Pepper Problems :(

[CindyB613]

So I have always had a small container vegetable garden. This year, my husband and I decided to build some raised beds (8ft long, 4ft wide, 2ft deep). In one of the beds, I planted cherry tomatoes next to some bell pepper plants. I thought I had given the plants plenty of space, but the cherry tomato plants have gone crazy! I’ve pruned them periodically to cut them back a little, but they are easily 6 ft tall at this point and producing tons of fruit.

The issue is that today we had a pretty severe thunderstorm, and all of the taller branches that were out over the top of the cages are just flopped over the sides. I went out and checked on them and didn’t really see anything broken. They’re just all bent. They are totally covering up my much smaller bell pepper plants. There is no way they will get any sun like this.

Any ideas on what I can do? Will the tomato branches lift themselves back up? Should I try to move them from over the top of the pepper plants? I’m afraid I’ll end up breaking them if I do. I have containers, so can I just remove the pepper plants from the beds and put them in containers? They are each about 18-24 inches tall and already producing peppers. I don’t know if they would survive a transplant. But I know they’ll die without getting sun.

Anyone have any advice? I am very inexperienced in gardening like this so I’m stumped

 

[oneeye]

Which ever you like the most, I would save first. If you had a bunch of tomatoes already off your plants, I would just prune the tomatoes and save the peppers. If you transplant the peppers into pots, they won't do as well as they are in the ground. The problem with tomato cages is most of them are too short and the plants need stakes too.

 

[Chuck]

If you give the tomato plant an extreme watering you can usually move the limbs and a bent trunk back into the position it was in or change it by tying it to something. They will not stand themselves back up. Overwatering the plant makes the plant limber and it is more difficult to break. Just do it slow and easy. It is usually a 2 person job on a big tomato plant.

 

[CindyB613]

Which ever you like the most, I would save first. If you had a bunch of tomatoes already off your plants, I would just prune the tomatoes and save the peppers. If you transplant the peppers into pots, they won't do as well as they are in the ground. The problem with tomato cages is most of them are too short and the plants need stakes too.

Yeah I was afraid I’d have to pick one to save. Thanks for the advice! I’m gonna figure out a different support system for tomatoes next year