Sweet Peppers(capsicum)

Does anybody have info on growing capsicum? Do I pinch out anything? Grew them last year but only had a few largish ones off several plants(picked when turning from green to red) the rest were quite small. They were well fed and watered and disease free.

 

I hope so, this is my first year of growing them so it'll be doubly helpful.

 

I've grown them for years, and I know your not supposed to, but I use seed from supermarket fruit, and I sow it about now in a propagator at about 25 deg C.
Being still moist it germinates faster. I grow them on in 3" pots, then pot on into 8".
I find that I dont get many fruits per plant, perhaps only 5 or 6. But I put this down to the fact I like them to ripen. I like the orange or yellow ones best.
I sometimes pick off excess fruits, but the plants do, do this themselves to some extent.
I sometimes pick out some shoots later in the season to make the plants consentrate growth where I want it.

 

Thanks for the info? but how do I grow the blooming things to a constistent size and do I pinch out anything? On a commercial scale the growers must ahve more than 2-3 good sized peppers to a plant.
Rog

 

I sow my Capsicums end of Jan... they need lots of sun to ripen and get large, fed on high Potash like Phostrogen, 3 plants to a meter through, no pinching out. Seeds saved from previous crop, they get huge by July onwards and still produced fruit late Autumn bringing them in greenhouse.I have in the past had 12 -15 large peppers per plant. Some I freeze for winter.

 

I sow them end of Mar in modules in propagator (20 degrees c), potted up when 2 sets of true leaves appear,(temp now between 12 & 16 C) into 8cm pots, then transplant to larger container when roots have filled pot(each plant needs a min of 5 litres of pH 6-6.5 compost).I usually don't pot them on until first flowers have appeared. As Ladybird says - don't pinch out. They need lots of light, a regularly dampened greenhouse,& lots of water, and a min of 21C to crop well. If you pick them when green you will get more fruit from the plant, leaving them to ripen on the plant will reduce the crop. If your garden soil warms early and you can give them tlc in a warm, sheltered, bright site, bung them outside. I like "Redskin" as it's good in pots & has been a good "doer" for me (Can't beat your 12-15 though Ladybird!)Keep your care routine regular, i.e. no missing waterings, regular feed (2 x p/w)& the mature size should be consistent (+ don't pick them too early)

 

Yes Byleaf, one thing I never told you, as they started to get large and nearly turned colour, every morning I saw bits missing on the Pepper, more next day, they were 3 in 1 meter deep roughs on ground with just some bricks to keep them a bit higher,so looked round and put some slug pellets at the back,then one day I saw the Culprits, caught the red handed, lol It was my peacock Pedro and Petra,his girl having breakfast, lol....so left them to it all Summer,no peppers this year lol. But had lots of Courgettes, the mini type for bottling,Cornichons, kept them in the small greenhouse , lol.

 

Nathan.... not off topic lol it was Peppers started it off lol yes I had breed lots of them...apart from sometimes the Magpies raiding the nest while Petra was going about her daily job...only the eggs though, once she was sitting I placed food and water next to her, so not to have gone looking for it....30 days.

 

Nathan, how do you get all your tail feathers in your car?!!! :D

 

Thank you for showing us your lovely pets, they are beautiful, and so unusual, how many Eggs does a Pea hen lay on average. Do they lay them all the time like Chickens, or only very occasionally. Please excuse my ignorance! Tina

 

Just seasonal, May and June, trouble is, she never had a save nest as Magpies watching her, they lay in deep grass somewhere but has in recent years come closer to home, so I could keep an eye on her and feed and water near her.

 

I've decided to have a go.
I've just bought 3 "Redskin" plants from an on-line shop on e-bay. They were only �£2.10 + �£1.50 postage so if they're not successful it's no great loss.

I'm thinking of trying them in a grow bag, and they will be outside on a sunny, south facing patio.
In this garden we don't have room for a greenhouse - hopefully in our next house we'll have more room.

Feline.

 

what size pots do pepper plants need to be in? 8" be ok?