Red Peppers

shovel's picture
shovel Posted at 06:35 on Tue, 10/06/2008
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Intro
Intro picture: 
Intro: 

Deliciously sweet, red peppers like warmth and shelter, but with care you can successfully grow them here. A dozen plants should provide enough for two families

Location and soil
Type of soil: 

They need a well-drained, fertile soil

Location: 

A sunny, sheltered location

Sowing seeds
Sowing seeds: 

Start sowing indoors in late winter, and transplant into the garden when the soil has warmed and there’s no danger of frost.

Plant the seedlings about 18 to 24 inches apart – a dozen plants should provide enough peppers for most families.

Looking after the crop
General care: 

Raised beds, black plastic mulch and cloches can all be used to keep the soil warm and drained (peppers hate wet soil) in spring, when cool weather can harm the young plants.

it’s essential they get a uniform moisture supply, especially during the harvesting season, so be sure to water regularly.

Early in the season, extreme cold may prevent fruit to set. The most common problems later in the season are hot, dry winds and warm nights (above 70°F). Pepper plants that have no developing fruit attached normally maintain a greener, healthier appearance because all the nutrients can go into producing leaves and stems instead of fruit.

Harvesting the crop
Harvesting: 

Green bell varieties are usually picked when they are fully grown and mature—3 to 4 inches long, firm and green. Coloured bell pepper fruits may be left on the plant to develop full flavour and ripen fully to red, yellow, orange or brown; or they can be harvested green and immature.

When the fruits are mature, they break easily from the plant. Less damage is done to the plants if the peppers are cut rather than pulled off.

Pests
Pest or disease: 

People who use smoke should wash their hands with soap and water before handling pepper plants to prevent spread of tobacco mosaic disease. Grow resistant varieties if possible.

Pest or disease: 

Watch for greenfly on the underside of the leaves, especially near growing branch tips

Pest or disease: 

Lots of aphids cause a sticky "honeydew" to appear on the lower leaves and fruit

Pest or disease: 

Blossom-end rot causes small, dry, sunken black areas near the ends of the peppers. This is a condition more commonly associated with tomato. It is caused by drought or irregular watering. Blossom-end rot is more severe on some varieties of peppers than on others. Remove infected fruits and throw them away. Irrigation and mulching can help to prevent blossom-end rot.

Abundance of peppers

PaulC Posted at 14:16 on Mon, 10/05/2009

I have been growing Peppers for a few years now and have heard various advice on hownto acheive the best crops. Through trial and error I have found out for myself what works best. I always sow the seeds around the end of february or early march, seeds will germinate prior to this in a propagator but need the slightly longer days and stronger light to mature. I've found the later sowing will easily overtake earlier sown batches. Also I usually just use the seeds from any shop bought pepper, I've never had a problem with these germinating or had any disease on the plants (if you need guaranteed organic or GM free buy from certified seed suppliers) I always buy organic peppers for their seed. I was once told that peppers thrive in a poor soil and produce foliage an no fruit in a rich well fed soil, this hasn't been the case in my experience, pot the seedlings on as soon as they grow their first 'true' leaves and I have found that you can feed them as soon as they are more than 3 inches tall, in fact I add fish blood and bone to the soil when potting on, and periodically feed the mature plants with liquid organic fertiliser to produce another flush of fruits. Peppers hate to dry out so I always put my pots in a tray so that they have wet feet. I've had a bumoer crop this year!!