Help, holes in my peppers!

Help, holes in my peppers!

- Anne Swithinbank

Q I grew sweet and chilli peppers for the first time this summer, but the plants produced few fruits that didn’t reach full size. They also had small holes in them. What caused this, and how can I grow them better next year? Chris Nightingale, Hartlepool, County Durham

A This sounds like the work of tomato moth caterpillars, which (despite the name) seem to find both sweet and chilli peppers tastier. Eggs are laid on leaf undersides and feeding caterpillars cause white papery patches. The growing larvae disperse and often make holes to enter and feed inside developing or ripe fruits. When fully grown, they pupate just below the soil surface or in other debris. Watch for early leaf damage and young caterpillars to squish before they do more harm. I welcome birds into my greenhouse – and regular visits by wrens, robins and hedge sparrows help to reduce pest numbers. A pheromone trap will lure and hold male moths, to reduce mating and egg-laying. If the problem keeps recurring, you can try spraying on a biological control nematode that targets caterpillars.