Pepper: how to grow a good crop

Good yields of pepper in central Our Country can be obtained in a greenhouse. But not everyone has it. And in order to grow this crop in open ground, it is necessary to choose the earliest varieties.

Pepper cultivation

Pepper loves an abundance of light and heat (1), so he needs to take the brightest place in the garden. In the shade, the pepper forms brittle shoots and does not bloom (2).

And the warmest, therefore, it is ideal if some tall crops grow on the north side of the pepper beds. For example, corn, curly beans on supports, cucumbers on trellises or even indeterminate tomatoes – they reach a height of 1,5 – 2 m. These plants will cover the pepper from the cold northern winds and provide it with the necessary microclimate in the garden. You can also plant pepper on the south side of the house or other building.

– A light mulch, for example, sawdust, will help ensure a comfortable existence for peppers – they reflect the sun’s rays, preventing the soil from overheating, and at the same time provide additional lighting – the reflected light falls on the back of the leaves, – says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. – In addition, sawdust protects the soil from rapid drying, retain moisture in it for a long time. But in heavy rains, they, on the contrary, take over the excess and protect the plants from excess moisture.

If there is no sawdust, you can mulch the pepper with hay – it is also light and performs the same functions. In addition, hay bacillus actively reproduces in hay, which suppresses the development of pathogens – the pepper will not get sick.

Pepper planting

Since pepper is a heat-loving crop, and it ripens for a long time, it is grown only through seedlings. The optimal age of pepper seedlings is 55-60 days (3). This should be taken into account when determining the sowing date. And there is one more parameter – seeds for seedlings are sown in 2 terms, depending on the ripening time:

• late varieties – in late February – early March;
• mid-season and early varieties – in mid-March.

Before sowing, it is useful to soak pepper seeds for 20 minutes in warm water (about 40 ° C), and then dip them in cold water for a couple of minutes – this will harden future plants and help get rid of viruses.

Seeds can be sown immediately, but it is more reliable to germinate them – wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in a warm place. As soon as the roots sprout, you can sow. At the same time, you will reject non-germinating seeds.

Pepper is sown to a depth of 1 – 2 cm immediately in separate cups – he really does not like transplanting.

– There is no need to rush with planting seedlings – for good growth, a temperature of about 20 – 25 ° C is required, – advises agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – If planted in the first half of May under cover with a non-woven fabric, it will protect against frost, but will not provide sufficient heat. And the pepper under it will just sit back – it will not grow. This means that the harvest will give much later, if at all in time. So let the seedlings be at home until the end of May – you can plant them on the beds after the 20th.

When planting, it is important not to deepen the stem – it should remain at the same level as it was in the pot. It is necessary to replant carefully so that the clod of earth does not fall apart and the roots are not damaged – pepper does not like this very much.

The distance between plants should be 25 cm – both in the row and between the rows. This is necessary so that the plants do not shade each other. We remember that pepper loves an abundance of light.

Уход за перцем в открытом грунте

Pepper care includes 4 important steps: regular watering (4), top dressing, loosening and shaping bushes.

Watering. Pepper loves to keep the soil moist all the time – ovaries fall from drought. You can water it once a week and it is better to sprinkle it with a hose with a sprayer so that water gets on the leaves. Tomatoes are categorically contraindicated, but the pepper is very respectful of such a shower! Norm – 1 – 3 liters per 4 sq. m.

Feeding. Over the summer, pepper in the open field needs 2 top dressings:

• 2 weeks after planting seedlings: 2 teaspoons of urea and double superphosphate per 10 liters of water – 1 liter per bush;
• when ovaries form: 2 teaspoons of ammonium nitrate, 5 teaspoons of double superphosphate and 4 teaspoons of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water – 1 liter per bush.

Loosening. Pepper is very fond of loose soil – when its roots breathe, the plant absorbs nutrients better and gives abundant harvests. Therefore, it is necessary to loosen the beds at least once a week to a depth of 1 – 5 cm.

Formation of bushes. In peppers, unlike tomatoes, there are no problems here – they are all formed in the same way, in 3-4 shoots, leaving the lowest stepchildren. All other stepchildren must be removed.

It is also useful to pinch the very first flower from the pepper – then the flowering will be plentiful and the harvest will be higher.

Pepper harvest

Peppers have two degrees of maturity:

• technical – when the fruits have reached the size typical for the variety, but have not yet been colored;
• биологическая – когда плоды полностью созрели и окрасились в свой сортовой цвет.

Biological maturity usually occurs a month after technical maturity – this is a very long period during which the plant spends a lot of energy on fruit ripening.

“Therefore, the fruits must be harvested in technical ripeness,” advises agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. – Peppers, as you know, perfectly ripened at home, in the warmth, although they can be used unripe – both for food and for preparations. In this case, the plant will not have to spend energy on the ripening of the first fruits, and it will be able to produce much more of them.

Pepper storage rules

Pepper harvested in technical maturity, that is, unripe, green, is suitable for storage. At a temperature of 0 to 2 ° C, it can lie for at least 4 months, or even six months. A small crop can simply be sent to the refrigerator, and if there are a lot of fruits, then to the cellar.

In the cellar, the pepper lies well in wooden boxes with slots between the boards so that it can breathe.

And then there are 2 options:

• wrap each pepper in thick paper;
• fill it with sand – in this case, the bottom of the wall box should be lined with thick paper, pour a small layer of sand on the bottom, then lay the fruits, again a layer of sand, again the fruits, and so on, but not more than three layers of pepper.

It is not necessary to wash the pepper before storing it – if there is dirt on it, just wipe it with a dry cloth.

And, of course, peppers can be frozen. In this case, the fruits must be washed, dried or wiped with a cloth, inserted one into the other and sent to the freezer.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing pepper with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
2. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 – 416 p.
3. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO “Orakul”, OOO Lazurak, IPKA “Publicity”, 1994 – 415 p.
4. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.