You don't need to be an expert gardener to grow green peppers and enjoy these crunchy and delicious green fruits. You just need patience, attention and have a little knowledge of the right growing conditions. Like most other varieties, green peppers thrive in hot conditions. Therefore, green peppers have a long history of glory in dry climate countries. Based on this fact, it is important to think about the right location for sowing green pepper seedlings, how often you should water them, and when is the right time to move the seedlings outside so the plants can grow on their own.
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Part 1 of 3: Growing Green Pepper Seeds
Step 1. Purchase green pepper seeds at a large supermarket or farmer's market
Visit your local supermarket, farmer's market or nursery and buy a packet of green pepper seeds. Bell peppers come in many varieties, and some may not be available year-round. Try checking several places until you find one that sells healthy, organic green pepper seeds.
- If you have a large garden, take advantage of the available soil and look for other varieties of peppers that you can grow with green peppers
- You can also save and reuse seeds left over from the previous year's harvest if you have experience growing green peppers in the past.
Step 2. Find out when is the right time to plant green peppers
The success of growing paprika is determined by suitable environmental conditions. If you plant green peppers in an area that has unsuitable environmental conditions, it will result in stunted growth and low productivity, or the plant will not produce fruit at all.
Step 3. Plant three seedlings in each container with a depth of cm
Use a pot or container the size of a yogurt cup or larger with a hole in the bottom to plant the seeds. Use a smooth planting medium that allows good drainage. It is enough to water the seedlings with a little water. You just need to keep the conditions damp, not soaking wet.
- Do not let the condition of the seeds are completely dry.
- Young plants that are growing slowly and producing fruit or leaves that shrivel and hang limply may be a sign that you are giving them too much or too little water.
Step 4. Place the seedlings in a room with a minimum temperature of 21 °C
Pepper seeds need warm temperatures to germinate. Find a location in the house that gets adequate sunlight and keeps the room temperature at least 21 °C. You can use a wall thermometer to determine the temperature if the thermostat installed in your home is unreliable.
Step 5. Remove weak seedlings
Pepper plants thrive in pairs because both plants can shade each other from excessive sunlight. After a few weeks of growing, remove the one plant that is showing the least development so that the other two can develop optimally.
Step 6. Make sure the growing plants are always exposed to sunlight
Transfer the seedlings you planted in shallow containers to a south-facing windowsill so the plants can soak up the light and warmth of the sun during the day. It is important for green peppers to get enough sunlight so they can grow well.
- After seeding indoors, you should be prepared to expose your green pepper plant to outdoor conditions. Do it gradually. You can start by opening the window so that it allows direct sunlight and air circulation into the house.
- You should leave the green peppers exposed to the sun for at least 5-6 hours per day. If you don't have windows that receive a lot of sunlight, consider using artificial light.
Part 2 of 3: Moving Green Peppers to the Garden
Step 1. Wait for the right time to move the plant outdoors
Usually the right time is around March or April. If you live in a colder climate, you may have to wait until the weather warms up to transplant young peppers that are in decent condition. Basically, in hot and temperate regions you can grow green peppers all year round. Just make sure the plant gets enough water if you're growing it in a hot, dry area.
- Most people should start planting seedlings indoors around late January or early February and transplant them after about 10 weeks.
- Try to put in a row cover at night after the peppers are moved outdoors to help the plant retain heat.
Step 2. Find an open area in the garden that receives direct sunlight
Prepare a corner of the garden with a size large enough to continue the process of planting green peppers. Make sure the spot you choose has well-draining, nutrient-rich, dark-colored soil. Try to choose a location that receives direct sunlight, and make sure you plant your peppers far enough away from other fertile fruit and vegetable crops so that the plants don't compete for nutrients.
- Green peppers will thrive if planted in a place with temperatures around 21 °C.
- Do not plant edible vegetables such as green peppers near green leafy plants that are likely to be eaten by rabbits or other livestock.
Step 3. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the pepper plant
Use a shovel or garden trowel to dig a hole 25-30 cm wide and 15-20 cm deep. Aerate the soil around the hole. Plant the green pepper seedlings in the holes and re-cover the holes loosely.
Green peppers should be planted about 45-60 cm apart so the plants have enough room to grow without overlapping
Step 4. Add a little fertilizer to the soil
Try to add a small amount of organic fertilizer, such as blood meal or organic compost, to the soil so that the plants get the nutrients they need. Do not overuse fertilizer; 1 teaspoon is enough. Green peppers get most of their nutrients from the soil in which you grow them. Thus, over-fertilizing can drain nutrients from the plant and, in severe cases, even kill the plant.
Some gardeners recommend sticking match heads into the ground around green pepper plants to give them a bit of the sulfur intake they need
Step 5. Cover the rows of plants with plant covers when the temperature is cold
In order for pepper plants to grow healthy and strong, the temperature around the plant must be kept warm. Protect plants with thermal plant covers on very cold nights. The plant cover traps the heat that the peppers need while providing protection from precipitation, rainwater runoff and plant-eating animals.
- You can use plant covers for heat-loving plants like green peppers when the weather is warmer.
- Make sure the weather is warm enough if you want to grow peppers. Cold weather can kill plants or hinder their growth.
Part 3 of 3: Growing Healthy Green Peppers
Step 1. Water the pepper plants regularly
Give the plant enough water every 1-2 days, depending on the weather at the time. You can reduce the frequency of watering as the plant matures and has stronger roots. Bell peppers grown in hotter climates tend to require more water. Water about 2.5-5 cm weekly is the most appropriate amount for most medium-sized green pepper plants under moderate growing conditions. Avoid over-watering as it can kill the plant or make it more susceptible to disease.
Make sure the plot you choose has good drainage so that water doesn't pool around the plants and make the soil muddy
Step 2. Mix the organic matter in the soil around the plant
Loosen the soil around the plant every few weeks and add a shovel of mulch or compost. Green peppers will grow more efficiently if they get nutrients from organic matter. Some pepper plants don't even need another fertilizer if you regularly add a little compost to the soil.
- Organic matter like mulch also helps the soil retain moisture, which helps ensure green pepper plants get enough water during hot weather.
- Lack of calcium can cause the lower end of the pepper root to rot. Therefore, you can increase the calcium content of the soil by grinding the eggshells and mixing them into the soil (or you can use lime as an alternative). If you want to use a fertilizer, choose one that is low in nitrogen and not made of ammonia. Excess nitrogen and ammonia can lead to calcium deficiency.
Step 3. Install the plant supports
You can use garden stakes once the plants are large enough. As the peppers grow larger, the fruit will gain weight, weighing on the stems. Tackle this problem by installing a wooden plant stand, which will help the plant support its own weight. Plant supports can be purchased inexpensively at garden supply stores.
Attach the supports to the plant stems using nylon rope or rubber bands, do not use ordinary plastic ropes. With elastic rubber, the bonds won't hinder plant growth, stress the stems, or break them
Step 4. Harvest the green peppers once they are fully cooked
Green bell peppers will be ready to harvest once they reach the desired size (usually 7-10 cm long). However, in most cases, you can determine how ripe the peppers are based on their color. Ripe peppers will be a dark green that is darker than the stalks and stems of the plant. Pick ripe peppers from the stems using a sharp knife or garden shears. Wash and dry the peppers before cooking, or store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
- Most varieties of green peppers are ready to be harvested between 60-90 days after transplanting and growing outdoors.
- Green peppers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- It's best not to rely on chemical fertilizers to encourage the growth of peppers. The nitrogen content in most chemical fertilizers is too harsh and, in most cases, promotes leaf growth without producing fruit. It is best to use organic matter as fertilizer or compost.
- If the plant leaves wilt, the plant may have overheated. Try moving it to a shady spot or watering it with more cold water.
- The peppers will change color as they grow and develop. Once the fruit has a dark green color, it means the peppers are ready to be harvested or you can wait some more time for the peppers to ripen. Once they turn red, the peppers are fully ripe and will have the sweetest taste and highest vitamin content. At this stage the peppers are more susceptible to insect bites.
- If you don't want your green peppers to have red or brown spots, don't leave them in the sun for too long. A few hours in the sun can reduce the solid green color of the peppers and cause them to start turning red (this doesn't apply if you're growing a Permagreen variety or want to harvest peppers once they're red).
- Pepper fruit and plants should be handled with care as they are prone to bruising. If you harvest peppers carefully and don't damage or kill them, the plants will continue to produce fruit as long as the temperatures are warm.
- You should remove weeds from the soil around your pepper plants as their presence can kill or prevent the plant from growing. You'll need to pull the weeds up by the roots, but be careful not to injure the plants.
- You can use pruning shears so as not to break the branches or stems of the plant.
Warning
- If you want to move the plant outdoors, wait until the night temperature is around 10 °C or higher. Otherwise, cold temperatures can kill the plant.
- Do not plant green peppers near other plants such as fennel or kohlrabi as they can damage the growth of other vegetables.
