You want to grow peppers yourself? Then you've come to the right place! Here are the best tips and tricks for your homegrown bell pepper plants!
For me, there is nothing more relaxing than growing my own vegetables and watching the little seeds turn into huge plants.
How you can do that too and what you have to pay attention to, you can find out here!
Especially with Mediterranean vegetables, the question always comes up: Grow tomatoes, chili and peppers yourself or buy ready-made plants?
I am definitely in favor of breeding myself.
It's very relaxing, it's mega fun to watch the vegetables grow and the effort is very low.
Table of contents
- Grow peppers yourself - the peculiarities of the plant
- Can you plant fresh peppers seeds?
- Where to buy bell pepper seeds?
- These are the preparations you need to make for growing peppers yourself
- In 4 steps to your own bell pepper plants
- What do I do if I'm already too late?
- From seedling to large plant: pricking peppers
- When can peppers go outdoors?
- More yield on the bell pepper perennial
- Why peppers are worth growing yourself
Grow peppers yourself - the peculiarities of the plant
If you want to grow peppers, then you need to know well the peculiarities of the plants. Peppers are not native to our region. This means that they have very special requirements as far as the climate is concerned.
Peppers need high temperatures and plenty of light to germinate. They do not tolerate drafts so well. And they also don't react well to a lot of direct sun at first.
Initially, the temperature should be high. Later, the plants can cope with lower temperatures.
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Can you plant fresh peppers seeds?
Yes, if you want to grow peppers yourself, you can take the seeds from peppers. You don't have to buy seeds. You have to make sure that you take them from fully ripe pods.
You surely know red, yellow and green peppers from the supermarket, right? These are no different varieties. They come from one and the same plant. They are simply different degrees of ripeness.
The peppers start out green, then turn yellow and finally red. So if you want to grow your own peppers from pods, you must fully ripe red peppers take for it.
Would you like to save the seeds for next year instead of planting them straight away? Then you need to dry the bell pepper seeds after removing them and store them in a dark place at room temperature until spring.
From January/February you can start with the cultivation. You do not need to dry the seeds if it is spring and you want to start growing peppers yourself right away.
Where to buy bell pepper seeds?
Of course, you can also buy bell pepper seeds. I like to have a colorful mix of different plantlets. I take seeds from them every year and dry them. That way I don't have to buy seeds the next year.
When you buy seeds, you have the range of options. Small peppers, large, oblong, round, purple, yellow, striped. I love being able to grow really colorful peppers myself and going for fancy varieties.
That's why I always buy a colorful mixture of different bell pepper seeds. This gives me plenty of variety on my plate in summer. Very wonderful and also You can find some unusual varieties of paprika and pepperoni at Chilishop24. But you can also use Order a paprika mix from Amazon. It contains nine different varieties! This makes the heart of every hobby gardener beat faster! :)
Or you can simply go to the garden center. Here, too, there is now a reasonably good selection of varieties.
Tip: For the balcony "Medusa" peppers are ideal. The plant grows only about 30 centimeters high and is very productive. The fruits are finger-long and turn from green to yellow, orange and red.
Sumher" peppers are bright red and medium hot. And if you like it very sweet, go for the "Lombardo" variety.
What varieties can never be missing with me
- Snack peppers - Orange elongated peppers
- Topgirl peppers - red round peppers
- Black block peppers
If you like it slightly hot, go for chilli plants with a heat level of 2 or 3, such as the Cherry Bomb Chili or the somewhat sharper red Letschau pods. And for those who like color in the garden or on the balcony can also be plant yellow chilies.
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These are the preparations you need to make for growing peppers yourself
First of all, make sure you have all the tools you need to get started. Besides the seeds, you'll need a mini greenhouse or plastic wrap, growing soil and pots.
When can I plant bell pepper seeds?
Mid-February to mid-March is the right time to start bell pepper seeds. The plants need Lots of light and direct sunlight. If you start them earlier, they may not get enough light and form long water sprouts.
If you have a sunny window or extra plant light, then you can also start growing them in January.
From End of March it is usually already too late, to start breeding. Bell pepper plants grow very slowly. There's only one thing to do now: buy plants and start earlier next year.
In short, it should not be too early and not too late. For the perfect time, many gardeners are guided by the moon. It is said that the plants sprout particularly quickly if you take advantage of the waxing moon phase until the full moon at the beginning of March.
Personally, I actually start with paprika and chili already in the first week of Januarybecause the little plants grow very slowly in comparison!
In order for you to have a rich harvest, the right timing (here, especially the optimal light conditions) is crucial.
And the following year, you just have to start breeding earlier, then it will definitely work out!
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The ideal location for bell pepper plants
The best location for growing peppers is a Window sill. If possible, at the South side, where the plants get plenty of light.
If you don't have a bright and warm location, you can grow the peppers with Plant light for germination bring. These are special lamps that ensure good germination conditions.
Without light, your plants will not germinate and if they do venture out of the soil, they will form long thin water sprouts and never grow into beautiful bushy plants.
If it is too dark on your windowsill, you should definitely use a plant lamp. A small greenhouse for the windowsill with integrated LEDs is much more practical.
You can order a special plant lamp like this anywhere online. This allows you to grow peppers regardless of the light conditions.
The earth
In order for the seeds to sprout and grow into strong little plants, they need a soil with lots of nutrients. You should use potting soil - it is particularly fine and already contains everything the plants need in the first time.
But who needs 35 liters of soil to grow tomatoes? That's often the problem at garden centers and DIY stores. However, you will need more soil later anyway - I mix the growing soil in equal parts with vegetable soil. This has worked wonderfully for many years.
Alternatively, there are also swelling tablets for cultivation. What you use is purely a matter of taste. I'm more of a fan of soil because it contains more nutrients - but the plants have to be transplanted quickly after germination anyway. But more on that in a moment.
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In 4 steps to your own bell pepper plants
Soil, seeds and location are ready? Then you can start now. How to grow bell pepper plants from seeds!
1. prepare seeds
So that your plantlets germinate quickly, soak them in water. Put the dried seeds in lukewarm water for 12 hours and place them in a dark place without direct sunlight. The best time for this is at night.
Please do not leave longer in the water, otherwise the seeds will begin to rot!
2. insert the seeds
Put potting soil in the pots. Water the soil and then place one seed per pot on the soil.
Instead of potting soil, you can also use pregelatinized tablets. These are dry and pressed sowing soil, which you bring to life with a little water. It contains everything your plants need for the first days and weeks.
Cover the bell pepper seed with about 1.5 cm of soil. Press down very lightly with your fingers.
The easiest way is to take only one seed per pot. Otherwise you might damage the plantlets when you transplant them.
3. off to the windowsill
Place the pots in a mini greenhouse. Or you can put cling film on the pots. I take the variant with the foil and fix them with old hair ties.
Now you provide a humid and warm climate, which makes the seeds begin to germinate especially quickly.
Tip: There are high quality grow houses that you can use for many years. For my peppers and chilies I have this year for the first time the Romberg Style BoQube Greenhouse in use. The purchase is worthwhile especially for plants that need longer to germinate and do not like waterlogging.
4. have patience
Now it's time to wait. Peppers take longer to germinate than other plants. While tomatoes stick their heads out of the ground after 5-8 days, peppers have a germination period of up to 3 weeks.
How quickly you succeed in growing peppers yourself depends mainly on the temperature. Peppers love warm and humid temperatures of 25°.
Important: Let air to the soil every 2 days. Otherwise, the seeds may begin to mold. Simply remove the foil from the pots for half an hour is quite enough.
Attention: If you see small black gnats in the potting soil, you must react immediately. These are fungus gnats, which eat the roots of plants and cause them to die. What to do about fungus gnats and how to get rid of them, you can read here.
What do I do if I'm already too late?
It's mid/late March or later and you were just about to sow your chili and bell pepper plants? I start them in January because these plants grow extremely slowly.
Accept that you are too late this year. The effort is in vain, by the time your plants are really big and strong, summer will be over. If you don't have a cool and bright place in your home, the plants won't survive the winter.
I've never had any luck with overwintering. Either they lose all their leaves anyway and die or they are attacked by aphids and white midges.
That's why I will continue to grow my own peppers every year. Overwintering is far too time-consuming if you don't have a conservatory.
Believe me, I didn't want to accept it either and have tried several times since the end of March. The plants can't make up for the lost time despite the plant light. 🫣
From seedling to large plant: pricking peppers
When you prick out your plantlets depends on the size of the flower pots you initially planted them in. If you have taken very small pots, they will soon have to be relocated.
The small plantlets will stay in the seed pot for about 4 weeks before moving to a larger flower pot.
If you have taken larger pots, i.e. those with a diameter of about 10 cm or larger, you can wait even longer.
From a height of about 10 centimeters, it's time for your plantlets to get a new home.
By the way, the transplanting of plantlets is called pricking.
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How to prick peppers correctly
- You need to be especially careful. The small plants are very sensitive.
- Fill a larger pot with fresh soil. About half to three quarters full.
- Carefully detach the plants from the pot with the entire roots.
- Including earth, of course.
- Lift the plants into the new pot and fill with soil.
- From now on your plants need a little more care, warmth and regular lukewarm water.
The best place to grow them is in a sheltered, sunny spot. Balcony, garden or greenhouse - peppers thrive almost anywhere.
When can peppers go outdoors?
Outdoors the plants can be no earlier than mid-May to early June. That is, when there is guaranteed no more frost at night. Peppers are very sensitive to low temperatures and immediately stop growing.
Indeed, the plants are originally from South and Central America.
To harden them off, I regularly transport them outside from April. In the evening, when it gets cool, I bring them back indoors. This prepares them for their outdoor life.
From about a height of 10 centimeters I support them with bamboo sticks so that they do not bend over.
Peppers love humus-rich soil and a pot to themselves. If you put them in the garden, you should leave 50 cm between plants.
Bell pepper plants love the company of tomatoes and cucumbers.
More yield on the bell pepper perennial
Very important: The first flower, the king flower, you should definitely cut off. This can be done easily with your fingers.
If you do not do this, then grow your own peppers was all for nothing, say some gardeners. If you leave the king flower of the bell pepper, then it forms much less new flowers and thus fruits.
Only after the removal of the first flower, the plant begins to form new buds and gets another decent growth spurt.
Watering and care for peppers
Whether in the garden or top, the plants love the sun. Peppers should be fertilized once a month. For this you can use a normal vegetable fertilizer. Especially if you grow the plant in a pot, it needs fertilizer. In the garden, it can usually do without.
You can perfectly put the plants next to cucumbers or tomatoes.
In summer you need to water the plant every day. However, the plant does not like waterlogging. Therefore, make sure that the excess water can drain off.
From August you can harvest your homegrown peppers. It is best to cut them with scissors or a knife so that you do not injure the plant.
Why peppers are worth growing yourself
Homegrown tastes best. The vegetables are more aromatic and healthier. That's because you harvest them fresh and eat them right away. The longer vegetables are stored, the more vitamins they lose.
By the way, did you know that bell peppers contain much more vitamin C than oranges or lemons? To be exact, it is 4x as much vitamin C as citrus fruits. The most vitamin C is in the red fruits.
I also find it very relaxing to watch the vegetables grow. Once the little plants have grown into sturdy plants, they thrive particularly well in tubs and pots on the balcony.
It tastes much better and you are more careful with food when you see how long it takes for a plant to grow.
My conclusion
Growing peppers yourself is somewhat difficult for beginners. The plants are sensitive to light and temperature. If you are a total beginner, you should Start with tomatoes. They germinate faster and are less sensitive.
Peppers and chilies grow slowly, so start growing them in January or February at the latest. If you are too late this year, buy plants and set a reminder in your cell phone to start earlier next year.
Good luck! ❤️
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