Peppers

Peppers — both sweet bells and hot varieties — are moderate to heavy feeders closely related to tomatoes but with distinct nutritional requirements and a more sensitive response to fertilizer imbalances. The most important difference from tomatoes is that peppers are more easily damaged by excessive nitrogen, which not only produces lush foliage at the expense of fruit but also increases susceptibility to blossom drop, bacterial leaf spot, and sunscald by creating an imbalanced leaf-to-fruit ratio. Pepper nutrient demands shift across four distinct phases: establishment (high phosphorus for root development at 1:2:1 N:P:K), vegetative growth (balanced nutrition at 1:1:1), flowering through fruit set (increased potassium at 2:1:3), and continued fruiting (maintained potassium with adequate calcium to prevent blossom end rot). This shifting ratio requirement makes peppers particularly well-suited to a split fertilization strategy where a moderate application of 5-10-10 at transplant provides the initial phosphorus boost, followed by side-dressings that emphasize potassium during fruit development. Peppers are also uniquely sensitive to temperature-nutrient interactions — phosphorus uptake is severely reduced in cold soil below 60°F, which is why using black plastic mulch to warm the soil simultaneously improves nutrient availability and growth rate. In New England's short growing season, starting transplants indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost and using season-extending techniques like row cover becomes as important as proper fertilization for a successful harvest.