Sweet Peppers 🫑

Maturity is 68-85 days from transplanting. It’s frost sensitive so you have to be careful. This is an annual plant. I bought these seeds from Botanical Interests.

I water with 360 water heads 3 times a day for 5 min.

If you can grow tomatoes you can grow peppers. Don’t worry. 

Choose a site with full sun where the soil is moisture retentive but can drain well. They don’t like to get waterlogged. If you are planting sweet peppers and hot peppers then give some distance so they do not cross pollinate. 

If you are getting smaller peppers, test your soil for the ph and levels. Peppers like more of the phosphorus and potassium. They help grown the plant and fruit. Don’t add a lot of nitrogen. 

 Make sure you have added pollinator plants so that they come and you can always tap the plants everyday to make sure the pollen is being distributed. 

If you have worms and or worm holes pick them off. Corn earthworm is white, green or red caterpillar with spines about 1 1/2 in long.Tomato hornworm is a green caterpillar, 3-5 inch long with white stripes. These pests will eat holes in the leaves and your fruit. Handpick them off and destroy them, 

To have success make sure you have great organic matter. In Vegas it is best to plant them in raised beds that are at least 6 in deep. Adding bonemeal to the whole when planting to make it succeed well. Make sure not to plant until it is 65 degrees or higher. You can start the peppers indoors and get a jump on the growing season, 8-10 weeks before the temp gets to 65. If the temp goes below that bring it back inside. You will regret your hard work if you don’t. If your plant is leggy plant it lower so it gets stronger. Make sure you watering is consistent. Peppers are heavy feeders, so adding alfalfa , cottonseed or fish meal to the raised bed will be great. Before preferably. Your peppers need to be supported. It is better to do this before it gets big, like when you transplant it to the bed. If you did not make sure you are careful with your plant. Tomato cages are great. Sweet peppers are ready to harvest when they turn color. Make sure you don’t wait to long. They will wither and dye. You want that energy to go to your other peppers that are still growing. 

24JULY2021

24JULY2021