Growing Peppers: How to Grow Peppers #7 Steps

Pepper or bell pepper plant is a renowned species of capsicum group that cultivates colorful fruits. These peppers are considered as an edible vegetable in several western and indo-western countries. This product originally belongs to the Mexico region but eventually, extended in rest of the world for its unique flavor. After watching the amazing flexibility of peppers in growing dilemma, numerous gardeners feel affectionate to cultivate this crop in their own garden area. Peppers are even grown in a small indoor circumstance in a garden pot as well! Hence, let’s check out the precise procedure of cultivating this crop in this article ahead along with some other mentionable contents, take a look-

Growing Peppers:

1. Soil

• Pepper plants need well-drained soil that doesn’t have any rocks or clay chunks around the planting area.
• Set the pH level of your soil in between 6.2 to 7.0 to get the best growth of your crop.
• You can add some readymade mixture to balance the pH level of your ground like, limestone or wood ash to control the additional acidic quality and pine needles or peat moss counterbalance the alkaline quality.
• Add organic fertilizer like chicken manure, fishmeal, etc. to fertilize the soil before sowing the pepper seeds into the soil.
• So your soil should contain enough organic matter provide the adequate nourishment to the soil.

2. Season

• Peppers are the warm-season crop, so it would be better if can start your seedling or planting 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost.
• This crop demands warm weather and full sun heat throughout the whole growing season.
• The ideal temperature for cultivating peppers should keep in between 65 ̊ F to 85 ̊ F.
• In the night, the temperature must not fall than 62 ̊ F. According to the agricultural methods, the average temperature for pepper plants should keep in between 55 ̊F to 60 ̊F.
• This crop bears rain or little cold climate once the plant gets the bigger form, but at the initial stage, you must provide pepper plants an ideal warm circumstance to start the germination.

3. Planting:

• After preparing the soil and selecting the perfect pitch to start your seeding or planting process in an indoor area, as the crowns of pepper plants are really delicate to handle.
• Once the crowns reach the height of six inches, transplant them in your preselected garden area and plant the carefully.
• To sow these tiny plants, dig some holes with 4-inch depth in a row and leave at least 18 to 24 inches gap from one plant to another.
• Now, pat some fertilized soil on the base of your planting and close the holes up.
• Then, water the plants immediately, and make sure that you are providing almost 1-2-inches water per week from the level of the soil.
• To resist the water, your plants must be planted in the sunniest location of your garden in a well-drained soil type.
• Now you need to take proper care of your pepper plants to get the best of your healthy crop.

Also learn how to grow garlic and ginger.

Growing Peppers Video Guide

4. Care:

• Planting the pepper at the right time is the very first care we need to take, as this plant doesn’t grow in any frosty or cold temperature.
• If you want to get a handful of the healthy crop at the end of your cultivation then, begin the seedling in the indoor area in a seeds tray or raised garden bed object and then, transfer your pepper plants into the garden.
• Select the drainage system in both areas and fertilize frequently, after completing the sowing process.
• You can use liquid plant food on every couple of week to offer the adequate nourishment to the vine and roots.
• Weeds occasionally and mulch at the initial stage of your plant to hold the sun heat for an extended period. Mulch also helps to keep the soil cool and moist too during the night session.
• Give support to your each pepper plant with a stake or small cage once the plant starts producing fruits.
• Finally, get appropriate protection from any kind of trouble like pest, disease, rottenness, growth prevention to make the cultivating thoroughly successful!

You may also like to grow onion and learn steps to grow asparagus.

5. Pest and Diseases:

This special species of capsicum is hugely infected by several pests, bugs, insects, birds, and other unwanted diseases like other equivalents. You need to take proper protection to get rid of these troubles strictly. Let’s check out some typical problems and their solutions below-

Aphids, armyworms, fruitworms, flea beetles, corn borers, hornworms, whiteflies, etc. are those insects, which tremendously harm the pepper crop along with its leaves and stems. We will recommend you remove these creatures as soon as you can from your crop, once you see them over the plant. Normal soapy water or removing by hands would be the simple and easiest trick to handle these pests. But, if you found that they have affected a large area or a whole fruit then, it takes the portion or fruit completely out of the plant and instantly uses pesticide sprays over the whole planting area.

Southern blight, powdery mildew, ripe rot, blossom end rot, sunscald, bacterial leaf spot, etc are common diseases of pepper plants, which not only harm the crop or prevent the growth but, also kill the plant from its root! Fungal or bacterial base these sorts of diseases mostly occur because of inappropriate planting spot, damp or cool climate, utilizing of unhealthy seed and insufficient sunlight. So, f you want to get rid of these troubles, provide appropriate dilemma to your plants and always use diseases-free fresh seeds for sowing. Using silver colored mulches or spraying organic fungicide would be other recommendable remedies to fight against these problems.

How to Grow Peppers Complete Guide

Peppers Harvest and Storage:

6. Harvest:

• The harvesting process actually varies according to the variety, as different types of peppers ripe in different times. Some peppers reach the harvesting period within 60 to 90 days, while a few need 150 days to ripen.
• However, the utmost varieties take 10 weeks after the seedling of peppers seeds.
• When the fruit seems at least 4-inch long and 2 to 3-inche wide, you can start the harvesting process immediately.
• Usually, the color of your pepper is a great indicator to decide the harvesting period. You just need to compare that the fruit consists the exact color of your chosen variety or not!
• Once the fruits contain proper color and size of the ripeness, use a hand pruner or sharp knife to remove peppers from the plant.
• After accomplishing the harvesting procedure, don’t forget to wash your hand clearly or it may burn your skin for chilliness. Using gloves would be the better idea to plucking these veggies.

7. Storage:

• After collecting all the peppers from your garden space, keep them in a place with the dark and humid atmosphere in your house, as we did for the several fresh crops.
• To keep them fresh more than a week, place some fresh and rotten-free pieces into a plastic bag and keep the bag in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.
• To keep peppers fresh for a month or more than that, slice or chop them in thin sizes and spread them in a single layer on a tray. After that, freeze them in your freezer and promptly place them in an airtight container.
• You can even put these slices in a heavy duty freezer bag as well, and then store them in your freezer again.
• To keep the pepper fresh for 4 to 5 days, to use in a salad or other crispy forms, wash each piece thoroughly, soak-up every single drop of water from the skin and then place it openly in a cool and shady place of your room.

Like greens how about broccoli and basil.

Varieties of Pepper:

Pepper plants are divided into two main categories Sweet Pepper and Hot Pepper, which contain several varieties in each segment. All these varieties are individually different by names, sizes, and colors. Let’s take a look at the popular varieties of this plant-

Sweet Pepper:

Sweet peppers are those criteria which come without any heat or chilliness and mostly use for making several tasty dishes or flavoring foods. Bell pepper, apple pepper, lipstick pepper, etc. are some mentionable varieties of this category. These types of pepper are extremely easy-grow crop in the indoor area, thus, several container gardeners love to cultivate these type of pepper on their own capabilities.

Hot Pepper:

Hot peppers are usually those species, which contain chili taste and log & thin appearance.  Jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper, chilaca pepper, Charleston hot pepper, etc. are some recommendable varieties from this category. Hot peppers are one of the best garden crops ever, thus, many new age gardeners chose to cultivate this vegetable in their own backyard space.

Growing Pepper Indoor in Pots:

• Pepper is a nice crop to grow in the indoor area along and for that, you need to perfect garden pot first!
• Take a 12 to the 14-inch long wide-faced garden pot that has 4 to 5 drainage holes at the bottom.
• Try to use terracotta pot and if possible then, sterilized or wash the pot before planting.
• Now buy some ready-made potting mix from the market and fill the tub up with the potting mix along with some organic fertilizer. Multiple purpose compost would be a great choice to fertilize this plant.
• Then, set the crowns inside the soil with 1-inch depth under the soil and tighten the base after sprinkling some more potting mix over the top.
• Now, spritz some distilled water on the plant with a small sprayer, and keep spraying water whenever you found the plant a little dry, to keep the soil moist constantly during the entire growing season.
• After that place the container near a sunny window so then, they can get at least 6 hours of full sunlight for the perfect growth.
• You can arrange a fluorescent grow light too, for providing sufficient light or heat to the pepper plants.
• Your pepper plants need the perfect air circulation on a daily basis, so try to open a window or turn an electrical fan on for few hours every single day.
• But, remember that pepper plant can’t stand against continual cold or warm climate hence, keep the planter away from any type of heating vents or the AC of your room.
• Water regularly and fertilize frequently with time-released fertilizer to get the ideal growth of your crops.
• Give an artificial support system with a stake to help out the stem for carrying the weight of the ripe fruits.
• Now, just take the best protection from any kinds of diseases or insects and wait for the perfect harvesting period.

Video: Growing Peppers in Containers

Growing Peppers from Seeds:

• To grow the pepper plant from the seed condition, buy some fresh and diseases-free seeds first from the market.
• Now, prepare the soil in a seed tray or raised garden bed box, and fill it up with potting soil that has perfect pH balance.
• After that, place the seeds in a flat container in a single layer, set some damp paper towels over the top and seal the container with tight lid.
• Or you can wash the seeds with fresh water and then place than on a windowsill for the nest 2 to 8 hours to soak- up completely. These processes actually give a boost to the germination of your pepper seeds after sowing them into the soil.
• Then, feel the bottom of the seed tray with pebbles or a small rock, set a thick layer of potting soil and sow the seeds ½ inch deep into the soil.
• Then water well and keep the tray under a large electrical light, as heat helps the seeds to grow or germinate hurriedly.
• Once you see the germination occurs, out the tray under the direct sunlight in an open window and let them grow to reach the adequate length of transplantation.

Video Inspiration : How to Grow Peppers

Nutrition Value of Peppers:

Pepper is considered as one of the healthiest food on this earth because of its high nutrition value. This vegetable contains vitamin C in high content along with vitamin B6, folate, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, carbohydrate, dietary fiber and many more beneficial raw nutrient values. Every 100 grams pepper restrains 40 calories which are also very valuable for our health.