Why not ! Ornamental peppers are very much like flowers, colorful and decorative. Lot of people include them along with flowers and herbs (like basil) in their planters.

I grow my peppers in the front yard all the time, in pots though, I warn the neighbor parents of the plants, those that have kids of course, and I also offer a pepper to them just incase they may not believe me, some takers not many. Usually no one steals them except for birds and squirrels. Go for it, just remember C.Chinese takes a lot of room plan 5' by 5'

Mark

I had planned peppers for the front yard, sneaking them into flower beds. I did not do this. In the back yard tiny vegetable patch I added a few raised beds and just made everything more intensively planted. The reason? The back yard area is set up with seating, a hose, a sprinkler.
I can make grand plans now, but in August when it is 100 degrees outside I am just not going to feel like watering the veggies and then going into the front yard and dealing with watering more veggies.

I do have some onions snuck in. My biggest piece of advice is to keep everything neat and have trimmed grass surrounding any beds, that heads off complaints from neighbors that you are just growing weeds.
I did enclose my side and front yard with a picket fence, to prevent kids from the nearby school cutting the corner and walking through, the did that before the fence and accidentally trampled plants and left litter.

I have and do. Theft might be a problem for some, but not in my neighborhood.

I say, "screw the neighbors!" I don't tell them how to keep their yard, so don't tell me how to keep mine. Unless there's a restriction in the HOA et al, I'd go for it. Especially if my front yard was SOUTH facing.

Kevin

Dang if I didnt check the email button to get updates. Sorry if I abandoned the discussion.

I am still on the fence. Frankly I know that pepper plants can get real big, but planning for one plant to be five by five feet?

"but in August when it is 100 degrees outside I am just not going to feel like watering the veggies and then going into the front yard and dealing with watering more veggies."

This is something that I too am thinking about, did so hate going back and forth.

I just for the life of me do not know what to put in that space. And mulching for mulching sake just does not appeal to me.

Valdo: What do you mean by that? "mulching for mulching sake"

Mulching not only looks appealing but the benefits far outweigh any negatives.

Kevin

I meant just throw mulch onto the front yard to make it look nice. For that I just minus well just shred dollar bills and throw them on the ground since you have to keep mulching over and over and over again because the mulch deteriorates.

But by all means, please tell me the benefits of mulching. I was even thinking of using pine needles they say those last longer.

Here's some mulching basics.

The most important reason for peppers, i think, is for regulating soil temps. So, when you get that heat wave in the summer they keep on putting out flowers and then when it gets cool, you can squeeze a couple more weeks out of them and possibly get that last harvest to ripen. But like i said, ALL the benefits far outweigh the bad.

Btw, buy in bulk. It's fairly reasonable that way.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Mulching FTW!

Woohooman forgot to mention Keep the mulch above ground if it gets into the soil to degrade it will steal much needed nitrogen ...from the plants its goods to help hold moisture on them very hot days along with keeping things warm when the cold sets in and even keeping some weeds at bay .....but myself i enjoy watering & picking weeds just as i do Fishing .....

Im with Kevin, just do it lol. I put three raised beds in my front yard this year. I dont care what neighbors think. MIne look nice and tidy. But Ive always kept my yard neat in the first place. To me its just like adding flower beds but instead of flowers veggies. And to me if I can get on of my pepper plants booming with growth and peppers and think that would be awesome to display. The bonus for me is my neighbors are all cool and like growing stuff. May not be veggies and peppers like me but they are into roses, Japanese maples and other stuff. So now they like to come over and see what I got growing.
Rey....

I have children and dogs which limits my backyard space. I have 2 15x5 beds but it's never enough. Tomatoes, green beans, melons, anything obvious is planted in back. I have black and raspberries planted on the side of the house like shrubs. Asparagus mixed into the flower beds along with peppers. Herbs are bordering rose bushes. The trees in my yard are upright peach trees and pillar apples. The only neighbors who notice are gardeners and have begun doing some themselves. You will be amazed how many plants you can work in. I have a very visable corner lot and a very active HOA.

> "I just for the life of me do not know what to put in that space."

Easy. Put a pepper (or three) there. If it works it works. If it doesn't there's always next year.

Valdo, I got about 20 yards, 2 truckloads of mulch free this year from a local tree company. Many tree companies will do that and they will deliver to your driveway or yard. It benefits them because if a driver in the area of a job can give away the mulch, his truck is ready for another job.
It had some small branches in it but otherwise it was very nice and it was free.

>> just shred dollar bills and throw them on the ground since
>> you have to keep mulching over and over and over again
>> because the mulch deteriorates.

Not so, Grasshopper. The pic was once bagged pine bark mulch (under juniper and pretty dry) from HD and it's still there after 17 years. A bit smaller maybe...

Speaking of bark, didja know a dog on its back can't bark?

Here is the item in question. It is 9.5' along the back, 8.5' at the side and 11' at the front, and 4 feet on the shorter side.

Note the obnoxious water meter or what have you in the middle.

Thinking about scotch bonnets along the back, jalapenos and Habaneros along the side (hiding that ugly fence which can be used for support) with some ornamentals along the front (suggestions for it welcome).

Perhaps fill in the middle with some potted plants?

I would like to cover the whole thing with a cloth and throw mulch on top.

Feedback?

Seems fine. Better get it weeded and amended NOW though. Make sure to be careful with the pipes and digging or tilling. Screw the cloth--- any weeds that MIGHT grow through the mulch will be few and shallow. I would only ever use cloth where plants were to be permanent and even then, I think it's a waste of money... it deteriorates faster than the mulch in the long run.

Is it going to get plenty of sun and is that bush going to shade them a lot?

Kevin

It is horribly ugly and your plans will make it 1000% better.

I agree, no cloth under the mulch.
Go to Home Depot and get a nice bright red in Painter's Touch and spray the pipe to the meter.
Tomatoes next to the fence
Tall peppers in back, shorter peppers in the middle
Zinnias in front

The sun rises in front of the yard, it faces east- good morning sun and shade at 12. Kevin, why the now? And what is amended? I'll weed and probably forget the cloth, though I hope I do not have to mulch every two weeks like I once did.

Tomatoes for me are not worth growing, not here in creole tomato country. Thinking of putting peppers along the fence, jalapeños and scotches on the back OR Vice versa depending which grows higher.

I wanted some ornamental pepper but can't decide on one for the front.

Well, you need to weed... that's a given. But tilling a good couple inches of finished compost won't hurt one bit(Better drainage, nourishes the soil, regulates moisture, etc. I believe Home Depot carries Kellogg's N'rich --- you could use it as both an amendment(compost) and a mulch.

Is this going to be your only garden spot? If not, then I'd call around and get a yard of good, FINISHED, quality compost -- till 3 inches in as compost and then another 2 inches for mulch. But you want to do the compost right away to "wake up" the soil and acclimate. Give a good couple soakings and weeks before planting.

I like the idea of zinnias in front-- they're a long blooming flower that attracts beneficial insects and they're nice looking too.

Btw, I don't care what part of the country you're in, they're picking tomatoes green and ripening at market time. There's not a veggy out there that's better to do HOME grown than tomatoes. Now, if you're getting yours fully vine-ripened and fresh from friends, etc., that's a whole different story

Kevin

This post was edited by woohooman on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 23:00

I gave some Butts to a neighbor last year and they were planted right in with front yard flowers . looked like they belonged there 5Ft tall and covered with peppers.This women also plants lettuce and Egg Plant in her flower beds. Mix things up veggies only add to the beauty of any flower bed.

I say go for it... if you lose a couple, no big deal (you probably would have given them away anyway)!