How Do I Cure Black Spots on My Bell Peppers

Question

My bell peppers all have black spots on the fruits. The peppers seem to have thin walls and poor fruit shape as well. The spots become holes in the peppers and the seeds are few in the damaged fruits. I have side dressed the plants with coffee grounds recently and am starting to get stronger peppers, but I would like to make sure I take care of this permanantly. I just saw some birds leave my pepper patch which might explain what happens to the exposed seeds of my bell peppers.

Answer 1

It sounds like your issues are starting with sunscald. This is a common issue with peppers. It creates a thin brittle patch on the fruit, which is easily damaged and then start to rot (which is the black spots). Sunscald is caused by too much direct sunlight on the fruit. Try providing some shade for your peppers with either a shade made of an opaque material (like a sheet) or with an umbrella. This should help stave off the sunscald and help keep the other issues at bay.