Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Pepper
(sweet and chilli)
Varieties:
(sweet peppers): 'Sunnybrook', 'Sweet Nardello'; (chilli peppers):
'Iranian Round', 'Early Jalapeño'
Peppers are a great tunnel plant because in the UK there's really no alternative
- they just don't do very well outside. They like lots of pampering, shelter,
warmth and light, and if you can provide these they will reward you with a har-
vest that can last from mid-July right through to the end of November. That's
nearly five months, making them a very valuable long-term addition to the veg-
etable garden.
Preparation
Peppers are tolerant of a wide range of soils, from quite acidic to alkaline, but
prefer something midway between the two rather than an extreme. They like a
rich, well-drained soil that's reasonably rich in organic matter to help retain mois-
ture, and appreciate a top dressing of compost once or twice during the season.
Sowing
Peppers need to be started early - so, for the earliest fruits, they should be sown
in modules indoors in February, ideally at 20-25°C. If you can keep them some-
where warm with good light until you plant them out in May, your first peppers
should be ready to pick in July, but if not it is better to delay sowing until the end
of February at least.
Sow seeds thinly, 0.5-1cm deep, in 6cm modules, then put them in a propagator
and/or cover them with a plastic bag. Germination usually takes about a week.
Separate and pot on at around 2cm tall, when they are ready to be moved to 8cm
pots. Bury almost all the stem in the new pot so that only the leaves are showing.
This will encourage root growth along the buried stem, which results in a more
vigorous plant.
Because of this, peppers do best if potted on several times rather than just going
from a small pot to something quite big. Wait for small white roots to show at the
bottom of each pot before transferring to the next size up, and bury as much of
the stem as possible below the soil level each time.
