Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Growing
When the weather is warm in May, peppers can be planted in their final position,
either in the tunnel - in which case allow 40cm between plants - or in five-litre
pots. The latter is better if you are gardening on heavy or poorly drained soil as
the plants do not like having wet feet, but as they are very thirsty they will
require regular watering.
Once flowers appear, the plants will benefit from occasional feeding, either with
a comfrey-based tea or a tomato (high potassium) fertiliser. If you choose the
latter, reduce the suggested dosage or there's a risk of phosphate build-up over
time - which in a tunnel will be difficult to reduce.
Peppers will also need support as they get bigger, as their stems are typically not
as strong as they look. Some growers like to pinch out the growing tips at 25cm
to encourage side-shoots, but we have never found it makes much difference.
Harvesting and storage
Peppers can be harvested when green or left to ripen, in which case they will turn
red or orange, depending on the variety. Yields will be higher if the fruits are
taken when green as the plants will continue to produce more. If you want to
harvest red fruit, allow no more than eight peppers per plant to make sure they
have enough time to ripen. Chilli peppers are grown in exactly the same way as
sweet ones, the only difference being in the flavour.
Both sweet and chilli peppers can be cut up and open-frozen or dried without the
need to blanch them first, although do wear rubber gloves when processing
chilli peppers. Chilli peppers can also be dried whole by running a needle and
thread through the thickest part of the stems to make a string of them. Hang them
in a sunny place with good ventilation. As soon as they are fully dry, pack in
airtight jars for the best flavour.
Problems
Aphids
,
whitefly
and
slugs
.
Potato
Varieties:
'Orla', 'Colleen'
