How to Grow and Harvest Bell Peppers
WANT TO FIND OUT HOW TO GROW AND HARVEST BELL PEPPERS SO YOU CAN EAT THEM ALL SUMMER LONG? KEEP READING….YOU WILL BE HAPPY!
There are hundreds of kinds of peppers. Today we are going to talk about the magnificent and crispy bell peppers.
If you play your cards right, you can have peppers all summer long…
I usually start a bunch of seeds indoor and buy one plant. This way, you have peppers growing at different rates and don’t have to wait so long for your first harvest.
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Let’s talk about seeds:
1 – Growing from seeds
Build you own indoor greenhouse with biodegradable pots, seed starting mix (organic like this one), organic seeds, and a greenhouse made out of foil pans with plastic lids (like this). I encourage you to find that green and white label on your seeds for true organic gardening.
To create your greenhouse:
- Lay out the foil pans
- Break the pots apart and lay them in the foil pans
- Don’t over stuff your greenhouse, just buy extra foil pans…they are only $1
- Put the seed starting soil in the pots – pack the soil slightly
- Follow the directions on the seed package for how deep to insert the seed
- Water the soil
- Put water at the bottom of the foil pan, just enough to reach all the pots, DO NOT over water the bottom
- Put the top on the foil pan
- Place the pan in the sunlight
- The sun and water will create a greenhouse for you! SO don’t open it until it’s time to water.
2 – Harden your seedlings
You must acclimate your seeds to the outdoor world, one day at a time. Start, the week before your last frost, remove your greenhouse top and set the seedlings outside for a few hours in the shade. You may have some seedlings that die, but that’s ok, this is the Hunger Games for veggies! Each day you place them outside, increase their exposure to longer sunlight.
3 – Transplanting
When the frost is gone, and you are positive that your little seedling can survive on their own, take them to their final resting place.
Check out this post for deciding where to plant.
Peppers need to be planted at least a 1/4″ deep. So plant them that deep in their starter pots AND when you place them in the garden. Remember to peel off the bottom layer of the pots before placing them in the final place. They tend not to grow roots out of those so easily. I HIGHLY recommend placing a stake with your peppers, the vegetables are heavy and tend to make the trunk lean.
Water your plants after you have transplanted them, so you don’t cause root shock.
4 – Daily care
Depending on where you live, keep in mind that peppers are heat sensitive, that means water them frequently. It is recommended that they receive 1 – 2 inches each week.
When your seedlings are stronger and start to form a solid stem, pinch off the bottom leaves. You do not want ANY leaves touching the soil. This invites bugs and diseases all the way up the stem, stop it before it gets to your veggies!
5 – Harvesting
Now let’s talk about our yummy vegetables! Peppers have a 60-90 day harvest period, meaning it take a long time to see veggies! Once you see the first one, be prepared because they are going to keep on comin’!
Peppers can be harvested when they reach the desired size. The longer you leave them on the stalk, the sweeter they become….but they will rot….so keep a close eye on them.
To remove them from the stalk, use scissors. Pulling the veggie off will bend the plant and cause more leaning.
6 – Storage
Peppers are one of those long lasting vegetables. You can store them in a plastic bag in the fridge for 7-10 days after a harvest. I recommend cleaning them and drying them before putting them in the bag.
Peppers are certainly not for everyone – but they add a ton of flavor to a lot of different dishes. I am not a chef so I will leave you will some recipes from one of my favorite places.
This series of recipes use vegetables that are in season at various times of the year. So go check out Happy Healthy Mama!
Happy growing,
