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Eggplant & pepper growth through fall? Protection for squirrles?

Posted by nattydoll 7 (My Page) on
Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 15:56

I have two plants in containers outside: eggplant rosa bianca and heirloom bell peppers.

Will these still grow fruit? I'm in the NYC area. Weather has cooled down considerably, 70s in the day, late 50s-60s at night. I could bring them inside eventually, but there's not much indoor sun.

Eggplant:
It has continued to sprout small fruits, but some don't even make it to the size of a walnut before a squirrel or some animal eats it. They look as if they are getting snipped off right at the top of the fruit, with only the vines hanging off branches. On one hand, it seems the fruit comes back quick, but they keep getting eaten! What do I do?!

Bell peppers:
I didn't trim off the top half of the plant, like I see some people suggest, because I planted late and it grew very slowly at first, but then it started speeding up. There is a fruit the size of a kiwi that I only noticed this week, and several little buds. I think it's doing well, but peppers need heat, right?


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Eggplant & pepper growth through fall? Protection for squirrl

Eggplant and pepper are both perennial, so you can, in principle, keep them going over the winter. They are both highly frost intolerant. Light freeze and they're DEAD. Eggplant will shut down production entirely in temps like you're having. They like nighttime temps in the 60s or above. You may still get a few peppers.

I suspect that indoors, without much light, they wouldn't do that well. But if they survived, you could get a head start on production in the spring.

For container plants, protection from animals just needs a little chicken wire.


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