Building a Grow Box.
Many years ago, I chose to grow all of my peppers in containers. It is much easier to control the pesky little critters that like to munch on the plants and the pods. I use rough cut redwood timbers for my grow boxes. Never use pressure treated wood for growing any food crop. The chemicals can leach out of the wood and may be absorbed into the pods.
My boxes are 4'X8'X18" and elevated so that the top of the box is 4 feet off the ground. I use 4"X4" timbers to build a very sturdy base. They are also on very heavy duty wheels. When finished these babies are really heavy. It is very nice to be able to wheel a different box in front of the living room window. I enjoy sitting here at the puter and being able to see my lovely plants just outside the window.
Assemble the base first. Do NOT skimp on materials for the base build it so it looks like a rectangular box with cross braces top and bottom. It has to support a lot of weight. I use 1/2 by 8 inch lag screws to fasten the base together. Pre-drill the holes with a slightly smaller bit. Install the wheels. Don't use the screws that come with the wheels, I used 1/4 by 2 inch screws.
When assembling the boxes, make the bottom as water tight as possible. I rip cut the edges of the planks to make them fit as tightly as possible. Assemble the bottom of the box right on the base. Cut the planks to fit so that you have the thickness of the planks on all sides. The bottom of the box will fit inside the sides of the box.
Rip three 8 foot planks in half lengthwise. Use 1/4 X 5 inch double grip wall fasteners and the appropriate bit to pre-drill the holes, fasten one of the 6 inch planks on each of the long sides. These should extend to the edge of the base. Install fasteners about every 8 inches. Cut two pieces of 12 inch plank to fit inside the sides at the end. Fasten these to the bottom planks and then fasten the sides to the ends. Next install 2 12 inch wide planks on top of the 6 inch planks on the long sides. Fasten them to the end planks. The final step is to cut and install 2 of the six inch planks in the ends, fastening the side planks to them. This should form a pretty solid box. If there are any outstanding spaces between the planks, they can be sealed with sheets of plastic and a staple gun.
The heavy work is done. Next we will create a semi-automatic watering system. I fasten two pieces of 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe vertical at opposite corners. Plastic wire ties work very well for this, just staple on each side of the pipes. I cut one inch notches in the bottom edge, to allow water to flow freely. From the outside of the box, drill two 1/2 inch drain holes in each side at the 6 inch level. Dump 4 inches of smooth river rock in the bottom, (I use inch and a half rock.) get a couple rolls of non metallic window screen wire. Cut the wire to fit on top of the rock, with about 2 inches to go up the sides of the box. The wire doesn't have to be all in one piece. Next place a piece of scrap two by four or other lumber on a flat surface. Use a 3/4 inch hole punch and a hammer to punch holes in the screen wire about every four inches. This allows the roots to get to the water.
Place the screen back into the box on top of the rock. Use a staple gun to secure it all around. Fill the box with good quality potting soil, as you fill the box pack the soil down so that it is pretty solid. Fill it to within about an inch of the top of the box.
It's planting time!! I set the plants about 18 inches apart in rows of 4 across. You can place them pretty close to the sides, with two spaced in between. Give them a good top watering and fill the water chamber through the tubes until water flows out of the drain holes. Now get yourself a beer and relax. The rest is up to nature, with a little help from you.
Set up a watering schedule and stick to it. Start out by filling the water chamber about every three days. If it only takes a little water before it flows out the holes, stretch it out to four days. Experiment, find out what works best for you and your plants. In just a few short weeks they will begin to pay you back for the hard work. Peppers grown this way can produce an amazing amount of pods. The season is also longer since they are not subject to ground cold and pests.
If you buy plants at the garden center of your local hardware store, K-mart or WallyWorld, the plants may not be what the tag claims. It could be the fault of the supplier or some little brat customer switching tags. Pepper plant seedlings are not easy to tell apart. Find a good nursery that you can trust. They usually have a wider selection of plants also. I buy all of my plants from Cross Country Nurseries. They have a wide assortment of plants, timely delivery, great prices and I have never lost a plant. I have no connection to them at all, other than being a customer. You can also do a google search for Chile-Heads and find a lot of sources, tips and tricks. Have a great crop.