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Sustainable agricultural systems favor high organic amendments over chemical fertilizers for maintaining long-term soil fertility. To study root responses bell pepper was grown in soil treated with dairy compost, raw dairy manure, and a chemical fertilizer mix at Rodale Institute Research Center, Kutztown, Pa. Root crowns were excavated at 2-week intervals and total length determined from root subsamples by computer-based image analysis. Roots from compost amended plots displayed a simple branching pattern; a first order branch with short second order branches. Fertilizer stimulated a complex branching; short, thickened first and second order branches that supported long and thin third and fourth order roots. An intermediate form in the raw dairy plots yielded both simple and complex branching forms. All forms were dynamic within each treatment over time. Crown length averaged 250-300 m across treatments 6 weeks after transplanting. Raw dairy and fertilizer treatments decreased slightly in length by week 10, while compost remained constant. After heavy rainfall crown length increased to 400 m for compost and raw dairy, and to 750 m for the fertilizer treatment by week 13. Length for the fertilizer treatment dropped nearly 200 m by week 14. though an increase of 100-200 m occurred for compost and raw dairy treated roots respectively.