[CaroleG]

Hello everyone

This is my first post here    I've spent a while searching the forums first to see if this had already been answered, but couldn't find anything.

This is the first year I've grown sweet peppers. The plants are looking very healthy, leaves are fine, no sign of disease. But half of the peppers that are forming (some have got to the size of eggs so far) have black patches on them. It's not on the ends of the peppers, so I don't think it's blossom end rot. The skin feels just the same in the black bits and the flesh is just as firm.

This is a brand new allotment site on land previously left fallow for 5 years (and was grazed by sheep before that). The soil is quite chalky, but I did a PH test and it was neutral. I've read suggestions that a lack of calcium might cause these spots. I did add an organic seeweed fertiliser to the plot before we started in March this year, and I water with a comfrey tea on occasions. Do you think it could be caused by a deficiency of something in the soil? All ideas greatfully received and absorbed!

Carole

[Yabba]

It could be a suntan, do you have a picture?

¥

[arugula]

Could the fruits just be ripening? When we have grown sweet peppers in the past, they turn from green through black to red.

[mumofstig]

ripening was the consensus of opinion on this old thread
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=23769.msg280593#msg280593

[CaroleG]

Oh, fabulous! Thanks so much for the suggestions. It would be great if it was just ripening. Shows what a pessamist I am, I hadn't even considered that 

I'll get down there tomorrow (when it's stopped raining!)  and take a photo and post it here. 

Thanks again!