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Growing Peppers

Peppers are pretty versatile. Whether you want to stuff them, slice them, skin them, grill them, fry them or just eat them raw, they can accompany most dishes. So how do you grow a pepper? Read on...

Essential Kit

Pots – 7.5/8cm one’s are fine initially

Compost bag/large pots (20cm or so)

Pepper seeds – your choice of colour!

Watering can

Red Pepper

Sowing the seeds

Fill your small pots with compost, about 1cm below the rim
Put 2 seeds into each pot, then cover with another 0.5cm of compost
Water – but don’t drown – the compost needs to be moist
The seeds will take anything up to 3 weeks to germinate so be patient! Once the seeds have begun to germinate, remove the weaker seedling, giving the stronger one more room to grow.
As the plant gets bigger and develops, you will need to repot it in a larger pot. Keep in a hot, sunny position.

Maintaining your plants

Water your plants regularly so that the compost is kept moist but not drowning. Make sure you keep a limit of 10 fruits per plant, but ideally make it around 7-8. When the fruits are swelling, make sure you feed them with some tomato plant feed!

You can begin picking your fruits when they are green and the skin is smooth and shiny. This means that your plant will continue to produce. Your capsicums will ripen once you have removed them from the plant so make sure you pick them before they start to ripen on the plant – otherwise you might prevent further fruits growing!