{"id":2320,"date":"2020-03-24T22:24:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T22:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2320"},"modified":"2020-03-27T03:19:26","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T03:19:26","slug":"sweet-peppers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/24\/sweet-peppers\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Peppers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Capsicum annuum<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: Peppers are native to Central and South\nAmerica and have been an important crop in that area for over 5000 years. There\nare two distinct kinds of peppers, with quite different uses: the hot peppers\nand the sweet peppers. Their flavor and uses differ considerably, but they are\ngrown in pretty much the same way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: I have always found peppers to be pretty straightforward, so long as they have enough heat. They can be slow to get started if it isn\u2019t warm enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value<\/strong>: Sweet peppers are one of the most popular garden crops, though\nthey aren\u2019t particularly nutritious, aren\u2019t particularly productive and aren\u2019t\na very important crop from a self-sufficiency standpoint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: Peppers originated in the tropical highlands of Central and South America and grow best with warm days, cool nights and high humidity. They don\u2019t really like extreme heat and if the soil gets above 85\u00b0F in summer it can slow growth. Air temperatures above 90\u00b0F can cause flowers to drop instead of producing fruit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Peppers<\/strong>  <\/strong>

Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 60 (85) 95\u00b0F
Germ time: 7 – 14 days
25 days \/ 59\u00b0F
13 days \/ 68\u00b0F
8 days \/ 77\u00b0F
8 days \/ 86\u00b0F * Optimum
9 days \/ 95\u00b0F
Viability: 2 – 4 years
Germination percentage: 55%+
Weeks to grow transplant: 8 – 12  

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Tender
Growing temp: 75 – 85\u00b0F day
                         55 – 65\u00b0F night
Plants per person: 4
Plants per sq ft: 1 (or less)  

Planting<\/strong>:
Start: 4 – 8 weeks before last frost
Plant out: 2 – 4 wks after last frost
Succession sow: After 6 – 8 wks  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Days to harvest:
120 – 150 days from seed    
50 – 75 days from transplanting
Harvest period: 12 weeks
Yield per plant: 1 – 2 lb
Yield per sq ft: \u00bc – 1 lb sq ft  
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Peppers contain vitamin C and A (beta carotene) as well as some\nimportant detoxifying antioxidant phytochemicals, including, lutein, zeaxanthin\nand capsaicin. They\ncontain about 125 calories per pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet peppers don\u2019t contain any capsaicin (if they did they would be hot peppers). They do contain other beneficial phytonutrients though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 \u2013 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peppers like a deep, loose soil that is\nfairly rich in all of the plant nutrients (especially magnesium) and organic\nmatter. They don\u2019t mind acid soil, but don\u2019t like salty ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Peppers aren\u2019t very hungry plants and don\u2019t need a lot of\nnutrients. Dig 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure deeply into the top 10\u02dd of soil,\nalong with colloidal phosphate (for phosphorus), greensand or wood ashes (for\npotassium) and kelp (for trace elements). You may also want to add some kind of\ncalcium, either lime or gypsum, depending upon soil pH. This should provide all\nof the nutrients they need.\nAlternatively you could simplify things by just using an organic fertilizer\nmix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your soil isn\u2019t well-drained then use raised beds, as peppers\ndon\u2019t like having wet roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Peppers need a warm, sunny, sheltered spot. In very hot climates\n(where temperatures regularly get up into the 90\u2019s) they will benefit from\nlight shade during the hottest part of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop rotation<\/strong>: All members of the Solanum family (eggplant, potato, tomato) are\nsubject to the same pests and diseases. Don\u2019t plant peppers where any related\nplant has grown in the last 3 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Peppers grow best with warm (70 – 80\u00b0F)\ndays, cool (55 – 65\u00b0F) nights and high humidity. Don\u2019t plant them out until the\naverage daytime temperature is at least 65\u00b0F and the average night temperature\ngoes no lower than 55\u00b0F. The soil should be at least 60\u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peppers won\u2019t grow well if it\u2019s cold and may be permanently\ndamaged by temperatures below 55\u00b0F. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cool weather sweet peppers won\u2019t get as big or sweet, while hot\npeppers won\u2019t get as hot. In such situations you might think about growing them\nunder cloches or in a greenhouse. You should also use an early maturing\nvariety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peppers need to be started early, because\nthey are slow to get going. Start them indoors 4 – 8 weeks before the last\nfrost date. They are generally one of the last crops to be planted out in late\nspring, a couple of weeks after tomatoes (4 weeks after the last frost). If the\ntemperature threatens to go below 55\u00b0F after you plant them, then cover with\nmulch, frost blankets or cloches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession sowing<\/strong>: In areas with a long growing season you might want to make a\nsecond sowing 6 – 8 weeks\nafter the first one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>: Peppers are started in pretty much the same way as tomatoes, but\nthey are a bit more temperamental. This is because they need warmer\ntemperatures for germination and growth than almost any common crop. The soil\nshould be a minimum of 60\u00b0F and preferably 80\u00b0F. You can see from the\ngermination numbers in the table that temperature has a dramatic effect on\ngermination time. At 60\u00b0F they take almost a month to germinate, while at 80\u00b0F\nthey take only a week or so. You need to take this into account when deciding\nwhen to start the seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get your peppers going as quickly as possible start them\nsomewhere really warm. If you can\u2019t put the whole container inside, you could\npre-germinate the seeds (see Pre-germination<\/strong>).\nWherever you put them make sure they have good ventilation to avoid diseases\nsuch as damping off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed starting mix<\/strong>: Some hot\npepper aficionados recommend soilless mixes and say you should avoid both soil\nand peat when growing pepper transplants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed\ntreatment<\/strong>: Soaking the seed overnight is said to\nremove germination inhibitors and so may speed germination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is sometimes recommended that before planting you soak the\nseeds in a 10% bleach solution (or hydrogen peroxide solution) for 10 minutes,\nto kill any disease spores (the seed should then be rinsed carefully). It is\nsaid that this treatment may also speed germination by several days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-germination<\/strong>: To speed up growth and save time you can pre-germinate the\nseeds. Place them on a strong (tear resistant) paper towel, roll this up and\nput it in a plastic bag. Place this in a warm place (85\u00b0F is best) and start\nchecking it after 3 days. As soon as the seed starts to germinate, plant it\nout, even if you have to pick out individual seeds. If they don\u2019t germinate within\n3 weeks, you should\nprobably get new seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong>: Plant the seeds 1\u02dd apart and up to \u00bc\u02dd deep in the flat (they\ndon\u2019t mind transplanting) or in cell packs or soil blocks (put 3 seeds in each,\nto be later thinned to the best one). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a good idea to water the seedlings with tepid water, to\navoid cooling the soil. It is also important not to over water; so allow the\nsoil surface to start to dry out before watering again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricking out<\/strong>: When the seedlings are about 2\u02dd tall, prick them out into individual 4\u02dd pots (it\u2019s a good idea to add extra phosphorus to the potting mix). You can bury them somewhat deeper each time you transplant, as they will form roots on their stems. When the transplants are 4 – 6\u02dd tall they are ready to go outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardening off<\/strong>: If you are planting peppers in cool spring conditions, they must\nbe hardened off carefully before they go outside (failure to do so can have\nserious consequences). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do this slowly over a week, by reducing the amount of water they get\nand by leaving them outside for longer periods each day. Start by putting them\noutside for 2 hours at midday and give them 2 additional hours every day, until\nthey are out all day (or simply put them in a cold frame and leave it open\nduring the day). This helps them to slowly get accustomed to the somewhat less\nthan ideal conditions to\nbe found outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In warm summer weather there is no need to harden them off.\nHowever you may want to keep them outside in the shade for a day or two, so\nthey can get used to the drier conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting out<\/strong>: The soil must be warm (at least 65\u00b0F) before these tender plants\nare set out. If necessary you could use black plastic mulch to hasten warming.\nIf the air temperature is still cool at this time, you could protect the plants\nwith cloches to speed their growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual planting is simple enough, just make a large hole, add\na handful of organic fertilizer mix and plant them out so they are a couple of\ninches deeper than they were growing in their pots. If cutworms are a problem,\nyou can make protective collars of newspaper or aluminum foil. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>: It is possible to direct sow peppers, but it isn\u2019t very\npractical unless you have a long growing season. Plant the seed \u00bd\u02dd deep when\nthe soil has warmed up sufficiently (a minimum of 60\u00b0F – and ideally 80\u00b0F). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space the plants 12\u02dd – 15\u02dd – 18\u02dd apart, according to the fertility of the soil and the size of the variety. Some particularly large varieties may need even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your peppers are growing in ideal\nconditions they can be quite problem free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Peppers are somewhat drought tolerant (especially hot peppers),\nbut lack of water can affect fruiting so they need to be kept moist for best\nproduction. This is most critical from the time the flowers appear until the\nfruit reach full size. This is particularly important for sweet peppers; if they\ndon\u2019t get enough water, the fruits will often get blossom end rot, or develop a\nslightly bitter flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t give the plants water too frequently however, they don\u2019t\nlike wet roots and waterlogged soil. Also don\u2019t leave water on the leaves\novernight as this encourages disease. Drip irrigation works well with peppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: If your soil is poor you could feed the plants with compost tea\nor liquid kelp, after they have recovered from transplanting. Feed them again\nas they start to flower to help in setting fruit. They need phosphorus and\npotassium, but not too much nitrogen (which may result in big vigorous plants,\nbut few fruits). You should be able to tell if they need fertilizing by the\namount of growth they are making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This is recommended to conserve moisture and to keep down weeds\naround these shallow rooted crops. Don\u2019t apply it until the soil is warm\nthough; ideally wait until they are flowering. In very hot weather mulch is\nsometimes recommended to keep the soil comfortably cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cooler areas black plastic mulch is sometimes used to give the\nplants extra warmth. People have also been known to put flat rocks around the\nplants, with the idea that these will absorb heat during the daytime and\nradiate it back to the plants at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning<\/strong>: You may want to pinch out the growing tip when the plant is\nabout 6 inches tall, to make it branch and become bushier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your plants start to produce flowers while they are still\nsmall, it\u2019s a good idea to pinch them off. At this stage you want your plants\ndevoting all their energy to growth, rather than to producing fruit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination<\/strong>: Peppers don\u2019t flower until they have produced about ten nodes on the stem. It is common for the first\nflowers to drop off without setting fruit, usually because night-time\ntemperatures are too cool (below 50\u00b0F). Don\u2019t worry too much about this, as\nsoon as it gets warmer they should start to set fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of pollinating insects can also cause flowers to not set\nfruit. If this is a problem you can hand pollinate with a small paintbrush <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the fruits drop off after they have\nstarted to swell it could be temperatures above 90\u00b0F, an excess of nitrogen or\na deficiency of boron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support<\/strong>: Peppers are more sturdy and upright than tomatoes, but heavily\nladen plants will often benefit from staking, especially in windy sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Peppers have more than their fair share of potential pests (as\ndo other members of the Solanaceae<\/em>), but often they are fairly pest\nfree. Possible problems include aphids, hornworms, leafhoppers, mites,\nnematodes, pepper weevils, leaf miners, flea beetles and Colorado potato\nbeetles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease<\/strong>: Peppers can be affected by a number of diseases (anthracnose,\nbacterial spot, southern blight, early blight, verticillium wilt). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To minimize disease problems you should keep the foliage dry, make\nsure they have good air circulation and practice good sanitation. If you start\nto have problems then try using disease resistant varieties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tobacco\nmosaic virus<\/strong>: This often-fatal virus\ndisease can be transmitted via cigarette smokers, so keep them out of the\ngarden. Some varieties are resistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boron\ndeficiency<\/strong>: The fruits of boron deficient plants\nare often small and bitter. A deficiency usually shows up in light alkaline\nsoils (high pH reduces its availability), as plants normally get enough boron\nfrom compost or other organic matter. Kelp and granite dust are also good\nsources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are really sure your soil is deficient in boron, you might\ntry dissolving a teaspoon of borax in 10 gallons of water and spraying it over\n100 square feet of bed. Be careful though, larger amounts may result in boron\ntoxicity, which is worse\nthan a deficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magnesium deficiency<\/strong>: This is\ncommon and causes leaves to turn yellow and drop off. Dolomitic limestone is\nthe long term remedy, but is slow to take effect. A faster solution is a foliar\nspray, made from one teaspoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in a pint of\nwater. This should be enough to cover 100 sq ft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunscald<\/strong>: This manifests itself as papery bleached tan patches on the\nfruit. The damaged parts may then be open to fungal infections, which cause\nthem to rot. Sunscald isn\u2019t a disease, but is literally caused by too much\ndirect sun. This can happen to almost any plant, though it is most common on\nwidely spaced and sparsely foliaged ones (as you might imagine). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid sunscald in the future by spacing the plants closer\ntogether, to give the ripening fruit more shade. Staking the plants can also\nhelp as it prevents them falling over and exposing the fruit to sunlight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blossom End Rot<\/strong>: See Tomato<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Sweet Peppers take 4 – 5 weeks to reach full size from\npollination and another 4 – 5 weeks to ripen fully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fruits can be harvested anytime after they reach full size. To\nget the highest yields you can harvest them as soon as they reach full size and\nare still green. When fruit starts to ripen it invariably slows the plant down.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s useful that peppers can be eaten while green, but unless you\nare very impatient, or frost threatens, I don\u2019t recommend it. Their flavor and\nnutritive value improves markedly as they ripen (in most countries they are\nnever eaten green). If you want more fruit it makes more sense to simply grow\nmore plants to make up for the lower yield of ripe fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remove all small fruit about a month before you expect the first\nfall frost. These wouldn\u2019t have time to ripen anyway and removing them allows\nthe plant to channel all of its energy into ripening the remaining larger ones.\nOnce they reach full size the green fruit will ripen indoors like tomatoes. You\ncan also eat fruits that haven\u2019t reached full size, but they aren\u2019t usually\nvery good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: Harvest peppers by cutting the fruit from the plant, leaving a\nshort stem on the fruit. You can break them off, but the stem is quite tough\nand there is a risk of damaging the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: Sweet peppers can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for\nseveral weeks. For longer term storage the fruits can be chopped and frozen,\nthough they will only be good for cooking once frozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Though peppers are mostly self-pollinated they do cross-pollinate to some extent. To ensure purity you should have only one variety flowering at a time, or you can isolate them by 400 feet, or cover with row covers. Hot peppers are more prone to cross-pollination as their styles protrude more from the flower than those of sweet peppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to save pepper seed; just let the\nfruits ripen fully and collect the seed when you prepare them for eating. Take\nseed from the first and biggest fruit to appear on the best plants, as these\nwill produce the best seeds. Ideally you will take\nseed from a minimum of 5 plants to ensure genetic variation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental use<\/strong>: Peppers are quite attractive plants and with their colorful (green, red, yellow, orange, purple) fruits don\u2019t look out of place in the ornamental garden. Some of the hot pepper varieties are quite spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers<\/strong>: Peppers can grow quite well in containers (use a 2 gallon pot\nfor each plant). These have the advantage that you can move them around to take\nadvantage of a warm microclimate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also be treated as a perennial and\nbrought inside in cold weather. They have even been used as house plants!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing light<\/strong>: Aluminum foil mulch has apparently increased yields by 30%, by\nincreasing light levels on the plant. However I\u2019m not sure that would be good\nenough reason to have sheets of shiny metal in my garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuttings<\/strong>: Soft cuttings of peppers can be rooted (in water or vermiculite)\nand this is one way to get plants for overwintering. The length of time they\ntake to root varies a lot though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peppers tend to be very regional and a variety that does well in\none area may not do well in another. It is important to choose varieties that\nwill grow well in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When reading catalogs remember that days to maturity usually means\nthe time from the transplant being set out, to the green fruits reaching full\nsize (but not turning red). Don\u2019t ask me why its not from seed to ripe fruit, I\ndon\u2019t know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet Peppers<\/strong>: If you are adverse to intentionally inflicting pain on yourself,\nyou may be more interested in these. There are now a lot of hybrid varieties\navailable, but they don\u2019t offer huge advantages (and seed saving is so easy\nwith the open pollinated types).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bell\npeppers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\nWonder <\/strong>–\nIntroduced in 1930 and still very popular (70 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gypsy\nF1 <\/strong>– A\nstandard hybrid red pepper for hot or cool areas (60 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple\nBeauty <\/strong>– Heirloom\nwith dark purple fruit (75 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet\nChocolate <\/strong>– Sweet\nchocolate brown fruit (65 – 85 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specialty peppers<\/strong> (not bell shaped)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corno\nDi toro <\/strong>– Italian\nheirloom with bulls horn shaped fruit (80 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cubanelle\n<\/strong>– Small fruit prized\nfor frying (75 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jimmy\nNardello <\/strong>– Sweet\nItalian pepper for frying (75 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lipstick<\/strong> – Very sweet small fruit are produced\nabundantly (70 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nRuffled <\/strong>– Small,\npleated, sweet fruit (85 days from transplant).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet\npeppers<\/strong> – These are most often used raw, but\ncan also be bakes, grilled and roasted. They have a unique flavor that goes\nwell with basil, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, onion and rice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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