Peppers

Peppers

You can treat peppers in the same way as tomatoes, so if you’ve decided to grow a few tomatoes this year then why not grow some peppers too.

Sowing seeds or planting

You can sow some seeds if you want, in the same way as you do tomatoes but personally I don’t bother. I find I never need as many pepper plants as tomatoes and it doesn’t seem to be worth the effort when I can buy a handful of plants for the same price as a packet of seeds.                            

  

Soil

As with tomatoes good rich soil is required so dig before you plant and incorporate some compost. You will often see it written that peppers and many other vegetables need free draining soil, not a problem with our climate. Apply a mulch around the base of the plants once the temperatures start to soar.

                                                                                                                  

Aftercare

Fortunately peppers do not require the same amount of attention as tomatoes, there is no need to pinch out the growing tip or remove unwanted foliage but some support will be necessary especially if you’re growing in pots. You can simply place canes a few inches from each plant and tie up the plants loosely or follow the Spanish method of erecting a hurricane proof structure. Sometimes I think they take more pride in these skeletal structures than they do in the plants themselves. Oh yes and it goes without saying that you’ll need to feed them once a week once the first fruits starts to form. Regular picking will ensure a regular supply through summer and early autumn. I’m not a great fan of raw green peppers but they are excellent roasted whole on the barbeque so the skins just start to blacken. Leave a couple of fruits to ripen, red peppers are great in salads or stuffed and roasted which is my favourite.

Watering

I’m getting a bit bored with saying this but water as for tomatoes, that is keep the compost or soil moist but not waterlogged and never let the soil dry out. Peppers do not suffer many problems but you will definitely get blossom end rot if you don’t follow this rule. If you’re growing in pots then watering little and often twice a day during July and August will be essential.                

Varieties

There aren’t as many varieties to choose from as tomatoes but that is not really a problem. I don’t grow yellow or orange varieties as I think they are slightly gimmicky and the flavour is not that much different or better. It’s a personal choice and entirely up to the grower. The two types I like to grow are the standard bell pepper and what the Spanish call the “italiano”, a long thin pepper with the shape of a large chilli but mild in flavour. Talking of chillis, if you want to grow them follow all the above rules and you won’t go far wrong.