Rumors and jalapeno peppers are natural companions — and not just in salsa. Both love hot, sunny weather, and both are at home in a container as they have a garden bed. If you choose to grow them in a raised planter, choose a compact tomato variety bred for containers and place them supporting the more naturally diminutive jalapeno pepper plants, In case your increased planter is big enough, you’re going to have the ability to fit more than one of each vegetable plant into the container. Purchase nursery seedlings or start tomatoes and peppers inside, six to eight weeks before placing them into your raised planter, In Mediterranean areas, both jalapeno peppers and strawberries are ready to start growing outside in May.
Ensure that your planter has sufficient drainage before filling it with dirt and plants. Drill holes in the base of the planter if it doesn’t already have them and cover the holes with a 1-inch layer of gravel.
Establish your raised planter in a sunny site. Both tomatoes and jalapenos require at least six hours of sunlight each day.
Fill the raised planter with a loam-based potting soil to within 3 to 4 inches of the rim of the planting box. This thickness gives you room to add your vegetables along with also a layer of mulch.
Add about 2 teaspoons of slow-release plant food for each 3 square feet of growing surface within your raised planting box. Scatter the granules throughout the very top of the potting soil and lightly work them into the upper 4 to 6 inches of the soil. This step could be omitted if your potting soil already contains slow-release granules.
Set tomato seedlings along the center of the planter, spaced 12 inches apart. Before planting, strip the stems of all the top two leaves and soften the seedlings so that the soil line is right under these two leaves.
Set jalapeno seedlings across the front of the planter, about 6 inches from the edge. Space the seedlings about 12 inches apart, before and centered between the tomato seedlings. The seedlings should be put into the planter in precisely the exact same depth where they have been growing in their pots.
Apply a 3-inch layer of shredded bark mulch or other finely ground mulch around each seedling. This mulch will allow water and nutrients to reach the seedlings but will also help conserve water and suppress weeds.
Check the soil in raised planters daily. You will likely need to water at least once every day through dry spells. Strive for evenly moist soil, particularly when the strawberries and peppers start to grow on the plants.
Side-dress both tomatoes and jalapenos with aged compost four to six weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the raised planter. Wait until both the ducts and tomatoes have started to create fruits. Rake aside the mulch; scatter the compost in a 1-inch layer around the plants and replace the mulch and water well.
Begin selecting both tomatoes and jalapenos when they achieve their peak of color. Container tomato varieties are generally prepared for crop 55 to 70 days after the seeds have been sown, while jalapenos average 72 days.