I applaud you for getting any peppers at all. I had 4 plants, and I only got about 3 flowers before they all died. Uh yeah, I have a biology degree too. Amazing that my kids are still alive.

Well, I have no advice for you...although we too have a bell pepper plant that has just one bell pepper that looks just like yours. Aren't peppers hot weather plants? Maybe it needs more sun? I've heard people suggest placing red plastic underneath tomatoes to help reflect light and heat in order to help ripen them...maybe peppers need something similar? Basically, what I'm saying here is that I know absolutely nothing. Good luck. :-)

I'm not sure about the hot temperature because I've got people telling me that the peppers will stunt if night temperatures rise too high as well.
I couldn't tell you if our temperatures have rose during the night. I should ask a garden centre in the city if they know anything.

I'm rather confused.

Watering has been consistent - never dry, never soaked.
Soil has many nutrients so it's not a plant food issue - I don't think...

I've never had much luck with peppers and you know what a goddess I am in the garden.. yeah, anyways. The only person who I've seen grow kick ass peppers had them in a very hot spot -during the day they got full sun and they were against the house in a pot (the house reflected heat and light quite strongly).
I would think that being in a pot would keep them from retaining too much heat overnight.

I don't much about gardening. Just wanted to drop by to say that I really like the design and writing style of your blog. Very nice design, bold colors, clean lines and striking masthead; it's like the page literally pops out at you. I like it.

Stolie
http://funkybrownchick.blogspot.com

I am not a goddess in the garden... but I usually fare pretty well and my peppers and cucmbers did nothing this year either. I am blaming the tsunami. The world is still off a bit. I didn't even get one stunted pepper or cucumber.

Mind you, my climate is not so "Hot".

Ada,

I've got peppers coming out my ears here in Boise. We've all go so many damn peppers that we can't give them away anymore. I'm going to go with the hot theory.....look at where the plant is a native, and sometimes ya just gotta call uncle. We can force bulbs in December, I can grow an orchid in the desert, but girlfriend, sometime we just can't make those little veggies ripen. That said, want me to overnight you some of mine?

maybe dad could figure it out... i still have vivid memories of his garden when we were kids. although I have no idea if he ever grew peppers. It does seem like they need to be warmer from what Chair said, she's so smart ~_^

I tried growing peppers last year but the deer got in and ate them before they turned into anything resembling veggies.

I think it's likely to be the amount of heat/sun we get here. To get really big fruit from any sun loving plant you have to start them quite early in the season and preferrably in the greenhouse to start, where the heat is intensified. Hot weather fruit like those need a longer growing period and a little help indoors in the beginning.

i am also voting for the HOT theory.

well, DAMN that cool ocean breeze...

I may be stating something extremely obvious and there may well be an environmental factor but I have found that when I grow my peppers in pots I have to fertilize every other week or so. Even the ones in the ground need to be fertilized more often than I would have thought. I have found this great organic fertilizer that my sister - the gardening godess - recommended. Its called Plantea and is available online at www.plantea.com. It's fabulous and really made a difference for me this year.

Could it be a jalapeno? It looks exactly like a jalapeno I grew a couple years ago. Maybe cut them open and see if the seeds are hot. Hope it works out for you in the end. Enjoying your blog. I found it when I entered the following in my MSN search engine: Best Blogs. Way to go.