A look down the greenhouse showing pepper plants at every stage of growth, from newly germinated seedlings to plants in the final phase preparing for shipping.

Weekly Greenhouse Update: Final Prep Before Shipping Begins

This Week’s Focus in the Greenhouse

This week in the greenhouse, our team focused on preparing pre-order pepper plants for the start of shipping, which begins the week of April 6th.

The team is also aligning on quality control checks, specific standards we verify to ensure each plant is healthy, well-established, and ready to handle the journey to your home.

 This final stage is all about quality control and consistency so each plant arrives ready to grow. 

Live Pepper Plants: Production Update

Current Growth Stage

Pepper plants throughout the greenhouse remain in the seedling stage of growth.

At this stage, plants are continuing to develop strong root systems and healthy foliage, preparing them for shipment and successful transplanting once they arrive in home gardens.

Four pepper plant varieties in the finish stage, approaching shipping readiness inside the greenhouse.

Four pepper varieties in the finish stage including Sugar Rush Stripey, Datil, Carolina Reaper, and Chocolate Bhutlah growing in a greenhouse before shipping.

Environmental Conditions We’re Monitoring

Temperature remains a key focus inside the greenhouse.

Maintaining stable temperatures helps support consistent plant growth and prevents stress, especially as plants approach the final stages before shipping.

Recent Changes in Care

There were no major adjustments to watering, feeding, or spacing this week.

At this stage, consistency is key. Maintaining stable care routines helps ensure plants continue developing evenly as they prepare for shipment.

Seed Stock Production

There are no major updates for seed stock production this week.

Seed stock plants continue progressing through early growth stages in both greenhouse systems and with local grower partners. These plants will eventually support future pepper seed availability on our website once they mature.

Seed stock production in progress: multiple pepper varieties grown for local grower partners (left) and Dragon’s Breath seedlings in rockwool (right) that will transition into the greenhouse Dutch Bucket system.

Pepper seedlings for seed stock including multiple varieties for local growers and Dragon’s Breath seedlings in rockwool for Dutch Bucket greenhouse production.

Observations & Challenges

Wet Wall System Issue

One of the main challenges this week involved the greenhouse wet wall cooling system.

The wet wall helps regulate temperature and humidity by pulling air through water-saturated pads. This process is known as evaporative cooling and is commonly used in greenhouses to maintain stable growing conditions.

However, the system began overflowing due to clogged and aging tank valves.

Because the valves were not functioning properly, the wet wall had to be shut off multiple times to prevent water from overflowing. This disrupted the system’s ability to effectively cool and humidify the greenhouse, making climate control more difficult.

Adjustments Made

To resolve the issue, new valves were ordered and installed.

With the updated components in place, the wet wall system is now functioning properly again, allowing for more consistent temperature and humidity control moving forward.

The greenhouse wet wall system, which helps regulate temperature and humidity through evaporative cooling, is now back up and running after replacing valves.

Greenhouse wet wall cooling system used to regulate temperature and humidity for pepper plants after repairs to valves.

Looking Ahead

With shipping of pre-order live pepper plants beginning the week of April 6th, the team will be focused on:

• Monitoring the health of plants scheduled for shipment
• Finalizing and implementing quality control checks ahead of shipping
• Ensuring pepper plants are stable and ready for transit

This final stage of preparation is key to ensuring plants arrive healthy and ready to grow.

What This Means for Home Growers

The work happening now inside the greenhouse is focused on delivering high-quality plants to customers.

By aligning on thorough quality checks and maintaining stable growing conditions, we’re helping ensure the plants you receive are healthy, strong, and ready to continue growing once they arrive in your garden.

🌱 Keep Up with the Greenhouse

Missed a week?
👈 Week 13: Last Week’s Update

Want to see how the season started?
👉 Start at Week 1

Stay spicy friends, we’re excited to ship out our first batch of pepper plants starting the week of April 6th!

🌶️ The Pepper Joe’s Growing Team

Back to blog