Climate
Hot peppers love heat. They need warm soil and air temperatures throughout the growing season and are very sensitive to frost. Many northern gardeners use plastic mulches, row covers, hoop houses, anything that will help grow this wonderful vegetable more quickly in cooler climes.
Soil
Hot peppers need high amounts of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Hot peppers like well drained soil in full sun. Hot peppers do well in raised beds filled with good topsoil, compost, and rotted manure mixed in. A pH near neutral (7.0) is ideal.
Spacing
Hot peppers grow into small bushes and need good air circulation. Give hot peppers enough room by spacing them 45- 60 cm apart in rows at least 75-90 cm apart.
Direct Seeding
Direct seeding hot peppers is not normally practiced.
Seeding For Transplants
Start hot peppers indoors 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Using a 7-8cm or slightly larger pot will produce larger hot pepper plants with better-developed root systems.
Sow hot pepper seeds shallowly, about 1cm deep in a moistened lightweight growing mix. Keep the mix moist (but not wet) and warm - about 25℃-30℃ during germination. Keeping the mix warm results in a quicker germination and healthier hot pepper plants. After the first true leaves have appeared, thin the hot pepper plants to one per pot. If the hot pepper seedlings are out-growing their cell-tray or pots, pot them up to 8-12 pots.
Do not use plastic covered seed starting trays to start hot pepper seeds. They create a very humid environment that is too stagnant.
Do not use peat pots as they tend to absorb and retain too much moisture for growing some types of hot peppers.
Germination
These seeds germinate best in soils around above 25℃.
Germination will take 6-8 days.
Transplanting Into the Field
Many gardeners transplant their hot pepper plants too early. Wait until the soil is 20℃-30℃ before setting the hot pepper seedlings out. Use black plastic mulch to warm the soil. Place it on the beds when you start the seeds.
Watering
Hot peppers need consistent moisture during germination. Keep hot peppers evenly moist, don't keep them soggy. Not enough water and the hot peppers will acquire a bitter taste. The use of mulches will help in keeping the soil moist. If you use black plastic mulch, plants will needs more frequent waterings. The use of a soaker hose underneath the black plastic will save time and make watering much easier.
Harvesting
Hot peppers are mature when they turn their final color. Most hot pepper fruits are green when immature and can be harvested at that time. Mature hot peppers can be red, orange, yellow, green, or purple depending on the variety.
Harvest hot peppers as they mature by using garden shears to clip them off the plant - don't pull them off. It is best to wear gloves when handling hot peppers. Continual harvesting of the hot peppers produces continuous fruit set so pick the hot peppers off your bushes regularly.
Post-Harvest Handling
Wash and dry hot peppers thoroughly. Hot peppers contain oils on their skins and seeds that can seriously irritate skin and mucous membranes. Be very careful not to touch your eyes, nose, or even mouth when handling hot peppers. Also be careful that pets and children not mettle in the hot peppers.
Storage
Hot peppers will last up to two weeks if stored at 7℃-10℃, 60%-70% relative humidity. Hot peppers can also be canned, frozen, dried whole or dried and ground.
Hot peppers are very sensitive to ethylene gas so do not store them with fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene gas.
Diseases ( Please see Disease Controls )
Anthracnose, Blossom End Rot, Bacterial Spot, Early Blight, and Verticillium Wilt
Pests
Aphids, Colorado Potato Beetles, Tarnished Plant Bugs, Flea Beetles, and Hornworms
Comments
Use an inexpensive heating pad underneath the cell-tray to help achieve the desired soil temp. Never water hot pepper seedlings directly. Allow the seedlings to drink by immersing cell trays or pots with holes in the bottom into a pan with water 0.5cm deep. Allow the hot pepper seedlings to drink for a few minutes before removing them. Do not let the hot pepper seedlings get water-logged.
Hot pepper seedlings like light - lots of light. Use flourescent lights to supplement natural light if growing the hot peppers indoors. Hot pepper plants will become tall and leggy (weak) if there isn't enough light.
Don't plant hot peppers in the same bed with other plants in the Solanaceae (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant) as they are susceptible to the same diseases.
Sprays made of ground hot pepper are often used on other plants with insect infestations. In most situations, bugs don't bother hot peppers.
Shenyang TechPark Seed Co., Ltd.(2007), "Peppers", TECHPARK Seeds. |
