I've been growing some veggies like banana peppers, strawberries, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes on my balcony using 5-gallon pots. They all look great, except my banana pepper seems to be really stressed from the heat. I've had the plants for just a week, and yesterday I moved them into direct sunlight for around 5 hours (the balcony usually gets some shade and the steps get full sun) and now my banana pepper's leaves are curling and looking wilty for the first time. I thought these peppers thrived in full sun? To give you an idea, it was 93 degrees out with a heat index hitting 100 yesterday.
3 Answers
Unfortunately, your strawberries might not last long once summer hits, as they can easily fry. The tomatoes might survive with some extra watering but will likely stop producing due to the heat. Just remember, while your plants need sunlight to produce fruit, they also need protection from the harsh afternoon sun. Aim for around 6 hours of direct sunlight, but morning sun could be better if it gets too intense during the day.
Full sun means these plants should ideally get about 6 hours or more of direct sunlight. However, many plants, especially in Florida, can struggle with intense full sunlight even if they’re supposed to love it!
Gotcha! As a newbie to growing peppers, I was baffled because it seemed fine with just 1-3 hours but wilted after that 5-hour stint.
From my experience, not many plants can handle the full Florida sun directly. I actually moved my banana pepper under a lemon tree this year because it always got sunburned otherwise, and it’s doing much better now!
I'm over on the west coast, and my banana pepper starts to struggle after a full day in the sun. Definitely not doing that again!
I see now! Maybe I messed up by putting them out right around noon. My strawberries already have some fruit, though, so that’s good!