If you’re looking to grow bell peppers from scrap, then this article is for you! Growing your own peppers from scrap is easy, and can be done even if you have no garden space. Here I will show you how to grow bell peppers from scrap.
This post contains all the information you need to grow a healthy crop of bell peppers from scrap or seed, including how to choose the right variety, when to plant and harvest, and how to store and preserve your crop.
Also, bell pepper requires less maintenance and little investment so it is a good option to start your gardening journey.
bell peppers are famous as a spicy vegetable for many dishes. Using these peppers you can add some delicious flavor to the food. It has a cluster of seeds in its center. The fruit is hollow from the inside.
Growing bell peppers from scraps
Growing the bell peppers from scraps is very straightforward. Just find and collect the peppers and scraps from leftovers. Make sure the bell peppers are mature or ripe, remove the seeds, and spread them over a clean tray or paper towel.
Place the bell pepper seeds under the sun. They need to be in direct sunlight to dry out. This usually takes one hour. Don’t let them sit in the sun too long, as this will cause the seeds to get burned. You can dry your bell peppers by placing them in a paper bag and setting it in direct sunlight, on a table or shelf, or even under a ceiling fan. They are very phototropic. That means they prefer to grow where there is plenty of light.
Can you grow bell peppers from store-bought peppers?
Just like you can grow bell peppers from scraps, you can also grow bell peppers from store-bought bell peppers. But the problem with growing bell peppers from store-bought peppers is that the bell peppers that can be bought from stores are mostly hybrid or GMO seeds.
There are many different types of bell peppers. They can be green, yellow, orange, red, purple, or brown. The difference between these bell pepper types is how they are grown and what the purpose of growing them is. Some are used for personal consumption and others for cooking.
When to Plant Bell Peppers?
Bell peppers are warm-season crops. The best time for growing bell peppers from seeds is 8 to 10 weeks before last spring frost. To get more ideas, you can take the help of local nursery people, whether it is the right time to plant bell peppers.
The growing season for bell peppers is 60-90 days long. During this long duration, it is recommended to plant bell peppers indoors using the container gardening method.
And if you are planning to grow bell pepper from seedlings available from the nursery then wait for the frost to pass. Remember that bell peppers are very sensitive to temperature.
How long does it take to grow bell peppers from seeds?
Bell pepper seeds are usually sown 4-6 weeks before the last frost of the spring in areas where the weather is extremely cold. This allows your plants to develop leaves before the warm season sets in.
And since peppers don’t have roots like other vegetables and are grown from seeds, they can only live for three months at most.
How to grow bell peppers from seeds?
Growing your own peppers from seeds can be fun for children and adults alike. You can buy your seeds from local seed sellers or garden centers.
If you are growing your own pepper plants, you’ll want to sow the seeds in soil which contains no fertilizer. You should also choose a place in your home that gets lots of sunlight. This will give the plants a good chance to grow and mature.
- Start by sowing your pepper seeds in a peat pot with a germination tray by filling the peat pots with soil: fill each peat pot about 1/2 full of soil.
- Place 2 to 4 seeds of bell peppers in each section and then moisten the soil by gently spraying water over each section of the germination tray. Then, do not over-water the seeds.
- Place the seeds under the sun for two days. Do not keep the seeds In the sun for too long otherwise, they will lose their viability.
- Before planting, make sure the soil temperature is about 70-75°F. You should bring them inside when it is cold outside. And when it’s sunny out, you should bring them outside too. And if you want to grow them in your garden, make sure the garden soil temperature is within that temperature range. You can keep soil temperatures warm by adding black plastic mulch, and when planting place plants 12-18 inches away in raised beds. When planting peppers, plant them 12-18 inches away in the garden.
- Water at the right time and when the topsoil is dry. Don’t stress the plants with too much water as pepper plants love a moist atmosphere. Furthermore, avoid flooding or overwatering the garden soil, as it’s not good for pepper plants.
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Transplanting The Seedlings
If you transplant it during wintertime or in the summer, it could kill the plant. The best time to transplant is after the first frost. Hardening the plant off is necessary before you transplant.
If you have moved house and are about to transplant the plants that were grown in your former home, you should harden them off first in a greenhouse or garage.
Make sure you’re giving the pepper plant more than four to eight hours of fresh air per day to help her adapt to the outdoor weather. To avoid the development of stress in the plant, you can introduce the plant slowly to outer weather. First, keep them outside in the morning and bring them back inside later that day.
Make sure you only put them out for a few hours. Repeat this process until you are confident that the can adjust to a new environment.
You should also pay attention to the temperature of the soil. If the soil is warmer than 65 Fahrenheit, the roots will not grow well. Hence it should be in the range of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
How many bell peppers does a plant produce?
Bell peppers usually produce around 5 to 10 pepper fruits per plant. However, yields are dependent on the type of variety you choose to grow. Some varieties of bell peppers produce more fruits than other varieties.
Tips for Growing Bell Peppers
Sandy or loamy soil is recommended. And, the pH of the soil should be between 6.0 to 6.8. Also, keep in mind that bell peppers like to grow in well-drained soil.
Mulch Well. Weeds or another unwanted plants can easily steal the nutrition that belongs to bell peppers. This will increase the competition among the weeds and bell pepper plants. Mulch helps to remove weeds from the soil. Mulching also helps to keep the soil warm.
Water Carefully. Bell pepper likes to grow in warm climates but intense heat is not good for them. During hot weather, bell peppers require adequate watering. However, Dryness and Over-watering can prevent your plant from growing well.
Sunlight. It is essential for all edible plants. Hence choose a location where they can get perfect sunlight so that the fruit can ripe well. Moreover, if the weather is hot you can use a cloth for shading the plant as direct sunlight during peak hot weather could harm the plant.
Check For Pests. Pests and insects can harm your plant and well-riped fruits. The most common pests that attack the bell peppers are aphids and flea. Use insecticides that can keep them away from the plant.
How to Harvest Peppers?
The best time to know for harvesting bell peppers is when they grow up to desired color and size. Keep in mind that, the longer you wait for harvest bell peppers, the taste will change to sweet.
Harvesting bell pepper majorly depends upon the variety you are growing. Generally, the harvesting time for bell peppers is between 60-90 days. If you want spicy pepper, then harvest it when the pepper is green. Otherwise, if it will stay on the plant, the pepper will turn yellow and then red after some days. Red pepper is the sweetest among all colors of pepper. Use a sharp knife to separate the pepper from the plant because plucking the pepper by hand can harm the vine of the plant. While cutting the fruit, you should leave 1 inch of the stem behind.
Thanks For Reading.