Peppers are very popular among hobby gardeners because they are true all-rounders. With their numerous, mainly white flowers, they are in no way inferior to many ornamental plants in terms of attractiveness. As a container plant, they decorate terraces and balconies. They attract attention in the bed, especially when the colorful, bright, green, yellow or red pods appear, which – depending on the variety – are large, small, round, pointed or block-shaped. Once the peppers have done their job as a feast for the eyes, they spoil the palate after harvesting with their fruity, aromatic, mild to hot taste. Since peppers are native to the tropical regions of South America, they are usually cultivated in greenhouses in the local regions. However, there is nothing against
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cultivation
If you want to enjoy the benefits of peppers, you can purchase pre-cultivated plants from well-stocked garden centers. On the other hand, growing from seeds is more exciting and a gardening challenge. You don’t have to buy these separately, because the seeds are already available with every pepper that you process in your kitchen at home.
Cultivation from seeds
When the peppers are cleaned, the seeds inside come out and are set aside, preferably on a piece of kitchen paper. They must be cleaned of all pulp and then dry for some time. Once completely dry, they can be stored in an airtight container until March. The following materials are required for sowing:
- dried seeds
- a bowl of lukewarm water
- potting soil
- Cultivation tray or yoghurt pot
- prick stick or pencil
- Transparency foil
Since peppers are very heat-requiring plants, they are also grown from seeds at room temperature. In the first step, the seeds are soaked in lukewarm water for at least 24 hours. Special multi-pot bowls are particularly practical as a cultivation vessel because you only put one seed into each pot, which noticeably facilitates the process of transplanting into larger pots. It is cheaper to sow seeds in yoghurt cups, in the bottom of which you pierce a few small holes to prevent waterlogging. 3 seeds are placed in each cup filled with potting soil. A small hole, twice as deep as the seed size, is drilled for each seed with the pricking stick or pencil. Finally, the soil is pressed down, lightly watered and the cultivation vessel is covered with cling film.
After about four weeks, when the first leaves appear, prick out the little plants and place them individually in slightly larger pots. These pots shouldn’t be too big, otherwise the plants will put all their energy into rooting the pot completely and growth will stall. They spend the time in a bright and warm environment with the highest possible humidity until it is time to move outside. During this phase, the soil is kept slightly moist at all times. Humidifiers or bowls filled with water on the heater ensure the necessary humidity. Alternatively, a plastic bag is placed over the pots, which is aired regularly to prevent mold from forming.
Cultivation in the bed
From mid-May, right after the ice saints, the time has come for the young plants you have grown or bought to be planted in the bed. It must be ensured that the temperatures never fall below 5° Celsius. The following growing factors play a role in this:
- sunny, sheltered location
- well-drained, humus-rich soil
- Enrich soil with compost
- Planting distance 40 cm to 50 cm
- Row spacing 60 cm
- Support plants with stakes
Experienced hobby gardeners who aim for an early and particularly rich harvest spread mulch film on the bed after preparing the soil. It keeps the soil up to 2° Celsius warmer than the surrounding area, protects it from drying out and at the same time suppresses weeds. For the young plants, crosses measuring 10 x 10 cm are cut into the foil at the points where they will be planted in the ground. The mulch film remains on the bed throughout the growing season.
Cultivation in the bucket
If you don’t have your own garden or greenhouse, you can also cultivate pepper plants in tubs on the covered terrace and the rain-protected balcony if it is mostly sunny, warm and protected from wind and rain. The planter should have a drainage hole for excess water over which drainage made of small stones, expanded clay or pottery shards is spread. Commercial vegetable soil can be used as a substrate, to which you can add some good garden compost and wood flour, since pepper plants are heavy consumers. A supporting plant stake is not dispensed with when growing in a bucket. In this environment, the pepper plants can then grow and thrive until the pods are harvested from the end of July. Although they are not that big
Care of pepper plants
Successful cultivation does not require much, but substantial care work, so that the harvest is plentiful:
- water daily in summer
- do not water the leaves
- fertilize organically every 14 days
- additionally supply with nettle liquid manure
- break out the royal bloom
- mulch in the greenhouse with grass clippings
- Check regularly for diseases and pests.
The yield can be increased even more if the first flower that appears between the main shoot and the side shoot is pinched out with your fingers. Otherwise, this bloom, also known as the king bloom, requires such a high energy input from the pepper plant that very few pods will grow. On the other hand, it is not necessary to pinch out, as with tomato plants.
hibernate
Since peppers, regardless of the type and variety, are perennial plants, the question of the right overwintering arises for every hobby gardener. It is worth making some effort for this purpose, because experience has shown that the pepper plants have an even richer harvest from the second year.
At the latest when the outside temperature falls below 5° Celsius, it is time to carry the planters to their winter quarters. A bright room with no drafts and the temperature is around 10° Celsius is ideal. Before moving, it is imperative to inspect the pepper plants for pests, especially aphids and spider mites.
During the winter, the pepper plants are only watered a little and not fertilized. Regular spraying with rainwater at room temperature prevents infestation with pests and diseases. Spider mites in particular use the dry heating air to multiply uncontrollably.
From February, the time has come to gradually prepare the peppers for a new season in the fresh air. In a first step, they are repotted in fresh soil. The new container can be a bit larger, but not significantly larger, otherwise the plant will waste a lot of energy growing new and strong roots. The stopover indoors before going outside in May should be a little warmer, bright and free from drafts. Now the dose of water is slightly increased, to which a small dose of liquid fertilizer is added. It is still essential that the hobby gardener keeps a watchful eye on the leaves and shoots and intervenes at the slightest sign of pests. Whether you should cut pepper plants after hibernation to force new sprouting,
Popular species and varieties
Peppers belong to the nightshade family, like tomatoes, and there are numerous varieties that are referred to as sweet peppers, chillies or hot peppers. In particular, the degree of sharpness, which is determined by the proportion of capsaicin, is one of the main distinguishing features of the paprika varieties, in addition to the visual appearance. Some of the most popular variants are presented below:
Red Augsburger
- ideal for free range farming
- Growth height 50 cm to 60 cm
- cone-shaped, red fruits
- old variety with a mild taste
Paprika Healthy
- mild sweet peppers
- good for planting in beds
- pointed, red fruits
- ideal for drying
- Growth height up to 60 cm
- very productive
sweet tooth
- small, decorative pods
- ideal for pot culture
- yellow fruits later change to red
- Growth height 20 cm
- mild, aromatic taste
Yolo Wonder
- early, fleshy pepper variety
- red and green pods
- typical, blocky fruits
- Harvest from August
Pritavit
- Hungarian tomato peppers
- bright red, fleshy fruits
- mild, slightly spicy taste
- very productive variety
Mavras
- rare variety with purple fruits
- robust and tolerant
- suitable for field and greenhouse
- Harvest from August to October
Gold
- pointed pods
- ripen from yellow to red
- also deliver a rich harvest in the bed
- mild aromatic taste
Purple Bell
- round purple peppers
- an eye-catcher in the bucket
- very productive variety
Susanna
- Apple peppers from Hungary
- large, round, red pods
- buschige Wuchsform
- well suited as a container plant
- bearing rich
Peter Pepper Chili
- red, 9 cm long pods
- Sharpness level 6 (at 0 to 10)
- suitable for tubs and beds
- a nice gift for hobby gardeners
Sweet Banana
- popular sweet peppers
- large, pointed pods
- ripening from green to yellow to red
- particularly sweet and mild when fully ripe
Anastasia
- classic pepper variety
- Growth height up to 200 cm
- large, red pods up to 250 g
- resistant and resilient
Cherry Sweet
- sweet cherry peppers from Hungary
- many small red pods
- bears a rich harvest
- ideal Naschpaprika
- mild aroma
