesbypercentcanopy.For

HIGH TUNNELS FOR SEASON EXTENSIONCommercialpepperproducersintheHollisterarea(SanBenitoCounty)haveincreasedyieldsandextendedharvestofpeppersusinghightunnels.Thetemperaturesinthetunnelssignificantlyextendtheseasonandallowpepperstodeveloptheirfullcolor(red,yellow,“chocolate,”etc.).Thesefullymaturepepperstypicallysellforapremiuminthespecialtyandwholesalemarkets.

FIGURE 1. Use tall transplants with well-developed root systems. Photo: Elizabeth Birnbaum

FIGURE 2. Deep planting ensures good root contact with moist soil and encourages adventitious rooting. Photo: Elizabeth Birnbaum

FIGURE 3. Initial overhead irrigation on pepper transplants helps establish plants. Photo: Elizabeth Birnbaum

Planting

Inahand-transplanted,single-linesystem,formatrenchapproximately4”deepdownthemiddleofeachbedusingasmallshovelorbedshaper,andtransplantintothetrench).Thisshallowtrenchwillimprovesoilwaterretentionattimeofplanting,willallowforeasyplacementofthedripline,andwillgreatlyfacilitateweedsuppression.

Planttransplantsthataretall,withawell-establishedrootsystem,andwellhardenedoff(Figure1).Soakthenurserytrayspriortoplantingtoensuregoodmoistureattimeoftransplant.Plantasdeepaspossible(keepingfoliageaboveground)toensuregoodrootcontactwithmoistsoilandencourageadventitiousrooting(rootsthatsproutfromtheburiedstem);Figure2.

OrganicPepperProductiononCalifornia’sCentralCoast | 5

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example,whenthecanopyisat25%,replace25%ofthedailyestimatedEtloss.IncreaseproportionallyuntiltheplantisinfullcanopyandirrigationamountsequaltheestimatedEtlossasreportedbyCIMIS.Avoidoverwateringtominimizebothweedpressureandnutrientleaching.

Weed control

Goodweedmanagementinpeppersbeginswithcarefulfieldselection.Avoidweedpressurefromgrassesandperennialweeds,sincethesearebothdifficultandexpensivetomanageoncethepeppersareestablished.Thisiscriticaltoorganicpepperproduction,becausethepepperswillbeinthegroundforupto8months.

Usepre-irrigationwheneverpractical;itcansavesignificantweedingcostsandensuredeepmoisturetofacilitategoodinitialcropgrowthandestablishment.Formbeds,thenoverheadwaterwith1–1.5”ofwater.Followingweedflush,reworkbedswitharollingcultivatororothersuitablecultivationtooltodestroynewlygerminatedweedspriortoplanting.SeethepublicationTillage, Bed Formation, and Planting to Moisture inthisGrower Guideseriesforadditionaldetails.

Onceplantsareestablished,movethesoiltowardtheplantusingarollingcultivator.This“dirting”passwillfillintheplantingtrench,smothernewlyemergedweedswithintheplantline,bracetheplants,andcoverthedripline.Howeverinmilderclimateswherepeppersdonotgrowtallbeforefruiting,dirtingorhillingmustbedoneminimally,ifatall,inordertopreventfruitsetonthehilledsoilthatcanleadtorot.

Duringtheearlystagesofcropgrowthweedscanbeeasilymanagedbetweenplantedlinesusingstandardrowcropcultivationequipmentincludingsweeps,sideknives,andsmallchiselsinthefurrowstobreakwheelcompaction.

Whenplantingdoublelinesperbed,youmayneedtohandweedbetweenplants,sinceitismuchmoredifficulttomanipulatesoiltoburyweedswithintheplantline.

Assumingtherearenoproblemperennialweedsinthefield,andirrigationsarewell-timedandnotover-applied,thefieldshouldremainrelativelyweedfreeforthedurationofthecropcycle.Handpullanyescapedweedsduringharvestandirrigationoperations.

VARIETAL OVERVIEWSelect“trendy”varietiesfordirectsales.Consumersareespeciallyattractedtolargeand“mini”fruit.SpicypeppershighontheScovillescale(spicyheatindex;seeen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale)arenotbigsellersatfarmers’markets.Planthotpeppersinsmallquantities,ifatall,unlessyouhaveaknownsalesoutlet.

Popular, attractive pepper types:

LARGER BELLS Lamuyo (elongated bells) source: Reimer SeedsReina MamaMiaGialloGemini LidoLamuyo

Bullhorn varieties FULL SIZE MINISCornoDiToro CornitoRosso(red)Carmen(red) CornitoGiallo(yellow)Escomillo(yellow)

Blocky BellsFlamingo(orange/red) Admiral(yellow)Gourmet(yellow/early) QuadratoD’AstiGiallo/RossoDoubleup(red) Aristotle(red)

New Mexico pod types (red or green) a.k.a. Anaheim, Hatch, etc.Anaheim(late) Highlander(big,highyield)JoeE.Parker(heirloom)

Minis: pimientos, lunch box, snack types: Johnny’s seeds lunch box varietiesEros Cupid

Ethnic frying typesJimmyNardello ShishitoCubanelle/Biscayne Bananatypes(sweetandhot)Padron

Notethatbothpadronandshishitopeppersaregood“niche”peppersthathavebecomeimportantincomegeneratorsonsmallfarms.

Other small-fruited varietiesPimientotypes(RoundofHungary)Aura,Lipstick,Glow(4–5”topshape,early,sweet)

Thesevarietiesareassweetorsweeterthanbellpeppers,easiertogrow,andmuchearlier.

Anchos/PoblanosTiburon(biggest,bestvariety)

JalapenosElJefeandJalafuego(biggest,besttaste)

Peppers at the Everett Family Farm’s farmstand, Soquel, California.

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Supplemental fertility

Applysupplementalfertilitytopeppersgrownonlighter-texturedsoilswithlowCEC(<12)tomaintaingoodleafgrowth(essentialforminimizingsunburn)andadequateproductionthroughthelastfewmonthsoftheproductioncycle.Checksoilnitratelevelsfollowinginitialcrownsettoassesstheneedforadditionalfertility;N>20–25ppmisrequiredtosupportongoingfruitset.

Althoughexpensive(approximately$7/lbofN),organicliquidformulations(4-2-0or4-0-0)applieddirectlythroughthedriplinesviainjectionintotheirrigationheadermaybethemostviableoptionforpost-plantamendmentapplication.

Alternately,youcan“band”dry,granulatedorpelletedformulationsofN-basedanimalwasteproductsintothesoilclosetotheplantsforrootuptake.However,itismoreeffectivetoincorporatefertilizeraheadofplanting.

Staking

Somegrowerssupportpepperplantingsbyplacingstakesalongtheoutsideoftherowsandrunningasinglestringlinefromstaketostake.Thishelpskeeptheplantsuprightandminimizesbrokenbranchesfrombothwindandheavyfruitset.Thestakesaretypicallyonlyashighasthepepperplant(+/-2’).

Harvest

Harvestissystematic—itrequirestrackingwhereharvesthasoccurredtomaximizeefficiencyandminimizeloss.Inspecteachplantformaturefruitbygentlymovingbranchesandleavestorevealhiddenpeppers(Figure4).Removepeppersbyhandandplacethemina5-gallonbucketwhilemovingdowntherow.

Toharvestapepper,pullfruitgentlyfromthestemendofthepepper,takingcarenottobreakeitherthestemorthebranchholdingthefruit.Manyvarietiescanbeharvestedwithasinglehandbyplacingthethumbnearthezoneofabscission(thepointwherethestemattachestothebranch)

whilegentlypullingatanangletoseparatethefruitfromthebranch(Figure5).Thistakespractice!Somevarietiesrequiretwohandsandsignificantcaretoharvestsuccessfully.

Duringtheharvest,removeanyunmarketablefruit(e.g.,misshapen,insect-damaged,sunburned,rotten)fromtheplantandleaveitinthefield.Thismaximizesfutureharvestefficiency.Earlyfruitoftensetsbetweenbrancheswhere

itwillbecomedeformedasitgrows;suchfruitshouldberemovedanddiscarded.Mostfruitthatcontactsthesoilwilldeveloparotspotatthepointofcontact;thistoo,mustbediscarded.

Harvestingsmall-fruitedvarieties(e.g.,padrons)requiressignificantlabor,notonlybecauseoftheirsize,butbecausetheyareharvestedatarelativelyimmaturestageforoptimummarketquality,andthusmustbeharvestedmorefrequentlythanlargervarieties.Leaveseasilycamouflagethedarkgreen‘Padron’variety,requiringsignificant“searching”toharvestthemproperly.

Othervarietiescanbeharvestedwhenfullysizedandstillgreen;mostcanalsobeleftontheplanttomatureandcolorup.Coloredpeppers(orange,red,yellow,brown)sellforapremiumprice.However,becauseoftheadditionaltimeneededtoreachfullmaturity,thereissignificantriskingettingamarketablefruitatthefullymatureandcoloredstage,sincethisgrowthstageismuchmorepronetosunburnandinsectfeeding.

Post-harvest handling, storage

Weighandpackharvestedpeppersintocratesorboxes(nowashingnecessary,Figure6).Pepperswillstorewellinthecoolerfor7–10daysifnotmarketedimmediately.FIGURE 4. Gently move foliage aside to find ripe peppers for harvest.

Photo: Jim Clark.

FIGURE 5

OrganicPepperProductiononCalifornia’sCentralCoast | 7

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FIGURE 6. Bell peppers harvested for UCSC Dining, UCSC Farm. Photo: Martha Brown

Pests and DiseasesBeforeyouselectvarietiesandplantyourpeppercrop,lookupcommonpestsanddiseasesthataffectthecropinyourarea.Learnaboutpestanddiseaselifecycles,preventionpractices,andpossibletreatmentsusingresourcessuchastheUCIPMwebsite(ucipm.edu),yourcountyCooperativeExtensionoffices,ATTRA’sBiorationals:EcologicalPestManagementDatabase(www.ncat.org/attra-pub/biorationals),neighboringfarmers,andotherknowledgeableprofessionals.

ThemainpepperarthropodpestsintheCentralCoastregionare:•Thrips.Westernflowerthrips,Frankliniella occidentalis.Onionthrips,Thrips tabaci.Chilithrips,Scirtothrips dorsalisandotherspecies:canbevectorsofTomatoSpottedWiltVirus(TSWV;seebelow).

•Aphids:Greenpeachaphid,Myzus persicae:feedonplantjuicesandcantransmitviruses;exudehoneydewthatcancoatfruitandbedifficulttoremove.

•Cucumberbeetle:Westernspottedcucumberbeetle,Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunctata.Westernstripedcucumberbeetle,Acalymma trivittatum:feedonfoliageandfruitcalyxes.

ThemainpepperdiseasesintheCentralCoastregionare:•PowderymildewcausedbyLeveillula taurica(Oidiopsis taurica):infectedleavescurlupandleavefruitvulnerabletosunburn.

•Tomatospottedwiltvirus(TSWV)inthetospovirusgroup:symptomsvarywiththestageofgrowthinfected,thecultivar,otherviruses,andenvironmentalconditions,buttypicallyincludespotting,bronzing,dyingleaves,andringspotsonfruit.Affectedfruitisnotmarketable.

PleaseseeOrganic Pest and Disease Management in Selected Crops on California’s Central CoastinthisGrowerGuide series for informationonthepestsanddiseaseslistedhere,andsuggestionsfortheircontrol.

Organic Pepper Production on California’s Central Coast: A Guide for Beginning Specialty Crop GrowersbyJimLeap,OrinMartin,DarrylWong,andKirstinYogg-Comerchero,withcontributionsfromAnnBaierandDougO’Brien.EditedbyMarthaBrownandAnnBaier.©2017CenterforAgroecology&SustainableFoodSystems(CASFS),UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz.ThisinformationwasdevelopedforbeginningspecialtycropgrowersandisbasedonpracticesusedattheUCSCFarm.CASFSisaresearch,education,andpublicserviceprogramatUCSantaCruz.Learnmoreatcasfs.ucsc.edu,orcontactcasfs@ucsc.edu,(831)459-3240.AdditionalGrowerGuidesareavailableonlineatcasfs.ucsc.edu/about/publications. ThispublicationwassupportedbytheSpecialtyCropBlockGrantProgramattheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)throughGrant14-SCBGP-CA-0006.ItscontentsaresolelytheresponsibilityoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyrepresenttheofficialviewsoftheUSDA.Photo, p. 1, left: Elizabeth Birnbaum. Illustrations, pp. 3 and 6, Laura Vollset.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

ATTRA question of the week: What do I need to know about organic sweet pepper production and where can I get the information? attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/what_do_i_need_to_know_about_ organic_swe

Introduction to weed management in a small-scale organic production system

1156HighStreet SantaCruz,CA95064casfs@ucsc.educasfs.ucsc.edu

(video).ProducedbytheCenterforAgroecology&SustainableFoodSystems.www.youtube.com/user/casfsvideo

Knock weeds out at critical times,byMarkSchonbeck.eOrganic,2010. articles.extension.org/pages/18882/knock-weeds-out-at-critical-times

Resource guide to organic and sustainable vegetable production,by

SteveDiveretal.ATTRA2001;updated2012.NCATIP188. attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=19

UC IPM pest management guidelines: Peppers.UniversityofCalifornia,DANRPublication3339. ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/selectnewpest. peppers.html

Post-harvest field care

Followingthefinalharvest,pullthedriplines,mowtheplants,anddiscthefieldinpreparationforasubsequentcroporcovercrop.Pepperplantsareeasilychoppedupbythemower,producingminimalbiomassandacleanseedbedforcovercrops.Asinglepasswithadiscismorethanadequate.

Crop rotation

Rotatepeppersfromothersolanumsandstrawberrieseveryfouryears,ifpossible,tominimizebuildup ofsoil-bornefungaldiseasepathogens.Plant peppersintoproductionblocksthatarefreeofperennialweedsandgrasses,arerelativelyhighinfertility,andhavegoodsoiltilthanddrainage—inotherwords,plantpeppersinyourbestground,wheneverpossible.

8 | Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems

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