different varieties year after year, or the same variety over and over? where are you getting the seeds from?

We have tried several varieties all purchased as plants grown by Bonnie in Ala.

are you picking them too soon? i usually thump mine to figure out when they're ready.

We had similar results, thin walled, when we planted bell peppers in our raised bed vegetable garden. Even drip hoses which we used as regularly as possible didn't make any difference. The garden had plenty of mulch also, but the soil still dried out really fast.

Last year we tried growing peppers in self watering containers (home made Earthboxes). Bingo! With consistent moisture and slow release fertilizer, we had bell peppers a little smaller than the store brands, but with sturdy thick walls. They ripened nicely on vine also. We used Burpee seeds purchased locally. I think consistent moisture is the key. But I'm no expert. Just my experience. We are sticking with growing them in containers again this year and will hope for similar results.

There must be some tricks of trade about growing bell peppers. I have never had good size bell peppers.

Is that special Ph requirement? fertilizer? soil type?
weather?
I suspect maybe soil temperature and humidity are too high around here. I am going to try again this year.
I am planting a lot of chili peppers. Like SATELITEHEAD I am hot pepper person. I am planting about 6 different varieties from korean, jalapano to habanero (the hotest I know)
I use bell peppers in salads and for stuffing only, not much for cooking. I make my own ground red pepper, and Hot sauce.

In the city I've never grown good bell peppers here, however some folks I know have mentioned just north of Sandy Springs they grow GREAT bell peppers. Mine are not necessarily thin walled, just small, sparse and not worth garden space for the harvest.
This year I'm trying many more different types of peppers, specifically Italian fryers to see if I can get the yields up higher. I love sweet peppers. I'm not the hugest hot pepper fan but I grow plenty of them for neighbors and friends and find they do wonderfully here.

To dovetail a bit with what GGG wrote above, it is my understanding that in many parts of our area, bell peppers do not grow well, and sweet peppers might be a better choice.

I am still a novice gardener, but I'm growing the Jimmy Nardello variety sweet peppers this year and I am hopeful. These peppers can be used like bell peppers, although they are supposed to be particularly good for frying, and the flavor and yields are supposed to be fantastic. I tried to grow bell peppers last year. Low yield and poor flavor. I thought to myself - why fight it? I want to grow what will grow well and abundantly using organic methods, and taste great.

It's a little late to start sweet peppers from seed this year, but if you're interested for next year, I bought my Nardello seeds mail-order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Georgia_Transplant, We grew Italian sweet peppers last year, also in self watering containers. We bought seeds from Parks. They produced a lot of peppers! Tastes are personal of course and we found them to be just 'OK'. We did not find them to be suitable subs. for bell peppers.

From other comments, looks like we may have been just lucky with the bell peppers.

I am also doing some experiments. I mineralized my soil with a lot of various minerals this year to see if that makes a difference to some vegetables.

I also grow peppers in containers. In my yard as the sun moves through the season I lose some of the light from what few full sun areas I have. Peppers love tons of sun so, I move them occasionaly to keep the most sun on them I can. I grow Bells, Banana, Tabasco, Jalapenos, Thai Chillis and a Mexican hot chilli. The Tabascos are an ornamental type so I work them into borders for added color. They make great hot sauce.

I have never had a problem with thin walls but, mine do not get as big as store bought. One has to remember, these come from fields where they are the only crop and receive full sun for the entire day. Hard to do in suburban areas.

I have always allowed my peppers to dry a bit between waterings. Perhaps I will try the constant moisture method on some this year to compare results.