The most delicious bell peppers in your garden: all the growing rules and an overview of the best varieties

Bell pepper is one of the most popular horticultural crops. The multi-colored fruits are widely used for culinary purposes, they are very useful, many gardeners are crazy about their juicy and crunchy pulp. It is not difficult to take care of bell peppers in the garden, but neatness and some knowledge will not hurt. If all the conditions are observed, then the fruits will grow of normal shape and pleasant taste, if not, there is a risk of getting crooked bitter pods.

How does pepper grow on the site

Pepper is an annual plant. The crop is re-grown from seed annually. Some gardeners collect planting material from their own harvest, others buy new varieties for testing.

Important
Do not collect seeds of hybrid varieties: they are not intended for germination.

First, the seeds are sown for seedlings. This is a general rule both for the cold regions of our country and for the southern parts: pepper is very thermophilic. The sprouts are kept indoors until the weather outside allows them to be moved to open ground. Each variety has a recommended planting time on the site, on average, it should take three months from the moment of sowing.

Young peppers grow quickly. The height of the bush is up to 1 m, it depends on the variety and climatic conditions. Tall bushes require support and a garter - when planting, a wooden peg is installed near the bow.

Fruiting of peppers begins in August and lasts until the first frost. On average from 1 m² removed up to 10-15 kg of fruit.

Seed purchase rules

High-quality planting material is the first condition for success in growing a crop. Pepper seeds must be purchased from specialized gardening departments. It is easy to get infected, old and hybrid seeds in the markets that will not germinate.

Four important rules for buying planting material:

1. The seeds must be sealed in a paper bag.
2. Look for information about the manufacturer on each pack.
3. The date of collection and expiration date of seeds, their quantity and percentage of germination should be indicated.
4. Choose those varieties that are suitable for your region.

How to plant

It is better to plan sowing seeds at the beginning of February, in warmer regions - at the end of winter. As long as the peppers are kept indoors, they will build a strong root system to survive outdoors.

In what soil to plant peppers: garden soil mixed with sand for looseness is suitable. The mixture is fertilized with humus in equal proportions. To improve the nutritional value of the soil, ash is added to it - 1 tbsp. l. for 1 kg of the mixture.

Advice
Some gardeners trust the planting dates to the lunar calendar. The best days for pepper are the waxing moon phases.

How to properly plant seeds for seedlings:

1. First, you should prepare them - soak and disinfect. For this purpose, a 1% iodine solution is suitable. You need to keep the seeds in the solution for half an hour, then they are removed and washed with clean water. Another way to process the seeds is to soak them in a strong solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. Disinfection is very important, as infected peppers will quickly die before they can get past the seedling stage.
2. Now the seeds are immersed in warm (about 50 degrees) clean water and kept there for at least 5 hours. This measure will speed up their germination. You will see the seeds swell noticeably.
3. Some gardeners germinate seeds before planting in the ground. To do this, they are wrapped in wet gauze and left in a warm room for a couple of days.
4. The soil in the boxes is slightly moistened before planting.
5. To place the seeds, grooves are prepared with a depth of 1.5-2 cm.
6. An interval of 4-5 cm is observed between each seed. Pepper seedlings do not tolerate picking very well, so the distance is very important: each sprout should have enough space and nutrition right up to transplanting into the ground.
7. The grains are sprinkled with soil and watered with warm water.

Advice
For pepper seedlings, it is not necessary to choose common boxes. Plant each seed in an individual peat cup, 8-10 cm in diameter.

What seedlings like when growing

To grow healthy plants, gardeners provide them with competent care already at the seedling stage.

These rules are mandatory:

1. At first, the boxes are covered with polyethylene or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
2. Optimal daytime temperatures are from 22 to 27 degrees Celsius. + 14-16 degrees is enough at night.
3. When the sprouts hatch above the surface, the film is removed. This will happen no later than in a week. If the seeds were germinated in gauze, then seedlings can be expected the next day.
4. Young sprouts need long daylight hours - at least 14 hours. In cold regions, the problem is solved by additional lighting with a lamp.
5. Watering seedlings is carried out daily. The softer the water, the better. It is recommended to stand it at room temperature.
6. So that the air is not dry, it is humidified by daily spraying.
7. They try not to overmoisten the soil and air: this is fraught with fungal diseases of seedlings.
8. The room needs to be ventilated, but so that cold air currents do not injure young shoots.
9. When the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, the first feeding is carried out. The recommended mixture for 1 liter is 0.5 g of ammonium nitrate, 3 g of superphosphate and 1 g of potassium fertilizer.
10. The second time is fed a few days before the peppers are transplanted into open ground. The amount of potash fertilizers per liter increases to 7 g.

Advice
You can not water the seedlings with cold water - from this it withers. The water temperature for irrigation is about 30 degrees Celsius.

Outdoor care

Young plants need to be prepared for planting in open ground. New conditions can destroy heat-loving vegetables. A few days before the operation, the boxes or pots are taken out into the fresh air during the daytime. The interval is increased every day. So the peppers are hardened. You just need to make sure that the temperature outside does not drop below +13 degrees.

How is the transplant carried out:

1. The place should be well lit.
2. The time for planting is late spring or early summer, when the soil warms up enough.
3. Do not forget about the rules of crop rotation. Pepper feels comfortable in the area where onions, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, cabbage used to grow. The worst predecessors are peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant.
4. Another important rule is that different varieties of peppers are placed at the maximum distance from each other, since they can be pollinated.
5. It is better to prepare the soil in advance - to fertilize and disinfect. Ideally, the gardener should take care of the pepper in a year, adding organic matter under the previous culture in the amount of 5 kg per 1 m²... In the fall, the site is deeply dug up and fertilized with a potassium-phosphorus mixture, where each element should be 50 g each.In the spring, it will not be superfluous to introduce ammonium nitrate (40 g per 1 m²), but only in the upper soil layer. The disinfection procedure is carried out a week before planting seedlings: 1 tbsp is bred for 1 bucket. l. copper sulfate, water the landing site with this solution.
6. The peppers are moved into the holes along with a lump of earth. Planting depth remains the same.
7. Bushes are placed at intervals of 0.4 m.

Advice
To maximize the yield, organize high beds for peppers - about 30-40 cm. The plant does not tolerate cold soils.

Caring for an adult plant, all the rules:

1. Peppers do not need excessive moisture, just one watering a week is enough. The introduction of moisture is planned for the evening hours. For one plant, 1-1.5 liters of warm water is enough.
2. Reducing the frequency of watering and preserving moisture at the roots will help soil mulching straw.
3. General feeding rules: organic matter is applied no more than once a week after watering, mineral complexes - no more than 2 times a month. The first feeding is carried out 2 weeks after transplantation. In order for the bush to actively develop, it needs nitrogen fertilizers. For 1 liter of water - 1 tsp. urea, 1 liter is poured under the bush. During flowering, the emphasis is on potassium. When the first pods appear, the plant is fertilized with potassium and phosphorus, for example, for 10 liters of water - 2 tsp each. potassium salt and superphosphate.
4. A mandatory procedure is pinching, or removing side shoots. They are cut only in hot and humid weather so that the plant does not dry out.
5. Periodically, the shoots are pruned, especially the long ones that shade the adjacent branches.
6. It is recommended to pinch the first ovary so that the bush gives a more bountiful harvest.

Harvesting, drying fruits, a selection of cooking methods

Ripe vegetables are cut from the bush along with the stalk. Harvesting is necessary after reaching the optimal size and color of the fruit, which are characteristic of the variety.

How to use the fruits of the pepper for culinary purposes:

1. Marinate in glass jars with other vegetables or separately. Mixtures of peppers of different colors look beautiful.
2. Fresh - in salads and sandwiches.
3. A stewed vegetable is a great side dish.
4. The sliced ​​fruits go to the soup.
5. Pepper goes well with meat of any kind. Its pieces can be used to collect kebabs.
6. Peppers, peeled from the stalk and seeds, are stuffed with different fillings: meat, rice, vegetables and mushrooms. For this purpose, only large varieties with strong walls are suitable.
7. Whole fruits are shock-frozen. So they are kept fresh for the winter.
8. Some housewives dry the fruit to make spices. First, they are washed, freed from seeds and stalks, and dried with a towel. The pulp is cut into thin strips. In hot and dry summers, peppers dry quickly outside. An oven or electric dryer will help speed up the process. Drying temperature - 50 degrees. The pepper will become dry and brittle after about 12 hours.

The best varieties of garden peppers

These varieties can boast of unpretentiousness, record yield and very tasty, sweetish fruits. What peppers do gardeners choose annually for their plots:

1. White gold - large and dense peppers up to 450 g, color - yellow. Grow well outdoors. Ideal for whole stuffing.
2. Big mom - peppers up to 200 g, bright orange. The peculiarity of the variety is the early ripening period. Suitable for both an open area and a greenhouse.
3. Dandy - an early ripe, unpretentious and frost-resistant variety with a relief shape of the fruit. Color - yellow, dark.
4. Moneybags - the best option for Siberian conditions. Red pepper pulp is sweet and juicy, good in all dishes.
5. California miracle - medium early variety, peppers are dark green and red, juicy and sweet, weight - 150 g.
6. Triton - a representative of the group of peppers-hybrids. The shape of the fruit is cone-shaped, the color is bright red, the pulp is very juicy, crispy and dense. The purpose of the variety is universal: the fruits are tasty in any form.
7. Marshmallow - deep green and red peppers of late ripening, suitable for southern regions.
8. The harvest of the Hercules variety is distinguished by an original taste: this late pepper gives the attentive gardener juicy, sweet and aromatic red fruits.
9. Owner of an unusual shape - grade Yellow bell. The fruits are bright, dense and sweet, ripening by the 150th day.

A stable and tasty harvest is considered a sign of craftsmanship. A large, healthy and fruiting pepper bush is a great reason for a gardener to be proud. Plant varieties that are suitable for your climate and our tips will help you achieve the best results.