Peppers

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  • in Gardening Tips

    Epsom Salt, Tomato, and Pepper Growing

    Epsom salt1

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    Epsom salt used as a foliar spray or soil additive will help tomato and pepper plants grow and produce larger tastier yields. Late in the season use an Epsom salt spray to increase tomato and pepper yield and keep plants green and bushy; early in the season add Epsom salt to the soil to aid […] More

  • in Gardening Tips

    Fertilizer for Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants

    Peppers need fertilizer

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    Summer fruiting crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants will benefit from a side-dressing of organic fertilizer when they first set fruit and every 4 to 6 weeks thereafter. An alternative is to water in a dilute solution of fish emulsion, seaweed extract, or kelp meal every 10 days. Feed fruiting crops that have flowered […] More

  • in How to Grow, Plant, Tips

    Peppers, Melons, Eggplants—Hate the Cold

    Peppers transplanted

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    Cool days and nights can be a problem for the most tender warm-season crops–peppers, melons, and eggplants. Temperatures in the 40sF won’t kill these plants but their growth will be stunted. Wait to plant out very tender crops until the lowest temperatures do not fall below 60°F. If you plant sooner use row covers, plastic […] More

  • in Fruit Vegetables

    When to Plant Peppers

    Bell pepper seedlings

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    Plant pepper seedlings in the garden 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost in spring. Start pepper seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before setting transplants in the garden. Don’t set out pepper seedlings until the average night temperatures are 55°F (13°C). You can set pepper seedlings in the garden earlier if they are […] More

  • in Harvest and Storage

    How to Harvest and Store Peppers

    Peppers nearing harvest

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    Pepper can be harvested as soon as they are large enough to eat. Most mild and hot peppers take at least 70 days from transplanting to reach edible size and another 3 to 4 weeks to reach maturity. Some hot peppers take longer. If you know the variety of pepper you are growing (check the […] More

  • in How to Grow

    Pepper Growing Success Tips

    Peppers growing

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    1. Peppers prefer deep, aged-compost–rich soil. If your soil is heavy with clay, grow peppers in a raised bed, adding loam and sand. 2. Growing peppers in your native soil: add at least 2 inches of aged compost across the planting bed and sprinkle with 5-10-10 organic fertilizer, then turn the soil to at least […] More

  • in Quick Tips, Tips

    Pepper Growing Quick Tips

    Pepper jalapeno

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    Sowing and Transplanting: Transplant pepper seedlings to the garden 2-3 weeks after the last frost. Sow seed indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting to the garden. Sow seed directly in the garden only in long-summer regions Start seed indoors in a warm, well-lighted location—in a bright window or under grow lights. Sow 1-2 seeds ¼” (6 […] More

  • in Preserve

    Beginner’s Guide to Canning Peppers

    Peppers on stems

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    Can sweet bell peppers and chile peppers—which can be sweet or hot–to preserve your summer harvest? Can peppers after deciding if you want to preserve sweet or heat or a combination of the two? Sweet green, yellow, orange, or red bell peppers are large and thick fleshed. They have a sweet, crisp flavor. Chile peppers—such […] More

  • in Uncategorized

    How to Choose a Chili Pepper for Heat, or Not

    Hot Peppers Jalapeno Thai Serrano Habanero ScotchBonnet

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    The potent spicy heat you experience eating chili peppers is caused by capsaicin, a colorless, odorless, waxy compound found in the white pith of the pepper’s inner wall where the seeds are attached. Capsaicin is an irritant to most mammals—including humans; the sensation it leaves when it comes in contact with mucus membranes of most […] More