Growing Peppers
Growing Peppers Made Easy
Here is a popular hobby - growing peppers in home gardens. And they are easy to grow, too. Some hot peppers and bell peppers were originally grown in North and Central America. There are others that are native to China and Thailand.
Today’s gardeners have so much wider a variety of peppers to choose from, whether they prefer hot or sweet peppers. You can also select what color you’ll be growing. Peppers come in so many varieties. And just when you think you’ve picked what pepper(s) you want to plant, you remember that there is also a wide variety of shapes, if shape matters to you.
If you will be growing peppers from seed, start them in the house and let them establish themselves before you plant them outside. Start the seeds indoors about nine weeks before you expect the last frost in your area. Seedlings grow slowly, so be patient with them. If you’d prefer not to wait, you can visit your local nursery or garden center and purchase pepper seedlings. They might be able to advise you about which peppers grow best in your area, as well.
To plant seedlings in your garden, pick a place that receives plenty of full sunlight. Prepare your garden for the new plants, making sure to add lots of fertilizer, manure and compost.
Almost every pepper likes hot weather best. Plant your little seedlings in your garden after there is no more frost danger. If your weather is still cool, hold off on planting a few days – better safe than sorry.
Space your small but growing peppers about eighteen to twenty-four inches apart. Pepper plants like moist soil but not water-logged soil. Water regularly in the hotter months, but don’t over-water.
You may add some mulch around your peppers to help retain moisture and to help keep the weeds down. As the peppers grow, you may want to use a high-potassium, high-phosphorus fertilizer as well. Don’t overdo nitrogen, or you’ll have beautiful leafy plants with few or no peppers.
Peppers are generally self-pollinators. But sometimes they are pollinated by bees. For this reason, don’t plant sweet and spicy peppers too closely together, or your seeds from this season may be a cross-breed. You can pick the fruit from your growing peppers as soon as it reaches a size that is edible.
Some insects seem to like pepper plants, including aphids and spider mites, which bother them more than others. They will also occasionally have borers attack them. You can use an organic dust or insecticide to take care of any insects. There are also some diseases and viruses that can affect peppers, although it doesn’t happen often. These can be treated with fungicides – apply them as soon as you see any disease.