Question
Hello! 3 wks ago we planted pepper plants in the veg garden - banana peppers (2), swwet red, orange, and yellow (2 each) and 2 green pepper plants. My husband mulched the garden with grass clippings and three days later the banana perpper plants were dead. The next day 3 others looked horrible (drooping and starting to turn brown). We've had rain every day lately but I don't think it's been too much for them. The tomatoe, cucumber and snow peas are perfectly healthy. Could it be the grass clippings? I can't see any bugs or fungus on them. We use a lot of peat moss and compost to augment our clay soil and it's worked well for 2 seasons. Any ideas?

Answer
KerryLynn-

It's possible it was from the grass, but I can't say for sure. You don't say how much grass you put down. Grass clippings are fine for mulch, but they are very high in nitrogen, and if put down too thick they heat up quite a bit, which could have caused a problem.

They also tend to mat, which causes them to get smelly and to limit the water penetration. You should only put down about 1/2 - 1" of clippings at one time. Also, if your grass has been treated with any kind of herbicide, that could leach into the soil around your vegetables and effect them.

Elyse