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Peppers, Easy and Worth the Effort

By Jos Van Hage

Peppers (capsicums) are similar to tomatoes as they are both nightshade plants and so have the same growing requirements. Both are warm season crops requiring lots of sun, warm temperatures, and consistent water so that the plant does not dry out and is able to produce large fruit with less of a chance of blossom end rot. Growing peppers are as easy as growing tomatoes and well worth the effort.

There is a large selection of different types of peppers that come in varying sizes, colors, shapes and sweetness, and a wide range of differing heats. Some of the popular sweet varieties are the big bell peppers such as ‘Yolo Wonder’, ‘Early California Wonder’, and ‘Keystone Resistant’. Other sweet peppers are the long banana types such as ‘Banana Long Sweet’, which matures early and is mild and tasty. If you are looking for a hot pepper the ‘Jalapeno’, ‘Red Cherry Hot’, ‘Hungarian, Yellow Hot’, ‘Cayenne Long Red’, and ‘Habanero’ are hot. Peppers' heat comes from the chemical capsaicin, and the higher concentration of capsaicin the hotter the pepper.

If you want to start your peppers from seed, they need to be started now, as they require a long growing season. Start them in either peat pellets or cells placed in flats, using a high quality well-draining potting soil, or a starter mix. For best germination rates the soil temperature should be warm (23-28 Celsius) and the flat should be covered with a plastic dome to raise the humidity until the seeds germinate which is when the dome is removed. If you sowed the seeds in one container they should be transplanted into individual peat pots later when the young plants have their first true leaves which takes 2-3 weeks after germination. For healthy plants, they need to have lots of light so grow lights or a south windowsill is good. Fertilize with a plant start fertilizer 10-52-10 when the plants are young and then after they have been transplanted into larger pots fertilize with an all purpose 20-20-20 once a week. Later when the plants are mature, enough to set flowers fertilize with a flower/vegetable fertilizer such as 12-36-12 or a tomato fertilizer.

Peppers can be grown outside after all threat of frost has passed and the soil temperature is 17 Celsius or higher. They do very well grown in large containers that are a minimum of 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep. Growing peppers in containers is ideal as they can be moved to a protected area if the weather is cold or bad. Peppers can be moved indoors to a sunny location in the fall when temperatures are cold. When growing peppers outside, place them where the temperatures are hot, so placing the containers on a southern wall or fence protected from harsh winds is perfect. They also grow very well in a greenhouse. Remember that whereever they are growing that they need a sufficient water supply. In the heat of summer, they will need to be watered daily if grown in containers because containers dry out more quickly than plants grown directly in the garden. If in the garden, they will need to be kept evenly moist.

Unlike tomatoes, peppers require less maintenance as they do not need to be pruned or staked. I like to place a tomato cage around the plant when they are young so that later when the plant is producing fruit ,the branches do not break because of the weight of the fruit. I have found that peppers tend to be bothered by aphids, which will weaken the plant. Keeping the plant healthy and stress free is important so spraying the plant weakly with insecticidal soap is beneficial or if growing the peppers in a greenhouse, placing yellow sticky strips in the greenhouse from the very beginning of the season is also helpful. Aphids are attracted to the yellow and will tend to go there first. If however they get on the plant, they prefer to stay on the plant!

When to pick the fruit is often asked. Peppers are ready when the wall of the pepper feels firm and they have achieved full size. Early in the season, pick the fruit as it grows as this will encourage more growth, but later in the season, the peppers can be left on the plant where they will change color. A red pepper is simply a green or yellow pepper allowed to ripen and turn red. Red peppers are sweeter and higher in vitamin A and C than when they were green. Careful when picking peppers as the branches break easily. Use sharp scissors, pruners, or a knife to cut the pepper of the plant.

If you have never grown peppers before give them a try. If you do not have the space to start them from seed, the plants are available in the garden centers when the bedding plants come in. I always like to grow a couple of different types of peppers in pots that have done very well over the years.

-Jos 

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp's Garden Centres in the Prince George area
-Highway 97 South at the Old Cariboo Highway
-Highway 97 North
-Highway 16 West

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