Growing Peppers

Growing peppers in your garden will allow you to add flavor, vitamins and nutrition to your salads, casseroles and stir-fries. Peppers are warm-weather plants, originally native to Asia and South America.

A note of caution about peppers: everything but the pepper fruit is poisonous. If you have little children or little gnomes, make sure they don’t eat the leaves!

Peppers produce well in areas with long growing season. That means, if you want a bountiful pepper harvest, and you live in an area without a long growing season, you need to start seeds inside.

There are green, red, yellow, and even purple peppers. There are sweet peppers, hot peppers and even hotter peppers. They all have the same needs and are grown in the same way. To get a good variety, grow your own plants from seed.

You’ll Find Both Open Pollinated And Hybrid Seed At:

Gurney's Seed and Nursery

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery

How to Grow Peppers

Growing peppers is a little bit of an art, and a little bit of a science. Gnomes like a challenge, though. I’m sure you will too, once you start eating your own tasty harvest! Here are the basics on growing peppers:

Start seeds inside at least six weeks before the average last frost date for your area.

Peppers undergo transplant shock pretty easily, so start your seeds in two to four inch pots to lessen their shock. Plant two or three seedlings in the pot.

After planting the seeds in your seed staring mix, watch for the appearance of the first leaves. At that point, put the peppers under grow lights for 16 hours a day.

When the first true leaves appear (these will look like the second pair of leaves), thin seedlings to one per pot.

When the third true leaves appear (these will look like the fourth pair of leaves), move the plants to a location with night temperatures of between 53 to 55 degrees, and keep there for a month.

When the soil temperature outside reaches at least 70 degrees, all danger of frost has passed, and the soil is warm, transplant outside.

While that plant starting routine might seem a little bit complicated, it will ensure a bountiful harvest for you! To lower the temperature for a month, try putting plants in a room that is extra air-conditioned.

Planting And Growing Peppers Outside

Peppers grow best at temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees. Their preferred pH is 5.5-7.0. They need lots of food. Add compost to soil before planting outside. Then side dress with a high nitrogen fertilizer while the plant is in flower, and again three weeks later. Feed with liquid seaweed fertilizer at least three times per season.

If the soil is deficient in calcium, you may need to add calcium, as well. Peppers also like lots of water! If the outdoor temperature rises above 95 degrees, turn your sprinkler on for a little while to keep them cool.

Peppers are a great source of antioxidants. Gnomes love them, so be sure, when you’re growing peppers, to grow a lot!

Happy gardening,

Geefrank

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