Grow The Best Peppers Storeys Country Wisdom Bulletin A – 138 – Weldon Burge

For each plant, dig a hole about 6 inches deep. Add a 2-inch layer of organic matter and a handful of 5-10-10 fertilizer; mix it well with the soil at the bottom of the hole. An old gardening trick is to toss in a book of matches — the sulfur in the matches will make the soil more acidic, which will please the pepper. (Make sure there is some soil between the matches and the roots of the transplant.) A sprinkling of colloidal phosphate will help prevent blossom end rot.

Set each seedling lower in the ground than it was in its pot. If your pepper plants are in peat pots, be sure to bury the entire pot below the soil surface. If any of the peat pot material is above the soil surface, it will act as a wick, drawing water from the plant and eventually killing it.

Backfill around the plant and carefully tamp it down with the heels of your hands. Mulch lightly around the base of the plant. After Transplanting Immediately after transplanting, water thoroughly to remove any air pockets in the soil and help settle in the roots. The plant will quickly develop a sturdy root system and will soon tap the nutrients you placed at the bottom of the hole. To protect young plants, you may want to cover the bed with a floating row cover like Reemay to deter flying insects, keep the plants warm, and prevent wind damage.

When the peppers begin to blossom, remove the cover to allow bees and other insects to pollinate the plants. If an unseasonably cool night threatens after you’ve transplanted the peppers, protect the plants with Wall O’ Waters, cloches, plastic milk jugs, or another form of heavy covering.

Don’t forget to uncover the plants the next morning or the plants may cook in the noonday sun! OceanofPDF.com What Do Peppers Need? Water! Remember, peppers are natives of the American tropics, where the humidity is high and it rains almost daily from May to October. Peppers need water from the time you transplant your seedlings until the end of the season.

How much depends on where you live and what kind of summer you’re having. But wherever you garden, the key to watering peppers is moderation. If the soil is too dry, the plants will wilt and refuse to produce fruit. On the other hand, peppers won’t tolerate waterlogged roots. The plants will start shedding leaves, exposing fruit to sunscald, or will simply shut down altogether.

Too frequent waterings also leach water-soluble nutrients from the topsoil.

Planning for the Best Production Getting a Jump on the Season What Do Peppers Need? Using Peppers Ornamentally Pepper Pests & Diseases Harvesting Peppers Storage How Peppers Benefit Your Health Kitchen Preparation: Where Peppers Shine! Sources OceanofPDF.com Introduction For American gardeners, peppers are second only to tomatoes in popularity. They produce well in limited space, are virtually free of pests and diseases, and are fairly easy to grow. The plants are attractive in the garden; many people grow several varieties just for their decorative touch.

Bell peppers are the most popular and familiar, but in recent years there has been heightened interest in the vast selection of peppers — many of which are only available if you grow them yourself. If your only experience with peppers has been green bell peppers for stuffing, roasting, or slicing, you’ve barely scratched the surface. Peppers, particularly the hot varieties, have gained popularity as more and more ethnic foods come into vogue, including Spanish, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Hunan, Szechuan, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Arab dishes.

The fruits provide a diversity of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors that add variety to your garden and pizzazz to your cooking. OceanofPDF.com A Brief History of Peppers Peppers are indigenous to tropical America, where they were extensively cultivated centuries before Columbus set foot in the New World. Dried peppers have been found in Peruvian ruins that pre-date the birth of Jesus Christ! In 1492, when Christopher Columbus and his crew discovered the New World, they also discovered the green and red Capsicums that were common in the West Indies.

They assumed from the fruits’ pungency that they had found a new variety of the “table pepper” they were so fond of in Europe. A variety of hot and sweet peppers were found throughout the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and South America. These quickly caught on with Europeans, who enjoyed them mainly as a seasoning. The fruits soon became synonymous with the ground pepper spice imported from Asia — hence the name “pepper.”

Europeans began cultivating their own pepper plants, and carried them to all parts of the globe. Hot peppers were common fare in Africa, the Middle East, India, and much of Asia by the 17th century.

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