Bell Peppers and Sweet Peppers, Capsicum annuum
by Glenda Klaucke, Sonoma County Master Gardener
Peppers, members of the Solanaceae family, are an asset to the enriched diet available to the home gardener. Generally bell peppers and sweet peppers have little or no heat and are considered mild peppers. They are high in vitamins C and A while being low in calories. They can be added to salads, stir fried, grilled, baked, pickled, canned or frozen as well as enjoyed raw while walking through the garden.
A green bell pepper has not ripened fully and will have a stronger taste. As it ripens the color changes: yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, etc. depending on the variety. As the color changes the level of vitamins increases. A fully ripened bell pepper can contain double the vitamin C of the unripe green bell pepper and have a much sweeter taste.
Gardeners usually do not start peppers from seed unless they have a hot house or a heat mat which can maintain soil temperature. The optimal temperature for seed germination is 65° F to 75°F. Seeds need to be started eight weeks before the average last frost, (April 15 in Sonoma County). Most gardeners opt to purchase young plants from the local nursery. Ideal seedlings have buds but no flowers.
Don’t transplant your peppers in the ground until the night time temperature is maintained at 60° F or above. Flower drop is experienced when temperatures drop below 55° F. For optimal growing the ideal daytime air temperature is 65° to 90° F. Choose a spot in full sun with well-drained rich soil. Peppers are medium to heavy feeders. Plan to add a balanced fertilizer or compost to your soil prior to planting. Keep the soil moist, allowing the soil to be nearly dry between waterings.
While peppers need nitrogen, too much will give you a bushy, leafy plant with little fruit. Too little will give you a plant with lots of fruit but few leaves to shade the fruit which gives you scalded, burned fruit. Getting the happy medium will shade your fruit while encouraging a bumper crop. A side dressing of compost or a balanced liquid fertilizer (5-10-10) at blossom time and two to three times during the growing season will improve production.
Some additional tips will help to make your pepper crop a success:
- Do not plant hot peppers with mild peppers to avoid cross pollination.
- Provide calcium as needed and regular moisture.
- Smokers should wash hands before touching plants to prevent spreading of the tobacco mosaic virus.
- Avoid planting peppers and other members of their family (tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes) in the same place year after year to avoid build-up of soil borne diseases.
At harvest time plan to cut, not pull, fruit. You can harvest before the fruit is completely colored. It will continue to ripen for one to two days in your kitchen while allowing the plant to continue producing tasty, vitamin enriched peppers.