trouble growing red bell pepper Elk Grove California

Question

Year after year we seldom do better than one or two deformed red bell peppers. However tomato, squash and onions do quite well. I switched to drip irrigation this season with a timer option.

Garden gets good sun exposure, about 8 hours daily.

Native soil is heavy clay but I’ve brought in bag after bag of garden soil. I apply lawn mower mulched maple tree leaves in the fall and cover the garden with some occasional chicken manure in the Fall. There may be some unintentional lawn weed n feed that finds its way, but not much That’s about the extent of fertilizing

help!!! I lover red bell peppers but can’t grow them

Answer 1

It could be the chicken manure. Uncomposted chicken manure can be a bit harsh with nitrogen, which can prevent uptake of phosphorus and potassium. This will halt fruiting, or make it fruit very poorly. Another thing could be proximity to tomatoes. They will compete at the root level, chemically, preventing one or the other from fruiting properly.