Bell Peppers from saved supermarket seeds:
I hate to be negative but last year I raised loads of pepper plants but didn’t harvest any edible fruits. I saved lots of seeds from bought peppers over the year and having had successful germination with saved seeds before I am once again sowing seeds of green, yellow and red bell peppers. I have obviously been doing something wrong when it comes to producing edible peppers so its back to researching the internet for growing tips for me. I have had good germination, potted on some good strong plants but sadly rarely got to eat the fruits of my labour. Below is a list of points that I gathered from my research.
Update on 17th February – One 7″ pot of moist compost sown with about 30 seeds of red, yellow and green peppers wrapped in a plastic food bag and put on the computer box for a little bottom heat. Fingers crossed.
Update Easter Sunday 1st April 2018 – The germination was amazing and today I am potting on the best twelve of the Bell Peppers grown from saved seed.
New sowing of bought seeds 1st April – I bought new seeds of a yellow, sweet long chilli pepper. The variety is Sweet Banana from Seekay. I have sown four seeds today along with another pot of four saved seeds of a long red chilli pepper that I bought from Lidl. They were packed with seeds so I couldn’t resist saving them.
Important points to remember when growing peppers.
- Pepper plants are slow growing and need plenty of time to produce fruit before frost.
- They are an ideal plant for container growing.
- They need rich well draining soil with added calcium and regular watering.
Facts
- Germination is 10 to 15 days
- Harvest should be 65 to 100 days
- Require full sun.
- Regular and frequent watering.
- Rich soil with added calcium.
- Ideal for containers.
Tips
- To promote growth place a mat of tinfoil around the base of the plants to help the plant benefit from direct and reflective heat and light.
- Sweet bell peppers are known for their high vitamin C, A and B6 content.
- Plants should not be outside until the soil is warm, so start your seeds indoors in order to get a harvest before winter.
- Find your expected last frost date and sow pepper seeds eight weeks before.
Bell peppers are some of the most versatile vegetables in the kitchen. They can be sautéed with onions, sliced or diced in salads, soups, and casseroles. They can be stuffed, grilled, used on sandwiches, or simply sliced for a fresh, flavorful, and crunchy snack. These colourful vegetables have a high vitamin and mineral content. Regular consumption of green peppers, which contain more than twice the vitamin C of an orange, helps protect against disease, boosts the immune system, lowers inflammation in the arteries that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol build up. Other nutritional benefits of bell peppers include thiamin, niacin, folate, magnesium and copper.
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