Planting and caring for sweet peppers in the open field, arrangement of bushes

Not everyone in the country has a sufficiently spacious greenhouse, so growing pepper in the open field is of interest to gardeners in both southern and cold regions. The culture is capricious, it requires proper care and careful preparation of seedlings before planting. If you just throw the seeds into the hole and water it from time to time, even in a warm area you will pick two shriveled pods, and in the Urals and Siberia you will see only leaves and flowers, and those couple of pieces.

How to sow seeds correctly

There is a lot of time from sowing to harvesting, pests and pests can attack young shoots illness... If you plant seeds in a garden bed, bell peppers either will not ripen, or will turn out to be weak, barren. The only way out is a good strong seedling that can withstand all adverse situations. It is better to plant it in a hole at the age of three months, so the sowing time depends on climatic conditions: in the southern regions, February is suitable for this, and in Siberia or the Leningrad region - March. If you believe the lunar calendar, sow when the month is rising.

Advice

If you can't find a planting calendar, look up at the sky. A sickle resembling the letter "C" will tell you that the moon is declining. If, after drawing an imaginary downward line between the horns, you see "P", then the month is growing.

There are many ways to prepare seeds. So that the bushes can resist any disease, disinfect the grains for half an hour in a solution of iodine (1%), then hold them in water with a temperature of 45-50⁰ for about 5 hours. Cover the seed with a damp cloth and keep it in a warm room for germination for 2 days. The soil can be bought at the store (the seller will tell you which soil the peppers develop better in) or make a composition of garden soil, sand and humus in a 1: 1: 2 ratio. Weigh the mixture and add a tablespoon of ash for each kilogram.

Pepper does not tolerate root damage, its fragile leaves can break when you remove the seedling from the pot. Plant immediately in cups with a rising bottom. Even if you are going to plant two plants in one hole, you need to put 2-3 seeds in a container, but grow only 1 seedling. In the pot, the sprouts are too close to each other, they will be cramped in the ground. Not all seeds will germinate and survive until warm times, and excess weak specimens can be removed. Sprinkle the crops with loose soil about 1.5 cm thick, water and cover with lids or plastic. When shoots appear, open them and provide plantings with daylight hours from 7:00 to 21:00.

For cold regions - Siberia, the Leningrad region - it is better to take zoned varieties. Breeders have developed many types of sweet peppers with short ripening times and resistance to cold. If you plant delicate, capricious plants in unsuitable conditions, they will be weak, the bushes will overcome diseases and pests, and you may not wait at all for the harvest.

For residents of those regions where summer is not always warm, the following varieties are suitable:

• Montero;
• Kolobok;
• Silvia;
• Barguzin;
• The firstborn of Siberia.

Good seedlings - bountiful harvest

Green babies need to gain a lot of energy before being moved to an outdoor hole. Proper farming practices and good care will help the seedlings grow healthy and strong. So that they immediately begin to get used to the coolness of the night, keep the pepper at about + 25⁰ during the day, and about + 15 около in the dark.Seedlings need to be hidden from drafts, but they need airing so that the plantings do not hit illness.

It is important to remember one main task: the soil should not dry out. Water the plants daily in the morning or evening. First loosen the soil, then take thawed water at room temperature and carefully moisten the soil. To prevent the appearance of pests and infections, humidify the air with a spray bottle. Make sure that the leaves do not turn white, this signals that the plants need nitrogen.

About a week after germination, leaves will begin to bloom. When 3 leaves appear, feed your pets with a urea solution: one tablespoon per 10 liters of water. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the soil with ash. When the time comes to transplant the bushes into the hole, feed with the same composition with the addition of a tablespoon of superphosphate. Nettle infusion can be used as an organic fertilizer.

It is impossible to transplant immediately from a warm apartment into the hole, the peppers need to be hardened. Determine when the frost will end in your area, and start accustoming your pets to the cold in half a month. First, set them aside for several hours with the window open. After a few days, take out on the balcony or veranda during the day, covering from the sun. At night, if the temperature does not drop below + 14⁰, leave it in the air for a whole day.

Preparing the beds for planting

To prevent your seedlings from dying, you need to move them outside at the right time. Growing pepper in the open field is possible only when it will not be threatened by frost. In the south, the favorable period begins in May, and in Siberia or the Urals - not earlier than mid-June.

Choose a location where the peppers will thrive. They like to grow in a sunny area without drafts. Good agricultural technology means choosing the right predecessors. It is great if root crops, legumes, cabbage or pumpkin used to grow on the garden bed. When preparing the land, there are some secrets that will help seedlings grow strong and produce rich yields.

You need to start preparing the garden in advance, this work is carried out in several stages.

1. Dig up the ground in autumn, do not forget to put complex fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus in the soil.
2. In the spring, add 40 g of ammonium nitrate to each square meter of the bed.
3. In cold regions - Siberia, the Leningrad region - the earth may still be cold. Raise the bed up to half a meter.
4. To avoid plant disease, dilute one tablespoon of copper sulfate in a bucket of water a few days before planting and pour over the soil.

Peppers are easily pollinated. If you want to cultivate pure varieties, give each of them its own corner, at a distance from other varieties. When the area for vegetables is small and you need to plant all the bushes on one bed, make a kind of screens from tall plants: corn, peas, beans. In no case plant sweet peppers next to bitter peppers, it will acquire a burning taste.

Advice

Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants have the same diseases. To avoid contamination, do not plant a garden bed in the same place two or three years after these predecessors.

Transplant to open ground

Select cloudy weather for planting seedlings. Better to do your work in the morning or in the evening, then, if the wind sharply disperses the clouds, the landings will not be under the scorching sun. Water the soil well in cups so that the roots come out with a lump of earth and are not damaged during transplantation. Take care not only of the underground part, but also of the leaves, they are very fragile, they can easily break off. The best scheme for planting pepper: 40x40 cm. Two seedlings can be placed in one hole.

The depth of the holes should be slightly deeper than the height of the seedling cups. Pour two liters of warm water into each well. Set the seedlings upright, cover the roots with loose earth. Tie the stems to a peg to keep the plants upright and prevent breaking the leaves.You can make life easier for peppers and make planting care not too tedious for yourself if you mulch the garden with straw or compost at least 5 cm thick.You can also put a hydrogel in the ground, it regulates soil moisture.

Build a film greenhouse over the plantings (in cold areas, you can make two layers) and wait until new leaves begin to appear. This means that the plants are rooted and can be kept outdoors. If you live in regions of risky farming (in Siberia, in the Urals), summer can present an unpleasant surprise in the form of a sharp cold snap. Always keep an eye on the weather forecast and have film, covering material, or other insulation materials ready.

Pepper care in the garden

The main care for pepper, like for other garden crops, consists of the usual procedures. Each bed requires:

• watering;
• top dressing;
• loosening;
• weeding.

These operations may be enough for growing fruit in good quantities. If you want to get an excellent harvest, learn some of the secrets of experienced gardeners - how to plant and grow a heat-loving crop. Moisten the soil regularly, but stop watering the beds half a month before harvesting.

Advice

The more bees, the better the pollination. Place saucers of sweet water on the garden bed, or sprinkle the leaves and flowers with sugar syrup.

Correct formation of the bush will not allow unnecessary shoots to develop, which distract the strength of the plant from the development of fruits. When the bush reaches a height of 25 cm, pinch its top. After that, new shoots and leaves will begin to develop intensively. Leave no more than 6 top branches, cut off the rest. Carry out pinching every 10 days: remove all excess shoots. This shape of the bush will allow it to be well ventilated, pests and diseases will not want to settle in it.

Don't forget to feed the bushes. 15 days after transplanting, dilute one tablespoon of urea in a bucket of water, pour this composition one liter under each root. During flowering, use the same solution, but with the addition of ash. When fruits appear, preparations with phosphorus and potassium should be added to the soil. Do not forget that it is imperative to water the garden after each feeding.

How many peppers to plant in the hole

Planting two peppers in one hole not only saves space. The experience of many gardeners shows that when planting and care is carried out correctly, a pair of peppers grows better. They support each other, suffer less from heat. The leaves provide more shade and the soil dries out less.

When arranging a garden bed, it is worth using the square-nest method. In this case, the seedlings are not arranged in rows, but in the corners of the squares. To make the bushes spacious, the holes must be made at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. If you want a varietal crop, both plants must be the same variety.

Place compost at the bottom of each hole, as two peppers will require more nutrition than a single one. At the beginning of flowering and when the fruit ripens, be sure to additionally feed your pets. Do not forget to water the garden correctly, this technology also requires more water. Every 3-4 days, check the condition of the soil: if the surface is dry, moisten the soil abundantly.

Why does pepper feel bad

Not all bell pepper problems indicate disease or pest infestation. Some troubles will be perfectly resolved by proper care. Please note if:

• leaves turn white or yellow - there is not enough nitrogen;
• ovaries fall off - pour a solution of boric acid: one teaspoon in a bucket of water;
• fruits develop poorly - there is not enough phosphorus or potassium.

To prevent pests from attacking the plants, shower the bushes with ash twice a season. To protect against the bear, put onion husks in each hole before planting. A solution of whey will help with aphids.

The main diseases of pepper occur when the humidity is too high.On wet soils, arrange for good drainage, try not to water the bushes unnecessarily. Adding calcium and potassium to the soil will be a good prevention. Proper care will help plants to cope with many problems on their own.

Output

Growing bell pepper in the open field is possible in the south and in cold regions: in the Urals, in the Leningrad region. Choose the right variety, grow good seedlings, and the bushes can live in summer without shelter. Remember that the best age for planting is 3 months, sowing with an eye on the desired date.

You can plant the bushes in rows, or you can plant two plants in one hole. Make sure the peppers grow at a sufficient distance from each other. If planted too densely, they develop poorly, they are affected by diseases or pests. Proper location and good care will protect you from all problems. The main thing is to get down to business with a soul and a good mood, then your green breadwinners will respond in kind.