Bell pepper
How do you sow sweet peppers indoors?
Sow sweet peppers in warmth indoors from late winter to early spring according to your climate, variety and seed packet. Very early sowing needs enough light and warmth to keep plants sturdy until planting. An unheated greenhouse does not guarantee the temperature needed for germination.
Use small pots or a tray filled with free-draining seed compost. Cover seeds at the depth given on the packet and maintain steady warmth, usually around 18–25 °C according to the variety's recommendations. Keep the compost moist without soaking it. After germination, give plants bright light and prevent them becoming leggy.
If you used a tray, gently prick out into individual pots when plants have two true leaves. Grow them protected from cold. Before planting outdoors, harden off gradually for about two weeks. Wait until frost has passed, the soil has warmed and nights stay mild; leaf count alone is not enough to decide when to plant out.
How do you plant sweet peppers?
Plant well-grown sweet pepper plants in your warmest, sunniest, sheltered spot or in a greenhouse. In cool climates or short growing seasons, start seeds in warmth rather than sowing directly outdoors in May. Before outdoor planting, harden off for about two weeks and wait until frost has passed, the soil has warmed and night temperatures stay above about 12 °C.
Prepare well-drained soil that holds some moisture, adding mature compost if needed. Space plants about 40–45 cm apart according to vigour and variety. Plant at the same depth as in the pot, firm gently and water. In a container, allow a pot at least 30 cm wide with drainage for one plant. Add support if needed.
Maintain steady moisture without standing water and mulch without covering stem bases. Adjust feeding to the soil or potting compost rather than promising a harvest without fertilisation. Protect from cold and ventilate the greenhouse in hot weather: you do not need to maintain exactly 20–25 °C constantly, and excessive heat can reduce fruiting.
How do you harvest sweet peppers?
Harvest when fruits are well developed, firm and glossy, either green or at their ripe colour according to variety and your preference. Final colour depends on variety, not just the fruit's age. Harvesting may start in summer in a greenhouse; outdoors it is often later and ends as temperatures fall, so do not always wait until autumn.
Cut the stalk with clean scissors or secateurs rather than pulling the fruit: branches can snap. Regular picking frees the plant, while leaving fruits to ripen for a long time slows the development of further fruits.
Use peppers promptly or keep them briefly in the fridge, checking their condition. Discard damaged or mouldy fruits. You can freeze pieces for cooked dishes, knowing they will be less crisp. At the end of the season, protect potted plants from cold if you want to extend ripening.
Bell pepper
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Fruiting vegetables
- Botanical Family : Solanaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Challenging
- Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Recommended
- Sowing Depth : 0.5 cm
- Plant Spacing : 50 cm
- Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing