Morris

pepper plant, you want to make sure it’s getting plenty of sun. It needs at least eight hours a day.

One of the benefits of growing veggies in a container is that you can move the pot around in order to follow the sun.

Make sure the plant is in a pot with good drainage. While peppers like water, they don’t like wet feet, meaning the soil should dry out a bit between watering.

Potted plants always need more fertilizer or more frequent feedings than plants grown in the ground. Plants in the ground can stretch their roots out in search of nutrients, but the potted plant can access only what’s in the pot. Most summer crops are heavy feeders, pulling a lot of nutrients as they produce lots of fruit.

Normally, we’d fertilize peppers with something that’s higher in phosphorous than in nitrogen, such as a 5-10-10 fertilizer, to increase fruit production. As you’re looking to stimulate plant growth, try a balanced, slow-release fertilizer, such as a 20-20-20 blend.

For those new to gardening, those numbers represent amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in fertilizers. Those are the three essential nutrients plants need. Nitrogen promotes leaf and plant growth, phosphorus encourages fruits and flowers, and potassium improves the overall hardiness of the plant.

Do you have a garden question? Send it to jmorris@bayareanewsgroup. com. Photos are helpful.

SOMESENSE — GETTY IMAGES Cucumbers are easy to grow in the ground and in pots, but they need a good start and pollinators to produce good crops.