TOMATOES, PEPPERS &

EGGPLANTSOh, My!

Beth Marlowe, Urban Garden Coordinator, Duval County Extension

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

SolanaceaeFamily

Nightshades: A Large Tropical Family

Tomatoes

Peppers

Eggplants

Potatoes

Tomatillos

Tobacco

Petunias

Angel’s Trumpets

Butterfly Flower

Alkaloids:Compounds that Protect the Plant from Insects, Herbivores or Disease

Potatoes—Solanine

Tobacco—Nicotine

Peppers—Capsaicin

Belladonna—Tropane

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Oh, my!

Domestication of Solanaceae Veggies

Red/Orange: Tomatoes

Green:Peppers

Purple: Eggplants

Tomatoes

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General Care◦ Planting: Spring after last frost date

◦ Sun: 6-8 hours

◦ Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic (6.2-6.5)

◦ Water: 1-2”/week; consistent, especially when fruits developing

◦ Fertilizer: Complete, ensuring good supply of P, and not too much N

◦ Growth Habits:

◦ Determinate: Terminal fruit clusters all develop about the same time, and growth stops—support helpful

◦ Indeterminate: Continue growing and producing fruit all along the stems throughout the growing season—MUST support

◦ Pruning: Indeterminates—prune suckers and lower/interior leaves as plants grow

◦ Containers: Ideally bush variety or determinate; At least 5 gallon container

◦ Harvest:: When color starts developing, especially as season progresses

Challenges—It’s Not Just You ◦ Heat & Humidity

◦ Won’t set fruit with high night temperatures (70-80°F)

◦ Increase disease pressure

◦ Insects

◦ Pressure increases as season progresses

◦ Tend to be worse in fall

◦ Tend to be worse when there’s no winter freeze

◦ Aphids, Whiteflies, Armyworms, Hornworms, Thrips

◦ Sandy Soil

◦ Few nutrients, low fertility, low organic matter

◦ Nematodes

◦ Disease

◦ Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus

◦ Tomato Yellow Leaf-Curl Virus

◦ Bacterial Wilt

Tips

◦ Timing is everything!◦ Plant early to beat the heat, humidity and insects, but ensure soil is

warm enough

◦ Start with a healthy seedling◦ Check out roots; look for disease, physical damage or insects

◦ Select disease-resistant cultivars◦ Heirlooms may be harder in our climate

◦ Use good cultural practices◦ Water consistently, neatly and SCOUT

◦ Mulch◦ Bacterial and fungal diseases in soil; reflective deters insects

◦ Encourage pollinators◦ Agitation improves wind pollination

◦ Prune lower, interior leaves as plant grows◦ Increase airflow

◦ Adjust fertilizer as plant grows◦ Seedlings need more P

◦ Less N after bud formation, more K

Cultivars to Consider

◦ Recommended by UF for Florida (Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide◦ Large fruit: Celebrity, Amelia, Tasti-Lee

◦ Small fruit: Sungold, Juliet, Sweet 100,

◦Determinate Hybrid Cultivars◦ Celebrity, Grand Marshall

◦ Closely Related Species◦ Everglades Tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium, a wild type ancestor)

◦New Cultivars◦ https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/public/kleeweb/newcultivars.html

Peppers

Pepper vs. Pepper

Chili peppers=Capsicum

Black pepper=Piper

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Domesticated Pepper Species

C. AnnumAnaheims, Bells,

Cayennes, Italians, Jalapenos,

Paprikas, Serranos

Aji, CriollaPeppers

Datils,Habaneros, Scotch Bonnets, Trinidad Scorpions

Tobascos, Indian Cultivars

Rocoto, Manzano

General Care◦ Planting: Spring after last frost date

◦ Sun: 6-8 hours

◦ Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic (6.5 is ideal)

◦ Temp.: Warm! Won’t set fruit if nights too cool (<60°F)

◦ Water: Consistent, especially when fruits developing; err on the drier side

◦ Fertilizer: Complete, ensuring good supply of P, and not too much N

◦ Growth Hbt: Med-Large shrub; Some may overwinter and last several years

◦ Pruning: Generally not necessary

◦ Containers: Well-adapted; At least 5 gallon container

◦ Harvest:: When color starts developing, especially as season

Challenges

◦ Suffer from many of the same challenges as

tomatoes

◦ Heat, humidity, insects, sandy soil, disease

◦ Summer/Fall thunderstorms and hurricanes

◦ Require a long warm growing season to be

productive

◦ Seeds need warm soil to germinate (80--90°F is

ideal)

◦ Need abundant phosphorus and calcium

Growingproduce.com

Nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu

Tips

◦ Pungency is genetic, but influenced by stress

◦ Hotter, drier conditions lead to higher capsaicin levels

◦ Controlled cold treatment of seedlings can

increase the number of flowers and fruits

◦ At 3rd true leaf, cool to 50’s at night for 4 weeks

◦ Control weeds and insects to control disease

◦ Insects are vectors; weeds can be a source of both

◦ Wear gloves when harvesting!

◦ And don’t rub your face

◦ Use clippers to harvest, rather than tearing

◦ If you do get pepper juice or seed in your eye, drop in milk with eyedropper

Cultivars to Consider◦ UF Recommended

◦ California Wonder

◦ Carolina Wonder (Nematodes)

◦ Red Knight

◦ Sweet Banana

◦ Sweet

◦ Sunset Sweet

◦ Sweetie Pie

◦ Hot

◦ Datil

◦ Ornamental and Edible

◦ Fish Pepper

◦ Purple Jalapeno

Credit: gardentrends.com

Credits: Red Knight: Johnnys.com; CA Wonder: Eden Brothers; Purple Jalapeno: Ebay.com; Datil Pepper: Rareseeds.com: Sweetie Pie: all-americanselections.org; Fish: southernexposure.com

Eggplants

Eggplant Escapades

Department of Agriculture and Food Systems in the Melbourne School of Land and Environment (2008) at The University of Melbourne.

General Care◦ Planting: Spring after last frost date

◦ Sun: 6-8 hours

◦ Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic (6.5 is ideal)

◦ Temp.: Warm! 75-85°F day/65-75°F night

◦ Water: Consistent, especially when fruits developing;

◦ Fertilizer: Heavy feeders

◦ Growth Hbt: Med-Large shrub;

◦ Pruning: Generally not necessary

◦ Containers: Well-adapted; At least 5 gallon container

◦ Harvest: When glossy; Bounces back when pressed

Challenges

◦ Suffer from many of the challenges as tomatoes and peppers

◦ High temps or drought can make fruit taste bitter

Tips

◦ Standard varieties can get large, and fruits are heavy—Stake!

◦ Must have full sun!

◦ Stems and calyxes often have thorns!

◦ Harvest when glossy and flesh presses in but bounces back.◦ Use clippers

◦ Leave the calyx on

◦ Dwarf varieties make beautiful container plants◦ No one will know it’s not an

ornamental! Hyveg.com

Charmcitybalconygarden.blogspot.com

Urbangardensweb.com

Cultivars to Consider◦ UF Recommended

◦ Black Beauty

◦ Ichiban

◦ Cloud 9

◦ Heirloom

◦ Listada de Gandia

◦ Rosa bianca

◦ Red China (Pumpkin on a Stick)

◦ Dwarf

◦ Hansel and Gretel

◦ Little Fingers

◦ Fairytale Dwarf

Harrisseeds.com

Seedbank.ca

Reimerseeds.comRareseeds.com

Johnnysseeds.com Sugarcreekgardens.com

Rareseeds.com

Johnnysseeds.com

All-americaselections.org

CROP ROTATIONA Word About

Common Vegetables by Family

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Beet Chive Carrot Artichoke Arugula Chayote Sweet

Potato

Beans Basil Okra Corn Eggplant

Chard Garlic Celery Echinacea Broccoli Cucumber Cowpeas Catnip Cacao Sugarcane Pepper

Quinoa Onion Chervil Endive Brussel

Sprouts

Gourd Peanuts Marjoram Potato

Spinach Cilantro

(Coriander)

Escarole Cabbage Melon Peas Mints Tomatillo

Dill Lettuce Cauliflower Pumpkin Oregano Tomato

Fennel Radicchio Collards Squash Rosemary

Parsley Sunflower Horseradish Sage

Parsnip Tarragon Kale Thyme

Kohlrabi

Mustard

Pak Choi

Radish

Rutabaga

Tatsoi

Turnip

Wasabi

Watercress

Sample Crop Rotation Schedule by Family

Area/Bed 1 Area/Bed 2 Area/Bed 3 Area/Bed 4 Area/Bed 5

Growing Season 1 Solanaceae Brassicaceae Cucurbitaceae Amaranthaceae Fabaceae

Asteraceae Apiaceae

Growing Season 2 Brassicaceae Cucurbitaceae Amanrantheaceae Fabaceae Solanaceae

Asteraceae Apiaceae

Growing Season 3 Cucurbitaceae Amarantheaceae Fabaceae Solanaceae Brassicaceae

Apiaceae Asteraceae

Growing Season 4 Amarantheaceae Fabaceae Solanaceae Brassicaceae Cucurbitaceae

Apiaceae Asteraceae

Growing Season 5 Fabaceae Solanaceae Brassicaceae Cucurbitaceae Amarantheaceae

Asteraceae Apiaceae

Growing Season 6 Solanaceae Brassicaceae Cucurbitaceae Amarantheaceae Fabaceae

Asteraceae Apiaceae

--Information compiled by Jessica Sullivan & Eva Pabon, University of Florida IFAS Extension, Osceola County

Questions?