Marsha's Scoop on Organic Peppers
Peppers come in rainbow colours and are so much fun to grow. As they are tropical plants, they require a long growing season, so should be started 10 weeks before they can be set out in the garden. On the coast, if you have a greenhouse, then you are in luck for they grow so well in containers, with attention to a few details.
The key to container growing is simple: regular watering and feeding works best for peppers. There are very few problem associated with them. Pay attention to plants being too close to the walls of a glass house and if any bruising occurs, remove the affected fruit.
Bell type peppers are much more difficult to grow, so the main thrust of our heirloom collection concentrates on smaller fruited varieties. The emphasis is on flavour. Growing outdoors can be successful too. Pay attention to deep watering when the plants are young and try to find a hot spot in your garden. Straw mulch and saucer style planting pits are very helpful. Fish fertilizer is excellent to use and switch to a bloom-promoting product once you start to see blossoms. Stake your plants if there is a lot of fruit to support.
All of the peppers in the sweet section have been grown successfully in containers and the garden. Germination is enhanced by a minimum temperature of 70 degrees. Place plants in their own separate container to start. Transplant when the plants are 3-4 inches tall, into 4 inch pots. Fertilize at this time with liquid kelp and liquid fish and your plants will be off to a great start. Don't transfer to the garden until it has really warmed up.
Special varieties are the rare heirlooms that are proven performers and deserve more attention. These are Georgescu Chocolate and Chervena Chujska, both from Bulgaria. The colours and flavour are superb. Italian Sweet is the best pepper in taste trials for sweetness and texture. The other Italian heirlooms are Jimmy Nardello, the best frying pepper, and our new addition, Friggitello, a favouite from Italy but not well known here, yet !!