Homegrown Pepper Plants
Have your ever thought about growing your own pepper plants? Pepper plants are so easy to take care of and they do not take up a lot of space. What's not love they look amazing, smell amazing and are packed full of flavor when they're home grown. Eating your own produce is not only rewarding, but it can be chemical free and you can save a little money on your grocery bill.
You can plant peppers in a simple container or in the garden. Peppers do respond better to a warm climate, so if it's a little cool make a cloche, greenhouse or just pop them inside near a window. Peppers need the warm climate for growth and for them to ripen ready for picking.
Peppers are compact in size which make them ideal for small patios, terraces or in an indoor situation. They are perfect for anyone that wants to have home grown vegetables but has limited space.
Watching peppers grow is also fun and educational for children. Give them a garden project like this, and they might surprise you, by wanting to eat the Peppers they have cared for. To grow peppers at home you will need to buy some seeds or if you want them at a more advanced stage you can opt for seedlings or ready established plants that are in flower.
They are many varieties of peppers you can choose from some are bell shaped, long or even heart shaped. You can even add an interesting splash of color to your meals by choosing red, yellow, orange and green varieties of peppers.
The seeds available at your local nursery or garden center should be suited to the area you live in. If not it should be possible for them to order in the right Pepper seeds or maybe you can shop online for them.
To ensure you have healthy seedlings, plant the seeds in a rich compost mix and make sure their kept warm and damp. If you want to cover the pot with a cling wrap away from direct light. You will see the seedlings popping up a lot quicker as it's an ideal climate for them to germinate. Remove the cling wrap once the seedlings have emerged.
When your seedlings have reached the four leaf stage pluck out the ones that look thin and weedy. With the remaining strong plants remove them carefully not to break their roots and re-pot them into separate containers with a good quality potting mix for fruits and vegetables.
Put the seedlings in a sunny protected position as they need time to settle into their pots. Pepper plants love the heat so make sure when they are established they have full sun exposure either indoors or out.
To keep your peppers looking healthy, and well fed, they will require a fertilizer. You can choose from a variety of fertilizers that release food directly to the plant over time or every week apply a liquid fertilizer that's synthetic or natural.
Once your peppers bare flowers and then fruit, it will only be a matter of time before your eating your very freshly grown peppers.