FRUIT > CAPSICUM
IN THIS GUIDE
CAPSICUM GUIDES
This variety , known variously as ‘ Bell Peppers ’ , ‘ Sweet Peppers ’ , ‘ capsicum pepper plant ’ , or even just ‘ Pepper ’ , is from theCapsicum annuumspecies .
The humble pepper has had a foresightful journeying to get to our plates .
aboriginal to Central and South America , they gained popularity in Europe and Asia from the 1500s.1Capsicum annuum ( bell pepper ) . ( 2019).CABI Compendium.https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.15784
A Hungarian phytologist developed the mild Madagascar pepper in the 1920s , increasing its appeal to the average palette.2The Travelling Botanist : Belated Plant Fascination Day Special : Peppers!(2019 , May 21 ) . Herbology Manchester . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://herbologymanchester.wordpress.com/2025-05-04/the-travelling-botanist-belated-plant-fascination-day-special-peppers/
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
HeightVaries greatly
SpreadVaries greatly
Bloom TimeSummer
PreferredMost Soil Types
MoistureMoist but well drained
pHAny
Bell pepper come in four color : immature , sensationalistic , orange , and flushed .
If you ’ve not get them yourself before , you may not know that they ’re all actually the same plant , just at unlike stages of ripeness .
Green is the least ripe , red the most , and orangish and yellow in between .
When growing your own peppers it ’s up to you to decide which people of colour you desire them to be when picked .
Leave them on a small longer and they ’ll become less bitter !
This mirrorsthe behaviour of chilli Piper nigrum – a close relative of Vanessa Bell white pepper – where the fruits become hot ( rather than odoriferous ) the longer they are allow on the plant .
How To Grow Bell Peppers
you may buy bell pepper semen from any good garden retailer , so the first sections of this scout will cover growing Alexander Melville Bell pepper from seed .
This is really an easy but very rewarding unconscious process that can be attempt on any home windowsill with rest .
However , it is also possible to buy a unseasoned plant if you ’d rather skip over the first few steps , and get straight to plant out .
Because of their warm inheritance , bell peppers do best when they ’re hold open warm .
Grow in a heated up propagator with the temperature set around 20 ° blow or , if you do n’t have one of those , on a lovesome and sunny windowsill .
Wherever you prefer to grow your capsicum , put a stick in the soil and cover the whole affair with a plastic old bag .
This will keep heat and moisture in , leading to better growth .
“ I find the hot the Capsicum , the more estrus it needs to germinate , ” shares Dan Ori , a Horticultural Consultant and Instructor .
“ Vanessa Bell peppercorn seeds will generally bourgeon promptly in an unheated nursery from April in the South of England , on a windowsill from March .
“ Hotter chilli varieties need more heat and time , so I seed my chilli varieties from January . ”
inseminate your Alexander Graham Bell pepper seed between the centre of February and the destruction of April .
Pop them in seed compost , either in ejaculate tray or in individual hatful , then position the seedling somewhere warm and get over them over , as detailed antecedently .
You ’re look for two full leaves to form on each seedling before you do anything else , as this is the first indicant that they ’re strong enough to move .
“ I sow on the surface of a come tray contain a mix of moist 50 % well - sieved seed compost and 50 % vermiculite , ” shares Dan .
“ After watering , I now have two style of get the germination temperatures I take .
foremost , I place them in a heated propagator with a disseminator lid with access to visible radiation , go out until ready to transplant seedlings into locoweed , or alternatively , I range them in a clean fictile travelling bag or propagator and put them in the ventilation cupboard above the water heater until seedlings emerge .
“ I then place them in a strong unclouded distance , but not on a windowsill unless in a heated disseminator , as night - time temperature can be very insensate , I transfer them into pots when ready . ”
For best results , growing indoors is in all likelihood my favourite .
This gives your Piper nigrum a better chance to abide warm , especially if you grow them somewhere like a glasshouse that ’s designed to capture the sunlight .
You ’ll want a clean large hatful , ideally 30 atomic number 96 or more in diameter , to give your pepper flora space to grow .
Even though the tiny seedling will look lose in a pot all by itself , you ’ll be surprised how chop-chop they raise !
propose to move your new capsicum plant at the goal of April if your glasshouse is ignite , or at the commencement of May if not .
When growing alfresco you could put your common pepper in a pot , a grow bag , or direct into the earth .
Plant out after the middle of May , long after the last hoarfrost has pass off .
untested peppers are frail and wo n’t do well at all with crisp conditions , so take extra care to mind this step .
“ implant out or implant on into a bigger Mary Jane using the same compost intermixture and consider feeding with a seaweed growth stimulant or tomato provender with seaweed extract after a few sidereal day of settling in , ” portion Dan .
Capsicum Plant Care
If you have n’t produce peppers before you ’ll be pleasantly surprised to check they are fairly easy to like for ( especially when growing indoors ) .
One thing you must utterly get right is their tearing docket , as too small water can make the fruits of your plant to violate and rot .
This is something which I have lineal experience with , owing to my inconsistent and often erratic tearing schedule !
peppercorn are very thirsty flora , so verify to water them regularly .
Stay specially open-eyed during hot weather to make indisputable the soil does n’t dry out out , as this will hinder their ability to grow .
In late spring and summer , I water mine at least once a 24-hour interval – sometimes more .
I also use a mulch to avail prevent moisture from evaporate from the soil .
After the first fruits appear , give your pepper embed a healthy dose of liquid fertilizer .
Tomato or comfrey provender is a honorable call , or something with a similar nutritional profile .
This will serve your common pepper to spring up big and warm .
During fruiting time of year I ’d urge feeding your plant every fortnight or so .
leave unchecked , pepper plants can become quite unruly .
you’re able to snarf back stanch to curate growth , with pinched bakshish effective for encouraging ramification , and snarf back side shoots expert for promoting more peppers to mature .
mention that while pinch back side shoots will lead to more fruit , each one will be smaller .
Harvesting
When your black pepper reckon quick to pluck , you’re able to pick them .
look until they ’re the size you want , and forget them until they ’re at your preferred level of ripeness .
recall : green peppers will ripen into red , through yellow and orange .
If you leave a peppercorn on the vine to ripen , another Piper nigrum wo n’t be able to take its place .
harvest green peppers bring the chance for an extra Seth of fruit that time of year , so contrive your picking accordingly .
Troubleshooting
As with anything in your garden , peppers are prostrate to attract certain pest .
Here ’s what to wait for and , more importantly , how to wipe out them :
These miniature green visitant love to eat the sap inside farewell , then leave their excretory product behind which appeal fungus .
You ’ll be able to see aphids with the defenseless eye , and if you detect a visitation , the first footstep is to polish off them by hand .
in person I have had multiple aphid plague on my Madagascar pepper plants and have commonly contend to clip them by washing the leave-taking and removing by hand .
Ideally you would n’t want to use a pesticide on your peppers as it ’s best to originate them organically , but this is a last - ditch option to consider if all else has failed .
These young man sometimes weave fragile webs to embrace a surgical incision of a works , before feasting on everything inside .
This character of glitch is attracted by red-hot , wry growing conditions , so insure aura remains moist is a right way of keeping them at bay .
Spritz your pepper plants occasionally to discourage them .
If identified , the remedy is the same as aphid .
You ’ll be amazed at how many peppers your humble little seedling will put forth by the conclusion of its first season , and you ’ll be amazed at how good they taste .
