Here is my latest contraption:
Recognize that Tide laundry soap container with the lovely spigot?
I planted four pepper plants in the AeroGarden Deluxe, and three grew at just about the same rate, but this one, for some reason, shot up like the Empire State Building.
I couldn't bear to cut it back any further, so I devised this custom habitat, by cutting out and removing a section of the soap container and then filling the base with grow rocks and nutrient solution. Once a day I drain the solution out through the spigot and then pour it back over the top to aerate the roots, topping off it needed.
When I first took this purple hot pepper plant out of the AeroGarden it experienced some transplant shock. Buds that were already on the plant to dried up, and the leaves darkened a bit and showed other clear signs of stunted development. But after I put it outdoors in the Tide jug, it started perking up again and now, after just a few days, is showing new growth.
Here is my cutaway, showing the inside of the container:
The trunk is still encased by the original basket from the AG Seed Kit as well as the quart-sized food container that I kept the plant in while we were waiting for the weather to get cool enough to put this plant outside.
Meanwhile, back indoors, the sister plant has gotten huge and hand-pollination is going on daily. In this photo you can clearly see the pistil in the center of a bloom, with the stigma on the end and pollen-laden anthers encircling it atop the filaments that hold them:
Since pepper flowers are "perfect" (that means the stamens and the pistil are on the same flower), gently shaking the main stem of the plant will be sufficient to cause the pollen to fly off the anthers and onto the stigma. The plant will do the rest:
Here are a couple of nice links that help make this wonderful process clearer for those who are new at this:
Greenwood Nursery's Land Steward
The above link describes some of the growing needs and habits of plants such as peppers, tomatoes, and squash, and a bit about how the weather influences their fecundity.
Below you will find nicely illustrated tutorials and an interactive quiz of value for youngsters and adults alike:
The Great Plant Escape: Part of a Flowers