I notice you have several different varieties here. Some of your colored ones have always been smaller for me than the typical green that turn either red or yellow.

Yes they are different varieties. We have had some really big colored ones, but I hate to leave them on for fear of damage. So that is why I pick the big ones green. Also, I don't divide them up when we sell, (easier on me), we sell them all for the same price. Huge green or smallish colored. Customers are happy, and I am happy!

Jay

Very nice! Peppers are harder to grow than tomatoes in my soil. But they seem to thrive on a lot of horse manure worked into the soil. I also had much better luck with expensive hybrid seed this year than last year when I grew plants from the much cheaper OP seed varieties.

The link below is for a farm near me. The owner really knows the pepper business well. One thing I admire about his operation is that all of his extra produce gets made into jellies, relishes, salsas, and various preserved products, which he sells on the Internet. Obviously, one would need an inspected kitchen in order to sell canned goods, but in a lot of states it's not that hard to pass inspection. He ends up with next to zero waste and income from his crop spread over the year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Darn Hot Peppers

We've been canning jams/jellies/pickles from a lot of our leftover produce this year. We don't need a certified kitchen as long as we sell from farmers market or from home.

What pepper varieties are you growing? The pictures look nice.

I would have to stop sleeping if I was going to can heavily in summer too. We also don't need a certified kitchen here for pickles or jams but some canned things are not allowed.

Deleting double post, sorry.

This post was edited by madroneb on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 0:59

do you guys top your pepper plants? hot peppers seem like a hard sell unless its a jalapeno or sweet banana. Have had trouble with leggy plants when grown under plastic so we only grow outdoors, anyone else ran into this?

As far as pepper varieties, here we go,

Green to Red: Revolution, Red Knight, Ace

Green to Yellow: Lafayette, Flavorburst (a light green to yellow)

Green to Orange: Gourmet

Green to Chocolate: Chocolate Beauty

Purples: Tequila, Purple Beauty

White: Bianca

Mark: I love the support system for your peppers, that looks like an easy and effective way to keep them upright and supported. We have tried the Corno de Torro, everyone thought they were hot peppers and wouldn't try them. I even told them, gave them one, etc no hope! Everyone wants bell peppers, so why fight it! Jalapenos sell well, along with anahiems, hot bananas, and sweet banana pepper. Still trying Poblanos, but they aren't very big. Also we sell some Shishito's, really popular with 2-3 people who are great customers year around and that is why we grow them.

Nineallday: Our peppers grow really tall in the high tunnels too. It is the lack of wind, IMO, that causes that.

Still picking and selling!

Jay

Mark: I love how you're using what I assume is Hortanova to support the peppers. I planted mine close together also in my new hoophouse....but should have put in a support system! So I've been weighing my options for next year. Did you staple the netting to the wooden stakes? I think the varieties I grow would be setting on fruit above the netting...do you think the netting would mar the peppers? Or does it just move out of the way?

Kelise,
The hortanova is just stretched across the bed and over the stakes, no staples necessary. Easy on, easy off. You can position it to any height according to the length of the stakes.
I haven't notices any issues with the netting effecting the peppers in any way other than keeping them off the ground. :)