Peppers, especially the sweet varieties, are a well-liked pick to grow within the kitchen garden . they’re close relatives of tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and even tobacco, all being within the Solanaceae family. While tomatoes and potatoes are fairly easy to grow, peppers are often challenging in some areas, because they have an honest deal of warmth and sun to line and ripen their fruits. Pepper plants will sit within the garden and await the proper conditions before they really start to grow. Gardeners in cooler climates might not see any fruits on their plants until the top of summer, which may be very frustrating.
Peppers within the Capsicum annuum species are often either hot or what we call ‘sweet’. To be considered a sweet pepper, the variability must score near zero on the Scoville scale.
All peppers are short-lived tropical perennials that prefer moderately warm days and nights and don’t really start producing until 2 months into the season .
Pepper plants all look just about alike, some taller and bushier than others. There the resemblance ends. The fruits of sweet peppers are often boxy, stocky, round, or long and thin, and in reminder green, red, yellow, orange, and purple.
- Leaves: Alternate, lance-shaped leaves.
- Flowers: White or yellow star-shaped flowers.
- Fruits: Fruits begin forming 2 to six days after the flowers drop. the form and size will depend upon the variability being grown; from stocky bell to elongated banana.
Botanical Name
Capsicum Annuum
Common Names
Peppers, sweet peppers
Hardiness Zones
Peppers are tropical perennials, usually grown as annuals, so you won’t see them listed with a USDA Hardiness Zone. However, since they’re perennial, you’ll bring plants indoors in winter, as houseplants. you’ll even get some peppers.
Sun Exposure
As a tropical perennial, peppers are heat-loving plants, make certain to place them during a spot that gets full sun.
Growing Tips
Soil: Peppers aren’t terribly fussy about soil. They sort of a good amount of organic matter, good drainage, and a neutral soil pH of about 6.0 to 6.8.
Planting: Gardeners with long, warm growing seasons can direct seed peppers once the bottom is warm and not too wet. In shorter season zones, you’ll got to start seed indoors or purchase seedlings.
Peppers are slow starters. Start seed 8 to 12 weeks before your last frost date. Seed can take a short time to germinate, although sweet peppers are usually faster than hot peppers. Using some sort of bottom heat, either with a hot pad or just placing the flats on top of the refrigerator, will speed germination. it’ll also dry out the soil faster, so remember to water.
When the seedlings are about 6 weeks old, they ought to have their first true leaves. Transplant them into larger pots (about 3 inches) and continue growing indoors.
Harden off the seedlings before transplanting within the garden. Sweet peppers are long season plants but don’t rush them. they’re very vulnerable to cold. Transplant in any case danger of frost and once temperatures remain reliably above 50 F.
Transplant about 1 inch deeper than they were growing in their pots. the bottom of the stems will send small roots, making stronger plants. Space 14 to 18 inches apart.
Pepper plants grow slowly when temperatures are below 55 F and that they may lose flowers and/or leaves. Warming the soil with black plastic or covering the plants with a floating row cover will allow you to plant a touch earlier.
Plant Care
Water: the foremost important thing you’ll do for your peppers is to form sure they get regular water. Drought stress will cause their flowers to drop. (They also will drop their flowers in prolonged cool weather, extreme heat and low humidity.)
Feeding: Start with rich, organic soil. you’ll feed your pepper plants once you plant them and again when the primary flowers appear. Use a well-balanced fertilizer labeled for edible plants. Many gardeners add alittle few Epsom salts to the soil at planting, as a magnesium boost.
Staking: Some pepper plants are sturdy enough to face on their own, without staking, but once you have an important set of fruit, the plants can bend and break from the load. Staking also will keep the fruit from touching the bottom.
Harvesting Tips
It depends on the variability of pepper you’re growing and therefore the weather, but most begin producing within 65 to 75 days from transplant.
Harvest sweet peppers once they reach the well-liked size or color. If you wish green peppers, plow ahead and pick them at any time. The more you choose , the more the plant will set.
They will not reach their full color until fully ripe. If you favor ripe peppers, you’ll need to wait longer and you’ll get fewer peppers, which is why red, yellow, and orange peppers cost such a lot more within the store.
Cutting is that the best method of harvesting peppers. you’ll snap the stem off the plant, but fairly often you’ll take the entire branch with you. It’s safer to snip them off, with a touch of stem attached.
Pests and Problems
- Cutworms can slice off young plants at ground level. you’ll prevent this by collaring the bottom of the plant with a tube of some sort (toilet paper tube, bottomless yogurt cup, etc.) or just placing toothpicks on either side of the stem.
- Aphids and thrips can infest older plants and carry viruses like tobacco etch virus (TEV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and potato virus (PVY). Destroy infected plants. Symptoms include crinkled leaves or especially narrow leaves. Control the insects to stop spreading the virus and choose resistant varieties.
- Bacterial diseases sometimes come on transplants. Symptoms include stem cankers and leaf spots.
- Blossom end rot can affect pepper fruits. Regular watering will help prevent it.
- Sunscald can cause thin, papery spots on the fruits. an honest leaf cover will protect them.
Suggested Varieties
There’s no shortage of pepper varieties to grow and more are being introduced per annum . Experiment and see which become your favorites. Here are some to urge you started.
- “Ace” F1: Early, prolific, and hardy bell peppers.
- “Bull’s Horn” aka “Corno di Toro”: Long and tapered to some extent. Spicy without heat. Red and yellow varieties.
- “Giant Marconi”: 2001 AAS winner. Long, boxy bell pepper. Very sweet.
- “Jimmy Nardello”: Prolific, long, narrow, and very sweet.
- “Sweet Banana”: Thin-walled and great for frying.
- “Yummy Bell”: Elongated, golden bell pepper. Very sweet.
Bell Peppers are native to Central and South America. They were delivered to Europe by explorers round the time of Columbus , and are cultivated all round the world ever since. Bell peppers are warm weather perennials which are commonly grown as annuals in cool climate areas. Bell pepper plants grow to four feet high and two feet wide, producing fruit which is usually three to four inches long.
Bell peppers are often harvested prematurely once they are green, however, if left alone to mature, they’re going to turn red, orange, yellow, purple, or brown, counting on the variability . Most bell peppers turn red once they mature, but there are many varieties that provide a rainbow of other bell pepper colors to settle on from. there’s actually no difference between red bell peppers and green bell peppers, aside from the quantity of your time they were allowed to mature on the plant. Red bell peppers got longer to mature, which alters their color, increases the quantity of vitamin C , and increases the sweetness of the fruit.
Unlike their spicy siblings, bell peppers don’t contain capsaicin, a compound that provides hot peppers their signature heat and pungency. Hardy to USDA hardiness zones one through 11, bell peppers are relatively easy to grow, though temperature may be a vital , and sometimes deciding factor.
VARIETIES OF BELL PEPPERS
There are plenty of different sorts of bell peppers that gardeners can grow in their home gardens. Here are a number of the simplest options to assist you cut down your choices a touch .
Carmen Sweet Pepper – Tapered Carmen peppers are a kind of bullhorn pepper from Italy. They turn from green to crimson upon maturity and grow to 6 inches long. they’re especially good when fried.
Cupid Sweet Pepper – Cupid peppers are often harvested once they are still green in 55 days, or if you would like them to be sweet and either orange or red, allow them to mature for 75 days.
Sweet California Wonder Bell Pepper – one among the foremost popular bell pepper varieties is that ;this 1928 heirloom cultivar. These large, four inch block peppers mature to a crimn hue.
Cabernet Sweet Bell Pepper – Turning from glossy green to red because it matures, this cultivar produces very sweet-tasting elongated eight inch-long fruits. The Cabernet Sweet Bell Pepper plant is additionally immune to mosaic virus.
Good As Gold Italian Pepper – These Italian peppers boast a posh flavor profile that’s both sweet and savory. Maturing from green to orange, the great As Gold Italian Pepper Plant grows three foot high and produces seven inch fruits that fully mature in 70 days.
King Arthur Sweet Bell Pepper – This cultivar produces large four to 5 inch globular bell peppers early, in only 60 days. Whether harvested when green, or allowed to ripen to bright red, the peppers are always sweet and crunchy.
Gypsy Sweet Pepper – This classic variety produces four inch tapered sweet peppers that change from golden-green to orange or red when ripe. Great for stuffing and roasting.
Sweet Sunrise Sweet Pepper – Harvest these peppers in 65 days for dark green fruits, or wait 85 days for yellow-orange peppers. This variety produces fruity, sweet, and medium-large sized peppers. Grows well even in Northern gardens.
Intruder Sweet Pepper – This big, thick, chunky pepper stays green upon maturation, and is well-adapted to Northeastern and Midwestern gardens, and is immune to phytophthora, a blight that causes plants to suddenly wilt and die.
Candy Apple Bell Pepper – An early fruiting pepper, the candied apple cultivar produces seven inch peppers that are especially sweet. Bright green five inch peppers turn candied apple red upon maturity.
Golden Bell Pepper – Reaching maturity and turning from green to yellow in 65 to 75 days, this bright golden yellow-colored bell pepper is extra crunchy and slightly sweet.
Islander Sweet Pepper – one among the rare purple colored bell peppers, the Islander Sweet Pepper features a pale lavender skin that becomes darker because it matures. they need a light , slightly sweet flavor.
Lunchbox Sweet Pepper – Lunchbox peppers are available an organic seed mix that has three different sorts of sweet, mini-sized peppers that mature yellow, orange, and red.
Gourmet Sweet Pepper – The sweet and fruity Gourmet Sweet Pepper have vibrant orange skins, and grow on compact plants that are surprisingly hardy and adaptable to a good range of growing conditions.
Sweet Chocolate Sweet Pepper – one among the few peppers that turn brown when mature, these stubby-ended peppers have a light and delicate flavor.
Other popular bell pepper varieties that turn red when mature include Lady Bell, Bell Boy, Blitz, Bayonet, Galileo, and Lipstick sweet pepper varieties. another popular orange varieties are Milena, Garfield, Horizon Orange and Orange Sun peppers. For purple sweet peppers, try growing Purple Beauty, or if you would like a cultivar that stays green when mature, try growing Touchdown or Antebellum bell peppers. Lastly, commonly grown bell pepper cultivars that turn yellow upon reaching maturity include, Golden California Wonder, Moonset, or Mama Mia Giallo sweet pepper varieties.
GROWING CONDITIONS FOR BELL PEPPERS
Bell peppers thrive in full sunlight locations but prefer daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F. If it gets hotter in your area, you’ll want to supply some afternoon shade to guard the plant from flower drop, misshapen fruits, and scorched leaves. already dark temperatures should stay above 50 degrees F.
Bell peppers need a well draining soil that’s preferably a mixture of loamy and sandy. Peppers need many nutrients, so a soil that’s rich in organic matter is right . Additional organic matter are often added as a mulch or fertilization . Soil pH isn’t too important, as bell pepper plants will adapt to soils with different pH levels, but the perfect pH range for bell peppers is between 5.5 and 7.0.
For the simplest possible fruit production, keep the soil around your bell pepper plants evenly moist throughout the season . Soil that’s too wet or too dry will cause a decline in fruit production and may also affect the general health of the plant. it’s especially important to form sure that your bell pepper plants get many water once they are in bloom or within the process of manufacturing fruit. Generally one to at least one and a half inches of water per week is plenty for bell pepper plants, but more may have to be provided during especially hot or dry weather.
Once you’ve got selected a planting site for your bell peppers, prepare the soil for planting by mixing in many organic matter like composted manure to extend fertility and water retention capability. Before planting, treat the soil with a coffee nitrogen fertilizer, like 5-10-10, to encourage your plants to use their energy for fruit production.
HOW TO START BELL PEPPER SEEDS
Bell pepper plants should be started indoors as their seeds require warmth so as to germinate properly. it’s easier to regulate the temperatures inside your home and supply a gentle temperature for your bell pepper seedlings in an environment that’s not subject to random fluctuations in weather. Fill a seed tray with a well-draining potting soil or seed starting mix and put one to 3 bell pepper seeds in each container within the tray, planting each seed about ¼ of an in. deep. Use a warming mat or place the tray during a warm location, keeping the seeds between 70 and 90 degrees F during germination. the hotter the temperature, the quicker the method are going to be .
It might even be helpful to hide the tray with plastic tarp to stay the heat and moisture trapped inside the seed tray and assist you keep an eye fixed on moisture levels . Keep the soil within the tray moist in the least times. Water droplets will form on the underside of the plastic tarp. These drops will allow you to know that your seeds are becoming many water. If the drops stop forming, it’s time to water your seeds again.
You should start to ascertain shoots of green bell pepper seedlings start to emerge from the soil within a few of weeks. When your seedlings become a couple of inches tall, carefully move them into their own separate small pots. Once the weather outside starts to warm up, you’ll begin to urge your seedlings adjusted to the outside by exposing them to the outside for a touch bit every day , gradually increasing the quantity of your time outside a day .
This process, referred to as hardening off, will help your bell pepper seedlings transition from the comfort of your indoor climate to the ever-changing climate outside. fertilization the soil around your seedlings with fertilizer occasionally also will help them suits the move. When the garden has warmed up and your young bell pepper plants have reached eight inches tall, it’s safe to transfer them to the garden full time.
HOW TO TRANSPLANT YOUNG BELL PEPPER PLANTS
Start hardening off your bell pepper seedlings about 10 days before transplanting them outside. Once nighttime temperatures in your area reach a minimum of 60 degrees F, transplant them outdoors into your garden beds or into large containers, spacing each plant out 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant the transplants no deeper than they were in their small pots. Planting the young bell pepper plants too deep within the soil will make their stems more vulnerable to rot. LEARN MORE: Master List of Heirloom Tomatoes
Soil temperatures should be a minimum of 65 degrees F. Bell pepper plants won’t survive transplanting if the soil temperatures are colder than 65 degrees. If you reside within the north, or during a cool climate area, you’ll warm up your soil before transplanting by covering it with a black plastic tarp. The black plastic will attract the sun’s rays, naturally warming up the soil below. The plastic also will work to trap the warmth inside the soil below.
CARE FOR BELL PEPPERS
Bell peppers don’t need tons of private care to succeed, but just a touch little bit of attention can go an extended way towards ensuring that your pepper plants have all the resources they have to grow vigorously and produce much healthy fruit for you to reap.
The soil around your pepper plants should be drained and consistently moist. Help improve moisture retention by adding a layer of organic mulch around your plants. Provide one to 2 inches of water per week between rainfall and manual watering. confine mind, peppers are extremely sensitive to heat. If you reside during a warm or desert climate, watering your pepper plants everyday could also be necessary to stay the soil from drying out.
Fertilize your bell pepper plants after the primary fruit has set employing a low nitrogen fertilizer like 5-10-10 to encourage fruit production. this could be the second fertilization, the primary addition being during the preparation of the soil before planting. Watering after the primary fruit has set will give your bell pepper plants a lift to encourage healthy fruit production. Weed carefully around plants and avoid disturbing roots during weed removal. If you haven’t already added mulch, add a layer after removing weeds. If you already had mulch in situ , you would possibly want to think about adding another inch of mulch to discourage any weeds from trying to grow copy after removal.
Another important a part of bell pepper plant care is providing support. There are a couple of sorts of bell peppers that don’t need support, because the plants are large enough and powerful enough to support the load of the fruit without having cages or stakes to carry themselves up. However, most varieties would require some sort of support to stop bending.
When needed, provide cages or stakes to supply support to your pepper plants. The cone-shaped wire tomato cages that are widely available at plant nurseries and garden centers are perfect for pepper plants. Fallen branches are often used as stakes, otherwise you can even build your own garden supports.
Bell peppers are within the Solanaceae family, also called nightshade plants. Bell peppers share disease and pest issues, also as nutritional need with other nightshade relations , including tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes. Planting nightshade crops within the same location season after season will cause a depletion of the essential nutrients within the soil, also as a buildup of soil borne pests and diseases that commonly affect nightshade plants. For these reasons, it’s especially important to practice crop rotation, never planting nightshade plants within the same location season after season.
GARDEN PESTS AND DISEASES OF BELL PEPPERS
Poor draining soils and overwatering can dramatically affect your bell pepper plants. plant disease and phytophthora blight, a fungal disease that causes permanent wilt, are both common diseases that will affect bell pepper plants if you’ve got soggy soil issues.
Another disease which bell peppers are vulnerable to which is caused by moisture stress is blossom end rot. Blossom end rot are often spotted as dark sunken areas on the fruit. apart from moisture stress, blossom end rot is usually the results of calcium deficiency issues, which might be caused by a scarcity of calcium in your soil, or by low soil pH, or maybe damaged roots. Rot issues are usually the results of overwatered or soggy soils, however, so confirm that your soil is draining properly before transplanting your young bell pepper plants into their beds.
Pests that are commonly found on bell pepper plants include aphids, spider mites, stink bugs, flea beetles, and cutworms. There are a couple of easy ways to affect these common garden pests. Spraying them with a robust stream of water and knocking them off of the plants is usually enough to handle small numbers. Often, simply hand picking and squashing unwelcome garden guests is all that must be done to handle minor infestations. Sometimes horticultural oil sprays are necessary to handle larger infestations.
The best thanks to avoid pest issues is to practice crop rotation and to take care of healthy plants and supply an optimal growing environment. Check your garden weekly at a minimum and be able to handle any concerns which may arise. Invite natural predators and beneficial insects to your garden, like birds, butterflies, praying mantises, and ladybugs. These garden friends will assist you keep pest populations right down to a minimum.
HOW TO HARVEST BELL PEPPERS
When it involves harvesting bell peppers, you’ve got tons of freedom when it involves choosing when to reap your peppers. you’ll prefer to pick them early, taking them off the plant as soon as they turn green, otherwise, you may plan to allow them to mature to their final color. Letting them mature will allow their flavor to develop and sweeten, and can bring much prettier harvests.
However, you don’t need to harvest all of your crop directly . Each pepper plant will produce about six to eight peppers at just one occasion , counting on the variability . Whenever you are doing plan to harvest your bell peppers, rather than pulling the fruits off by hand, cut them faraway from the plant employing a pair of sharp clean scissors or gardening shears so as to not damage the stem during removal.
The minimum ripeness that you simply need to await is for your peppers to show green, full-sized, and firm to the touch. At that time , full maturity can take three weeks or longer for the complete color to develop. Once the peppers have fully matured, they’re going to be sweeter and have thinner walls, but they’re going to even have a shorter storage anticipation . If you wait too long, they’re going to turn mushy and go bad on the vine.
If you select to attend until all of your peppers reach their final color, you’ll likely only have one harvest. If quantity is more important to you than quality, you would possibly want to reap your peppers more frequently once they first begin to mature. this may allow longer and energy to travel into subsequent crops. If you can’t decide, you’ll always plant two of every pepper plant and permit one to mature while consistently harvesting the opposite one.
HOW TO STORE BELL PEPPERS
The riper the pepper is once you harvest it, the shorter the time period is going to be in storage. If you let your bell peppers mature fully before harvesting, it’s better to eat them as quickly as possible after harvesting. Peppers will ripen slightly if you allow them on your kitchen counter for several days, then begin to travel badly rather quickly. But if you retain your freshly harvested peppers within the fridge, they’re going to last for one or a fortnight