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Does my garden in Riverside CA need a shade cover the bell pepper plants wilted and the leaves fell off?

over the last four days this has happened the tomatoe plants are fine.

Public Comments

1. They don't usually need much shade but they need ALOT of water, especially when it is very hot and dry.
2. I lived in loma linda last year and grew bell peppers and had no problems with the leaves wilting off without a shade cover. Might be a water problem. I would try putting some mulch around your plants at the base. About 3" cover and they should stay nice and moist and not have any trouble. At least, it worked for mine.
3. Not seeing what your garden area looks like it makes it a little difficult. If you have them in box containers you could do this....and I'll try to help you visualize it....imagine a box container, your tomatoes are growing up a wire mesh that is stapled to a wooden frame, this frame is held up by two legs (arms), on either side, with notches or stops on the box to keep the frame from going flat. Under this frame is your bell peppers, getting light, but shaded from the harsher sun by the tomatoes.
4. Have you county agent thu UC Davis run a soil test, Most of CA the soil is very alkaline Commercial farmers don't shade
5. I have a feeling they are root bound. When you took them out of the original pot did you simply put them in the ground? Or did you seperate the roots a little bit? If they were heavily rooted and you just stuck them in the dirt then they are root bound and strangling themselves out. The roots just continue to grow in a circle. Other ideas are that you could be overwatering or underwatering. Plants need a bout an inch of water a week. Ppl sometimes water everyday and the roots drown. Hope this helps.