How to grow peppers outdoors. Bulgarian pepper cultivation and care: from sowing seeds to harvesting. How to grow a good crop of peppers outdoors

Plant paprika (lat.Capsicum annuum) belongs to the species of herbaceous annuals of the genus Capsicum of the Solanaceae family, widely cultivated in agriculture. A native of the vegetable pepper from Central America, it came to Europe in the 15th century and, despite the exacting care and increased thermophilicity, quickly became the most popular garden plant. Today there are about 2,000 varieties of capsicum, but most of them belong to the sweet pepper subspecies, and others to the bitter pepper subspecies. In this article, we will tell you how to plant peppers, how to dive peppers, how to water peppers, how to fertilize peppers, how to grow pepper seedlings and when to plant sweet pepper seedlings. Bitter pepper will be the topic of a separate article.

Planting and caring for peppers

• Landing: sowing seeds for seedlings - in February or March, planting seedlings of peppers in a garden bed - at the stage of formation of the first buds, in late May or early June.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: light, neutral, well-drained and fertilized in advance.
• Predecessors: good - cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, green manure, pumpkin; bad - all nightshade crops, including pepper.
• Watering: before flowering - once a week, during the period of fruit formation - 2 times a week at a consumption of up to 6 liters of water per m².
• Top dressing: twice in the seedling period: two weeks after the pick and at the stage of development of the second pair of leaves, then twice after planting the pepper in the ground. Both organic and mineral solutions are used as fertilizers.
• Reproduction: seed.
• Pests: spider mites, aphids, slugs, wireworms.
• Diseases: verticilliasis, bronze (or spotted wilting), phytoplasmosis (or stolbur), late blight, fusarium, black leg, apical and gray rot.

Read more about growing peppers below.

Vegetable pepper - description

Sweet pepper, or paprika, is an annual vegetable that is naturally a perennial shrub. Its leaves are simple, petiolate, collected in a rosette or single, the color of the leaves, depending on the variety and variety, can be of different shades of green. The flowers of the pepper are axillary, large, collected in a bunch or single, with a white, purple or greenish corolla. The fruits are false hollow polyspermous berries of yellow, red, brown or orange color of various shapes, weights and sizes.

Growing pepper from seeds

Sowing pepper seeds

Sweet peppers in our latitudes are usually grown by seedling seed method. The timing of sowing seeds for seedlings depends on climatic conditions, however, in any case, sowing sweet pepper is carried out no later than the beginning of March.

Planting peppers for seedlings begins with pre-sowing seed treatment: first, they are immersed in water at a temperature of 50 ºC for swelling for five to six hours, then, wrapped in a damp cloth, they are waited for 2-3 days at a temperature of about 20 ºC, when the seeds will nest, and only after that they are sown in the ground. Such preparation of seeds accelerates their germination, and seedlings may appear as early as 2-3 days after sowing.

Soil for pepper seedlings is prepared as follows: 2 cups of garden humus are mixed with 1 glass of sand, one glass of garden soil, add a spoon or two of wood ash, stir well and sterilize this mixture in the oven or in the microwave, then put it still hot in boxes, level it , allow to cool to 40-45 ºC and spread the seeds on it at intervals of 5 cm from each other with a depth of 1.5-2 cm. But it is better to put the seeds in peat pots, since the pepper does not tolerate a pick. Crops must be watered, and then cover the seedling containers with polyethylene or glass and place in a warm place - the temperature required for seed germination is 21-22 ºC.

Growing pepper seedlings

Growing pepper seedlings is not much different from growing seedlings of any other vegetable. As soon as the first shoots appear, the temperature in the room rises in the daytime to 26-28 ºC, and at night the seedlings need coolness - 10-15 ºC. Keep an eye on the moisture content of the soil in containers with seedlings - it should be moderate, as in too wet soil, plants can get sick with a black leg. However, the soil should not be allowed to dry out either. Water the seedlings with settled warm water - about 30 ºC, the cold water makes the seedlings sick, wither and die.

Seedling care involves the creation of high humidity in the room, so the seedlings should be sprayed from time to time. In addition, regular airing of the room is necessary, but do not let the seedlings get into the draft. You may need to arrange additional lighting for the seedlings as they need to be exposed to light from 7 am to 9 pm.

Pepper pick

In the development phase of the seedlings of the first pair of leaves, they dive. If you sowed seeds in peat pots, then you do not need to dive, but if your seedlings grow in boxes, when diving, the seedlings are placed from boxes into peat pots 8x8 cm in size and buried in the ground up to cotyledon leaves.

The pickled peppers, after they take root in the cups, begin to develop intensively, and shortly before the solemn moment of planting the seedlings in the open ground, they begin to accustom them to the environment in which they have to find themselves: the seedlings are daily taken out into the fresh air for a short time, but gradually the time of new conditions increase, preventing the seedlings from getting into a draft or under "frost" below 13 ºC.

Before planting seedlings in open ground, pepper is fertilized, and at least twice: two weeks after the pick or in the phase of formation of the first pair of leaves in the seedlings, and then after another two weeks, or when the second pair of leaves develops in the seedlings. Top dressing is best applied in liquid form. The best fertilizers for seedlings are Agricola, Solution, Krepysh, Fertika Lux.

Growing pepper on a windowsill

In order to grow sweet peppers at home, you need self-pollinating seeds, a good substrate, phytolamp and a place in the apartment where the sun shines for at least 3-4 hours a day. When your potted peppers are blooming, shake them at least once a day to ensure successful pollination. Large fruits take a lot of energy from the bush, so leave 5-6 ovaries for ripening, and remove the rest.

Fruiting crops quickly deplete the soil in which they grow, so it is necessary to feed the pepper bush once every 2-3 weeks by adding a teaspoon of Agrolife to the topsoil or watering the soil with a solution of one cap of the Growth preparation in two liters of water.

Sweet pepper at home is a perennial plant, and it will not be superfluous to pour fresh vermicompost into the pot every two months, as long as the capacity allows, or to transplant the bush into larger pots when the need arises. To prolong the life of the plant, it is advisable to carry out a small annual spring rejuvenating pruning of pepper, and then you are guaranteed a harvest of fruits for several years.

Planting pepper in open ground

When to plant pepper in the ground

Grown, matured and hardened seedlings at the stage of formation of the first buds are planted in open ground when the air temperature reaches 15-17 ºС. Typically, planting pepper in the ground occurs at the end of May - mid-June.

Pepper primer

Sweet peppers love light, non-acidic soils, but you need to prepare a site for pepper a year before planting. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that nothing grows in this place for a year, it is just that the soil is being prepared for crops preceding the pepper, the best of which are cucumber, zucchini, carrots, onions, pumpkin or green manure. But after crops such as eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, physalis - in short, after nightshades, peppers are not grown.

When preparing the soil for the spring planting of predecessors, 5 kg of organic matter is added per 1 m2 for a year for digging, and in the fall, after harvesting, the site is dug up with the addition of 50 g of phosphorus and potash fertilizers to the same unit of area. In the spring, in the year of planting pepper, 40 g of ammonium nitrate is added to the topsoil for each m², and five days before planting the seedlings, the area is spilled into the ground with a disinfecting solution, adding a tablespoon of copper sulfate to a bucket of water.

How to plant peppers in open ground

In the bed, holes are made at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other, and the distance between the rows is about 60 cm. The depth of the hole should be such that the root collar of the seedling after planting is flush with the surface of the site. Spread one tablespoon of complete mineral fertilizer in the wells, which includes nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and thoroughly mix the pepper fertilizer with the soil at the bottom of the well.

If the seedlings grew in peat pots, then lower the seedling into the hole right with it, and if you grew seedlings in a common container, then carefully remove the pepper from it, trying not to destroy the earthen ball, and lower it into the hole. Fill the hole halfway with fertile soil, then water each plant abundantly, using one bucket of water for three seedlings, and when the water is absorbed, fill the holes with earth to the top. After planting, it is advisable to mulch the area with sweet peppers with peat. If temperatures drop below 13 ºC at night, planted seedlings will need shelter.

Growing pepper in a greenhouse

There are varieties of peppers for open ground, and there are those that can only be grown in greenhouses. Pepper varieties include Arnes, Accord, Alyonushka, Vesper, Bonus, Atlant, Buratino, Orange miracle, Tenderness, Swallow, Nochka and others. First, the seeds are sown on seedlings, and when they grow up and undergo hardening procedures on the balcony or terrace, they are planted in the greenhouse soil. Sowing seeds and the stages of growing seedlings, we have just described to you.

Planting pepper in the greenhouse it is carried out when the seedling reaches a height of 25 cm and an age of at least 55 days, it has a thick green stem and 12-14 leaves each, in the axils of which buds have already been formed. The soil in an unheated greenhouse should be warmed up to 15 ºC by the time the seedlings are placed in it, so replanting is unlikely to take place earlier than May 15.

Before planting, the soil for pepper in the greenhouse is fertilized with potash and phosphorus fertilizers at the rate of 30 g of the first and 40 g of the second per m² and watered abundantly. The planting density of seedlings depends on the variety: 35 cm should be left between the seedlings of vigorous varieties, an interval of 25 cm is sufficient between medium-sized seedlings, and early maturing undersized varieties are planted at a distance of 15 cm from each other. The distance between the rows is from 35 to 60 cm. After planting the seedlings in the holes, the soil is compacted and mulched with peat.

Pepper care

How to grow pepper

Growing pepper in the open field involves timely watering, weeding and loosening of the site, garters and feeding the plants. Professionals recommend removing the central flower from the first branch on each bush - this should increase the yield of the pepper. Also, to increase the yield, the bushes are formed into 2-3 stems, for which it is necessary to promptly remove the formed lateral shoots - stepchildren. They do this in hot and always humid weather. No more than 20-25 fruits can be left on one plant.

When planting seedlings of high varieties of pepper into the ground, drive in a peg right next to each seedling, to which, if necessary, you will tie a bush.

For successful pollination of pepper, it is necessary to attract pollinating insects to the site, for which the bushes are sprayed with boric-sugar syrup, dissolving 2 g of boric acid and 100 g of sugar in a liter of hot water. And refuse to treat the garden with pesticides from the moment the pepper blooms, otherwise the insects pollinating the pepper may die.

Watering the pepper

After planting in open ground, the seedling looks somewhat sluggish, but this is quite natural, so it is very important at this time not to overdo it with soil moisture. Before flowering, you need to water the pepper once a week, and during the period of fruit formation, you will have to water it twice a week at the rate of 6 liters of water per m². After watering, you need to very carefully loosen the soil between the rows, taking care not to damage the superficial root system of the plants.

Watering the pepper is carried out with warm, settled water from a watering can by sprinkling. From a lack of moisture, pepper slows down growth and can shed flowers and ovary. To keep the soil moist, experienced gardeners recommend mulching the area with pepper with a ten-centimeter layer of rotted straw.

Pepper dressing

After dressing in the seedling stage, pepper in the open field is fertilized twice with a solution of chicken manure at a concentration of 1:10, and foliar dressing is also used with a solution of a tablespoon of nitrophoska in a bucket of water. Twisted pepper leaves with a dry border around the edges will tell you that there is not enough potassium in the soil, but do not use potassium chloride as a fertilizer - pepper does not tolerate chlorine.

From lack of nitrogen the leaves acquire a dull, gray tint and gradually become smaller, and from the excess of this element, the plant sheds ovaries and flowers. When pepper lack of phosphorus, the underside of the leaf plate becomes deep purple, the leaves rise up and press against the trunk.

From lack of magnesium sweet pepper leaves become marbled. Be attentive to the plant, and you will be able to help it in time by adding the necessary top dressing.

Pepper processing

The fight against diseases of peppers during the period of fruit ripening with pesticides is undesirable, since all the beneficial properties of the plant are leveled by nitrates and other chemicals harmful to humans absorbed after treatment. With proper care and adherence to agricultural technology, the type of problems with diseases or pests should not arise in pepper, but if they do appear, let's consider what measures will help get rid of them and at the same time keep the quality of the fruits at a high level.

Pepper pests and diseases

Readers often ask questions about what pepper is sick with. Most often, sweet peppers are affected by diseases such as verticillosis (wilting), bronze (spotted wilting), phytoplasmosis, fusarium, late blight, apical and gray rot, black leg.

Verticillosis - a fungal disease that exists in three forms: brown, green and dwarf, each of which manifests itself in its own way. Since the destruction of pathogens with pesticides on vegetable plants is undesirable, only preventive measures remain: the destruction of all plant residues in the fall and the cultivation of varieties resistant to verticillosis.

Phytoplasmosis, or stolbur, manifested by the fact that the roots of the plant begin to rot, dwarfism develops, the fruits grow small, thin-walled and tasteless, the leaves curl, harden and turn yellow, as a result, the pepper dries. They suffer from leafhopper disease. The fight against phytoplasmosis is carried out by processing the pepper with Akara at the time of planting and three weeks after it - spraying the vegetable at this stage of development will not cause harm. In addition, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil in the area and remove weeds.

Fusarium - a fungal disease in which the pepper turns yellow: the leaves become poisonous yellow. Sick specimens are destroyed, the rest of the plants are carefully looked after: they are watered moderately in the morning, and weeds are not allowed to appear on the site. Keep in mind that it is better not to grow peppers next year in an area infected with fusarium.

Late blight - a common fungal disease that affects peppers and tomatoes. Symptoms of phytosporosis are the formation of hard spots on the fruits that capture the pulp. The causative agents of the disease are destroyed with Oxyhom, Zaslon, Barrier, but only before the flowering of the pepper. By the way: hybrid varieties are much less susceptible to disease.

Blackleg affects the root part of the stem of pepper seedlings as a result of too thick sowing and keeping at high soil and air humidity. Over time, the stalk softens and the seedling dies. To avoid the disease of seedlings with a black leg, you should sow the seeds spaciously, dive the seedlings in time and monitor the humidity level in the greenhouse. If you find diseased seedlings, immediately remove them, dry and loosen the soil in which the seedlings grow, and sprinkle it with wood ash. At this stage of plant development, it is permissible to spray seedlings with a solution of the Barrier in the ratio: 3 caps of the drug per 1 liter of water.

Top rot arises on the plant, oddly enough, in the case of a lack of moisture and manifests itself in shiny or black deep spots on the fruits. Sometimes the cause of the disease can be an excess of nitrogen and calcium in the soil. The infected plants are burned, and the rest are sprayed with calcium nitrate.

Gray rot can infect every plant at any stage of development with putrefactive spots and gray bloom of mold. Usually rainy weather provokes its appearance. Affected fruits and plant parts must be removed, and the bushes on the site should be sprayed with fungicides, if it is not too late.

Signs of bronze, or spotted wilting, look like brown spots on the leaves, acquiring a bronze or purple tint. These necrotic spots are located mainly along the main vein of the leaves. As a result of the development of the disease, the top of the plant dies, the fruits in the area of \u200b\u200bthe stalk are covered with green, brown or pale yellow ring spots. To save the harvest, ripe fruits are cut off, and the soil is no longer watered. The fungus is destroyed by Fundazol, but before treating the pepper with a fungicide, once again weigh the pros and cons of such spraying.

Of the pests, aphids, spider mites, wireworms and slugs are annoyed by pepper. You can help protect the plant from slugs by scattered nut shells, ground hot pepper or mustard powder. You can also place bowls of dark beer here and there, to which shellfish will slide from all over the site. And do not forget to loosen the soil in the aisles to a depth of 4-5 cm in the heat.

Clicker beetle larvae, or wireworms, remaining in the soil for five years, they gnaw at the roots of plants. To get rid of wireworms, in the fall, they dig up the land on the site, and in the spring, before planting the pepper, several baits are arranged on the site, burying pieces of sweet root vegetables in the ground and outlining these places for themselves. Clicker larvae will surely crawl to these baits. Every two to three days, the bait is dug up, the larvae are collected and destroyed.

Spider mites plant on plants in dry land, they settle on the underside of leaves and suck out cell sap from them. If you do not know how to treat pepper from a tick without resorting to insecticides, we offer you a recipe for a solution that is non-toxic to the human body: a tablespoon of liquid soap or dishwashing detergent along with a glass of finely chopped onions or garlic, as well as chopped dandelion leaves are mixed in 10 liters of water, let it brew and spray pepper with this composition at any stage of its development.

From aphids get rid of wood ash or tobacco dust infused in 10 liters of hot water in the amount of one glass. You can also, if necessary, use the treatment of pepper with a solution of rapidly decomposing insecticides such as Karbofos or Keltan at the rate of one tablespoon of the drug per 10 liters of water.

Collection and storage of peppers

Pepper has two types of ripeness - technical and biological (or physiological). At the stage of technical maturity, all peppers are usually green in color - from dark green to greenish-whitish hue. If the peppers on the bush are yellow, red, orange, purple or brown, then we can say that they are already at the stage of biological maturity, which means that the fruits removed from the bush must be used immediately - canned or eaten, since they are stored such peppers for a very short period of time.

The fruits harvested in a state of technical maturity under suitable conditions can be stored for up to two months. The time difference between technical and biological ripeness is 20-30 days. The readiness of the pepper for harvesting is determined by the crackling of the fruit when you lightly press it. And one more landmark: peppers are harvested at about the same time as eggplants and tomatoes.

Usually, the first fruits are harvested in early or mid-August, and peppers continue to be harvested until frost. That is, ripe fruits are removed selectively every 5-7 days. To keep the pepper better, it is cut off along with the stalk. During the growing season, three to five harvests are carried out. Before the onset of frost, all the fruits are removed from the bushes, and their further ripening takes place indoors, after sorting by size and degree of maturity.

Before storing the fruit, the stalk is cut off, leaving a segment of only 1-1.5 cm. Only healthy thick-walled fruits that do not have mechanical damage are suitable for storage. Thin-walled varieties are stored in the refrigerator. Varieties with juicy walls can be kept in plastic bags with a thickness of at least 120 microns, it is desirable that they have a membrane with perforation on the side wall. Peppers keep better if each fruit is wrapped in paper. Peppers can be stored in baskets, shallow boxes with 1-2 rows or on shelves in the basement with a temperature of 8-10 ºC and an air humidity of 80-90%.

Since peppers quickly absorb odors, make sure nothing in your basement grows moldy or decays. Keeping peppers in the right conditions keeps them fresh for one and a half to two months. Bell peppers can be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator at 9-10 ºC. Many housewives prefer, after washing the fruits and removing the testes, fold the peppers one into the other and store them all winter in the freezer, so that at any time you can cook your favorite dishes from it or add a slice or two to borscht or salad.

Those fruits that are not suitable for storage can be processed. They make excellent marinades, aromatic winter salads, borsch dressing.

Types and varieties of pepper

We have already mentioned that vegetable peppers can be sweet and bitter. We promised to tell you about hot pepper in detail in a separate article. Sweet peppers are divided into the following varieties:

• bell pepper;
• tomato-shaped vegetable pepper;
• cone-shaped vegetable pepper;
• cylindrical vegetable pepper;
• bell-shaped vegetable pepper.

Popular varieties include outdoor peppers, greenhouse peppers, and container varieties that grow and bear fruit on a balcony or windowsill. Varieties also differ in terms of ripening: early varieties reach maturity in 80-100 days, mid-ripening ones need a little more time to ripen - from 115 to 130 days, and later ones will take 140 or more days.

• Early peppers include the varieties Zdorov'e, Dobrynya Nikitich, Snow White, Swallow, and also hybrids Atlantic, Orange miracle, Montero, Cardinal, Denis.
• Of the mid-season, the best varieties are Prometheus, Ilya Muromets, Korenovsky, Belozerka, Maxim and Vitamin hybrids.
• Of the late varieties, the Gold Medal variety and the Nochka hybrid have proven themselves well.

By the way, what is the difference between the concept of "variety" and the concept of "hybrid"? Seeds of hybrids do not retain varietal characteristics, so it is pointless to collect seeds from hybrid varieties, the seed of the hybrids you like will have to be bought every year. But hybrid varieties are distinguished by high yields, large fruits with excellent taste, in addition, they are very resistant to diseases.

Pepper varieties also differ in size and shape of the fruit, and this is very important, since for stuffing, for example, you need thick-walled peppers of a large size, oval or spherical, and for salads you can use other varieties, with thinner walls and smaller sizes. In shape, sweet pepper fruits are elongated, cuboid, cone-shaped, oval, spherical and cylindrical. They can be either smooth or lumpy.

And, of course, the varieties of pepper differ in the color of the fruit in the phase of biological maturation. Such varieties as Alyosha Popovich, Red Elephant, Swallow, Ilya Muromets, Winnie the Pooh and hybrids Zarya, Latino and Red Baron have red fruits. Yellow peppers are represented by varieties Katyusha, Yellow Bouquet and hybrids Raisa, Isabella, Indalo. The Maxim hybrid has a violet color in the case of technical maturation and dark red in the biological one. The Cardinal hybrid has purple fruits, the Bonus variety has ivory to dark red fruits, the Apricot Favorite variety and the Chanterelle hybrid have bright orange ripe fruits.

We offer you several popular varieties of pepper, among which you will surely find those that you want to grow on your own.

• Fat Baron - early ripening variety with sweet red cuboid fruits weighing up to 300 g. 8-9 fruits ripen on a spherical bush 50-60 cm high.
• Red shovel - a bush up to 70 cm high, on which up to 15 red sweet fruits weighing up to 150 g and wall thickness up to 8 mm ripen.
• California miracle - a well-deserved mid-early variety that has been proven for decades, which takes about 75 days to ripen from the moment the seedlings are planted in the ground. The height of the bush is up to 80 cm, the fruits are red, thick-walled, weighing up to 250 g.
• Yellow bell Is one of the earliest disease-resistant varieties that needs only 65-70 days to mature. The height of the bushes is 70-80 cm, the fruits are golden-yellow, cuboid, up to 12 cm high and in diameter, the walls are 8-10 cm thick.
• Hybrid series Star of the East with thick-walled fruits weighing from 150 to 350 g, mostly early ripening with fruits of white, white with red, golden and chocolate color.

Every gardener strives to get a good harvest of fresh vegetables in their beds. And the main place in this list is occupied by southern plants: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants. Caring for peppers in the open field, like caring for other heat-loving crops, consists in creating a certain microclimate in which it will grow comfortably.

The secrets of growing pepper in the open field are to follow the proven technology and monitor the development of plants. Cover an additional bed of peppers or ventilate the greenhouse, feed with fertilizer or spud the plantings - the appearance of the plant will unmistakably tell what it is missing.

Biological features

To harvest a good harvest of sweet pepper in Russian conditions, you need to know the characteristics of its growth and development. It became possible to grow peppers in the open field only after the breeding of resistant varieties and hybrids that tolerate low temperatures, fluctuations and insufficient heat without losing yield.

Such varieties appeared in Russia in the early 70s. There were few of them, but they were universal, they grew well in all climatic regions: from Moldova to Siberia.

Important! The active advancement of pepper to the north and east is facilitated by the emergence of new covering materials, the availability of various greenhouses and greenhouses, and the breeding of resistant varieties and hybrids.

Pepper is a perennial shrub with pungent or sweet fruits. In the harsh conditions of our climate, this crop is grown like an annual. In terms of fruit ripening, it has early, medium and late varieties.

How to properly care for the planting of pepper, you can learn by studying the biological characteristics and developed agricultural techniques.

The plant is thermophilic, good yields are obtained if or in a bed with a temporary film cover. During the entire growth period, the pepper requires a temperature of +20 ° C to +30 ° C.

This is a short day culture. At ten hours of light, the fruits ripen two weeks earlier than at 14 hours of light.

The development of flowers and ovaries is affected by the dryness of the air, they fall off in the heat. With high humidity, fungal diseases quickly begin to develop on the pepper. The optimum air humidity for plant development is 50%.

The popularity of pepper can be determined by looking at the list of varieties in the state register of plants of the Russian Federation. There are already more than 700 of them, and about half are hybrids.

Important! All F1 hybrids differ from varieties in a shorter period before harvesting, accelerated ripening of the crop, and high adaptability to an unfavorable climate.

Agricultural technology for growing seedlings

Before you start planting seeds, you need to decide on the variety. In addition to the ripening time, they are characterized by many parameters:

• height and branching of the bush;
• resistance to disease and weather changes;
• yield;
• fruit color and weight;
• wall thickness and juiciness.

Choosing in the open field, one should give preference to zoned varieties of early and medium ripening.

Pepper agrotechnology consists of the usual stages:

• preparation and planting of seeds for seedlings;
• seedling care;
• planting in open ground;
• watering, feeding and loosening;
• protection against pests;
• harvesting and processing.

Earth

In the store, you need to choose a suitable land for planting seeds. You can also prepare it yourself. A prerequisite is a loose, breathable and moisture-permeable structure.

There must be a baking powder in the ground:

• sand;
• peat;
• sawdust.

A mixture is prepared from turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1.

Seeds

To obtain strong and stable seedlings, the seeds must be prepared before planting. In strongly salted water, viable seeds are selected, which sink to the bottom. Then they are soaked for an hour in a raspberry solution of potassium permanganate, killing the fungal infection from which adult plants suffer.

Before planting in the soil, the seeds are immersed in a solution of trace elements and growth stimulants, for example, Epin Extra, for 12 hours. is 60-70%.

Seeds must be planted in individual cups or cassette cells. Pepper roots do not recover well after damage and do not like transplants. Seeds are planted to a depth of 1 cm, between plants - 2 cm, between rows - 3 cm.

They are planted in necessarily damp ground in mid-February for greenhouses and in mid-March for greenhouses. The ground is covered with a film and shoots appear after 3 days. The temperature for should be + 25-28 ° С.

Seedling

In central Russia, pepper is grown only through seedlings. This is due to the long growing season. Even early varieties need at least 90 days to set fruit. In addition, the earlier the peppers begin to yield, the more fruit can be harvested. As a perennial crop, pepper bears fruit without stopping until frost.

Basic seedling requirements:

• high temperature + 20-25 ° С;
• sufficient illumination with a short day. Seedlings are covered with a lid from 7 pm to 7 am, creating the desired length of daylight hours artificially;
• timely watering when the soil dries up, which must always be wet. Pepper recovers very poorly after overdrying the soil, is delayed in development and fruiting;
• sufficient feeding with a weak solution of complex fertilizer with microelements;
• hardening before planting in the ground.

Without picking, the seedlings are ready for transshipment into the ground in 45-50 days, with picking - after 60 days.

They begin to harden the seedlings 10-14 days before planting in the ground, gradually accustoming them to the temperature outside the window. Seedlings, which are grown in optimal conditions and have been hardened, take root well in a new place. The day before transplanting, seedlings are sprayed with Epin Extra or Zircon to relieve transplant stress, enhance protective properties and increase yields.

How to grow viable, healthy and strong pepper seedlings is no secret today. We grow it mainly at home, on window sills and loggias. The main thing is attention to the plant, its appearance and speed of development.

Outdoor care

Pepper is transplanted to the beds in the greenhouse in mid-April, under film shelters in mid-May.

How to care for peppers outdoors is detailed in many guides, magazines and websites. In addition to standard care, there is care, which consists of procedures:

• glaze;
• top dressing;
• weeding and loosening;
• protection against diseases and pests;
• planting taking into account crop rotation;
• outdoor care for peppers has several features.

With a large green mass of the bush, the pepper has weak fibrous roots. Therefore, it must be located in a place protected from strong winds, otherwise the plants will fall.

Be sure to tie up high-grade peppers, plant them with tall plants: corn, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke. Each shoot is tied with a fan to a trellis or peg.

Pepper is a self-pollinated plant, it does not need insects to form ovaries. However, during mass flowering in dry weather, it is worth shaking the bushes for better pollination.

Pepper bushes form 1-3 stalks. By pinching the side shoots, you can form a sprawling bush. Be sure to remove the crown flower, which is formed first in the center of the plant. - not a prerequisite, but it gives an increase in the yield by 30%, and the number of fruits doubles. The spreading bush shades the soil and protects it from overheating.

The best seeds are harvested from the crown flower and left if they want to grow their own seeds. The largest and juiciest peppers grow on the four lower tiers of the bush.

Watering

The main condition for a bountiful harvest is sufficient watering. There should be a constantly moist and loose soil under the pepper. The roots are located superficially, therefore it is necessary to loosen it shallowly. Pepper responds well to hilling with damp earth. Additional roots grow from the stem, which not only increase the feeding area, but also strengthen the bush in the ground.

After planting the seedlings, it is watered daily with warm water. After rooting, the plant three times a week, 2 liters per bush.

The ovary on the pepper grows first in length, then in width, and at the end the walls of the fruit thicken. If insufficient, they remain thin.

When waterlogged, the roots will lack oxygen. At the same time, the pepper can get sick with a fungal infection or rot. Loose soil, which provides oxygen to the roots, is a very important condition for normal growth for a plant. Mulching, loosening and hilling with damp soil are mandatory techniques in vegetable agricultural technology.

Fertilization

Watering is followed by top dressing. Three main dressings are carried out after rooting of the seedlings: during flowering and at the beginning of fruiting. If this is enough, the plant develops normally, there is no need to pour excess fertilizer under the plants. For fertilization, an infusion of manure, manure, ash and a solution of mineral fertilizers are also suitable.

If the summer is cold and cloudy, the roots of the pepper cannot provide it with sufficient nutrition. Weak, yellow, spotted leaves will tell you that the plant lacks nutrition. In such cases, it is necessary to apply foliar feeding on the sheet.

Important! Foliar top dressing can very quickly deliver nutrition for plant development in unfavorable climates.

Leaves are sprayed on a warm, but cloudy day with a solution of trace elements, boric acid, ash, superphosphate, urea.

Care is not difficult. The yield goes to the very frost, until the plant dies from low temperatures.

Conclusion

Growing pepper in the open field brings not only benefits in obtaining the long-awaited harvest, but also the pleasure of growing an amazing plant that accompanies people on all continents. This piggy bank of vitamins, thanks to the efforts of breeders, has greatly changed its appearance.

Instead of red 50 gram fruits, we can harvest purple, orange, yellow and chocolate giants weighing up to 400 grams. However, no one strives to change the taste and smell of a vegetable. The bright sweet-spicy taste and harmonious aroma have satisfied pepper lovers for over 500 years.

Planting peppers in open ground can ultimately please you with a good harvest if done correctly. Sweet bell pepper is considered an unpretentious plant, but it is still important to observe some subtleties in care. How is it necessary to plant and grow peppers in the open field?

Many gardeners believe that it is better to grow sweet peppers from seeds. After all, then you can give the plant everything you need from the very beginning, in order to then get a juicy and large sweet pepper. Planting pepper in open ground is troublesome, but interesting.

Agronomists advise sowing sweet peppers in open ground in the spring, when the frost has already passed. A sufficiently warm soil and air temperature will promote the active development of plants. How to properly germinate bell peppers from seeds?

• First you need to carefully prepare the seed. For this, the largest and evenest seeds are selected and soaked for about 30 minutes in a 1% iodine solution. This is to ensure that bacteria and other microorganisms that may inhibit germination are killed. After this time, the seeds are thoroughly washed with clean water. Next, you need to take warm water (about 50 degrees) and pour a small amount on a saucer. Put gauze there, spread the seeds on it, and then cover them with another layer of gauze;
• It is important that the gauze is always moist during germination. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly moisten it with warm water from a spray bottle. The saucer should be in a warm enough place. Usually 2-3 days are enough for the seeds to start germinating;
• As soon as the first sprouts appear, you can start planting the pepper. To do this, prepare the soil in advance. It is best to mix equal amounts of sand and humus, and then mix it with ordinary earth. For every 1 kg of soil, be sure to add about 1 tbsp. l. wood ash. It is best to first plant the pepper in boxes, and when the second row of real leaves appears, transplant the seedlings into open ground. In order for the seedlings to get stronger as soon as possible, it is necessary to cover the boxes with foil at the very beginning, and then periodically open them to access more light and heat.

Landing in open ground

To grow good bell peppers, planting seedlings outdoors must be done correctly. Pepper is planted in the garden when the second or third row of permanent leaves appears. Ideally, the stems should already be quite thick by this time. After all, the bell pepper, the planting of which is planned, must be strong.

In advance, you should well loosen the soil in the garden and add the necessary missing elements to it. Sweet peppers are very fond of sand and humus. The sand makes the ground loose, allowing the roots to breathe freely. And humus provides all the necessary trace elements. As for sowing, it is necessary to add sand and humus to the soil in equal amounts.

First, you need to dig holes in the soil for seedlings. Their depth directly depends on the height of the plants. Remember that the entire root system must be in the ground. But it is extremely undesirable for the stems to be deeply buried in the ground. This can provoke rotting processes, as a result of which the plants will die very quickly, without having time to give a crop.

A little ash is immediately poured into the holes, if necessary, the soil is moistened. Planting bell peppers in too dry soil will not provide sufficient root compaction in an earthen coma. When planting, you should, as far as possible, keep the earth lump.

It is recommended to plant seedlings in the ground at a distance of at least 25 cm from each other. Growing gradually, the bushes will require more space. Therefore, it is so important for them to provide relative space for normal development and fruiting.

Care features

Gardeners must know how to properly care for bell pepper seedlings in the open field. Adult, mature plants that have already managed to give an ovary do not require any special attention to themselves. Bell peppers, which are easy to plant, require more careful maintenance at the beginning.

• At first, you should water the plants as often as possible, but try not to overdo it! Experts recommend watering in the morning or evening. It will be enough once a day. It is better to use soft, slightly warm water for this;
• It is recommended to loosen the soil before each watering. Otherwise, it can turn sour, which will certainly lead to fungal root diseases. Excessive dryness, waterlogging and insufficient air are the main risk factors for infection with "black leg" and other dangerous diseases;
• It is best to tie up bell peppers by placing a wooden peg near each bell pepper bush. The leaves and stems, even if they are already matured, are quite tender. Therefore, they can easily break from the effects of strong winds or from birds and animals;
• If the cultivation of sweet peppers in the open field is carried out in a region characterized by frequent climate changes, then it is best to make a small "fence" of the garden mesh around the beds. If the winds are very strong, then in addition to the fence, you can build a small tent, the roof of which can also be made of a tightly stretched mesh;
• Do not forget to pinch the bell peppers in a timely manner. This will not only promote the development of a lush bush with numerous ovaries, but also prevent root tangling. And this is extremely important, since often inexperienced gardeners have the roots of neighboring plants tangled with each other, which interferes with normal fruiting and development.

The cultivation of bell peppers in the open field has its own secrets. Knowing them, you can delight yourself with a bountiful good harvest. What rules must be followed in order for the culture to constantly bear fruit?

• Timely feeding is one of the key factors. Sweet peppers are very fond of urea. Therefore, feeding with such a substance should be periodically carried out. The first feeding can be done after the appearance of the 4th row of leaves. All the time it is necessary to use a solution prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. urea per 10 liters of water;
• To protect the bell pepper from pests and be resistant to diseases, it is recommended to disinfect the soil with a solution of copper sulfate before planting it in open ground. This must be done a couple of days before planting seedlings. The solution is prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. vitriol on a bucket of water;
• For the normal development of sweet peppers, the presence of heat and sun is imperative. But at the same time, it is better to slightly shade the plants from direct sunlight. It is best to choose a small area where sun and partial shade will alternate throughout the day. But in no case should you keep the pepper in full shade, since then you will certainly not be able to harvest a good harvest.

So, how to plant peppers in open ground and take care of them is now clear. There is absolutely nothing complicated here, if you adhere to certain rules. Growing this culture with your own hands is quite within the power of even an inexperienced gardener.

Bulgarian pepper. Planting and care in the open field

Hardening of seedlings

Hardening is essential to the success of bell peppers. You need to start it 2 weeks before planting the shoots in the ground. First, the vents are opened, then the pots are taken out to the balcony or terrace during the day if the weather is warm. 7 days before planting, the seedlings are sprayed with copper sulfate to protect against fungal diseases. Hardening is of particular importance for the cultivation of bell peppers in the open field somewhere in Siberia.

Planting seedlings in open ground

How to grow good peppers in the open field is described in this section of the article. First of all, you need to choose a warm (not hot) day for the transplant.

Optimal timing for planting

The cultivation of sweet peppers in the open field begins mainly at the end of May, since there are no frosts at this time. The air temperature is 15–17 ° C, and the soil temperature is 10–12 ° C.

Site selection and preparation

The area needs to be well lit and protected from the wind as much as possible. Land with good drainage is cleared of weeds. Depending on the type of land, the following additives are needed:

• if the soil is sandy, then 1 sq. m bring a bucket of sawdust and 2 buckets of humus, peat and clay;
• if the soil is peaty, then add 1 bucket of soddy soil and 1 humus;
• for clay - two buckets of peat and 1 bucket of sawdust (rotted) and coarse sand.

7 days before planting, the soil should be watered abundantly. The wells are made about the same size as the glass in which the seedlings were, before planting, they are watered with water at the rate of 2 liters per 1 well.

Good and bad predecessors

An important role is played by the predecessors of the Bulgarian vegetable on the chosen soil. It is not recommended to grow it where eggplant, pepper, tomato, tobacco, physalis and potatoes lived before. But the soil is quite suitable after such garden residents as cucumbers, roots, herbs, pumpkin seeds, cabbage and legumes.

Seedling planting scheme

Planting peppers is done according to the scheme: 60–70 by 20–30 cm. Gently pulling the bushes out of the pots, place them in the holes in an upright position and plant them a little deeper than in the previous dish.

Care in the process of growing pepper

To get a good harvest, you need proper watering, weeding, garter and top dressing.

Frost protection

Tents made of wooden blocks, burlap or cardboard will save you from the cold weather. Cover the pepper in the evening, and open it again in the morning.

Prevention of pests and diseases

To protect against various diseases and pests when growing bell peppers in open ground in the middle lane (and not only there), there are the following rules:

• prevent waterlogging of the soil;
• remove dying leaves in time;
• apply fertilizers according to a specific pattern;
• with late blight, spray the plant with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid;
• remove gray rot with a garlic solution.

Watering, weeding and loosening

Water it with rain or settled water (24–26 ° C). Before the plant blooms, you need to water once a week, in the heat it is better 2 times, and during flowering and fruiting - 2-3 times. Good weeding is also part of a quality care package. With a shallow root system, loosening sweet peppers should be as gentle and shallow as possible. Mulch or hay is also used.

Top dressing

The signal for the first feeding is the appearance of 1-2 leaves on the seedlings. Superphosphates (3 g), potassium fertilizer (1 g) and ammonium nitrate (0.5 g) are mixed in a liter of water. After 14 days, the sprouts need to be fed again, only with a double dose.

Garter

Unfortunately, pepper sprouts break easily, so it is not superfluous to tie them to the pegs. And it is better to plant a bed with tall plants - this should protect the planting from the winds.

Harvest

With the right care, a wonderful harvest awaits you. Harvesting is simple: the fruits do not break off, but are cut off with a secateurs along with the stalk, so as not to damage the entire rather fragile shoot. At the moment of technical maturity, the peppers are selectively pruned every 5-10 days, and at the moment of biological (real) - every 4-5 days.

Today, many people like to eat bell peppers, making various dishes from it or eating it just like that. Bell peppers can be added to salads, meats, stews, or cooked as a separate grill dish. In addition, this plant is extremely beneficial as it is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Outdoor cultivation of sweet peppers

Of course, in the summer you can buy pepper in any supermarket, but how nice it is to plant it in your summer cottage, and then get a rich harvest of fragrant, sweet and juicy fruits.

The topic of this article is - cultivation of sweet peppers in the open field. In it we will look at practical tips for planting and caring for this plant.

Growing sweet peppers - where to start?

In order to get a good harvest, you need to start sowing seedlings from the very beginning of February. This time is the most suitable, because by the time the seedlings are planted in open ground, they will already be quite healthy and strong.

So, as soon as the first days of February have come, you should start. From the very beginning, it is necessary to prepare the planting material. The seeds need to be soaked by sending them in a container of water for several days. A small piece of aloe can be added to the water, which is necessary to strengthen and disinfect the seeds. You should also prepare containers where the planting material will be planted in the future.

Bulgarian pepper: benefits, cultivation and the best varieties

After several days, when the seeds are ready for planting, we send them to a container with loose, nutritious soil. It is sold in all specialized stores, so choosing it is not difficult. Sowing seeds is carried out at a shallow depth. After that, the container must be covered with cling film before the first shoots. When the peppers hatch, the film should be removed.

Sweet pepper seeds

Watering the seedlings plays an important role in healthy growth. It is necessary to water it with warm water, which has settled. Pepper does not like drought, so the main thing is to monitor the soil moisture, but you should not overdo it either, because the root system may not withstand too much waterlogging.

When the time comes and the first true leaves form on the seedlings, it is necessary to transplant the bushes of two peppers into one container. This is done to avoid entanglement and entanglement of the plant root system. Immediately after transplanting, growth may slow down, but this is natural, because the plant does not like being transplanted from place to place.

Planting sweet peppers outdoors

How to plant seedlings in open ground? First of all, before planting, it is necessary to warm up the soil by covering it with a film. Pepper is a heat-loving plant, therefore it does not react well to cold and coolness. For a successful landing, it is important to follow some rules:

• Location... The place should be chosen open, since pepper loves the sun and does not tolerate wind and drafts. You can get rid of the wind with the help of a number of growing bushes. Remember to rotate by always changing your planting location. Never plant peppers in the same place, otherwise it will affect the growth of the plant.
• Wells... The holes must be made at a distance of about forty centimeters between the bush and the bush, and the distance between the rows should be about half a meter.
• Fertilizer... It is necessary to put ash and not a lot of humus in each hole. Do not use mineral fertilizers, as they will affect ripe peppers.

The plant itself sinks into the ground until the first true leaves. You can immediately prepare the pegs for further tying. After planting, immediately cover the seedlings with foil, for about two weeks. Watering should be done once a week until the color appears. You need to water it with warm water, which has settled for a while. After the color appears, increase watering - once twice a week with the same water under the root.

Important! When the plant reaches about a quarter of a meter, the top should be cut off from the main stem. After which the plant will begin to develop in breadth. On each pepper plant, you need to leave about twenty-five fruits, that is, remove all stepchildren except the top four. If the summer is very hot and dry, then pinching is not required.

So, growing sweet peppers in open ground - the task is simple and within the power of everyone, even novice summer residents. We hope that our tips will help you reap a rich harvest of juicy and aromatic peppers.

Heat-loving peppers are grown in open ground only in seedlings with sufficient moisture supply.

Place of pepper in the crop rotation and site selection

Good predecessors are cabbage, root crops, pumpkin seeds, legumes, under which large doses of organic fertilizers are applied.

Pepper, after other nightshade crops, is placed no earlier than three to four years in order to protect it from diseases common to them.

Peppers should not be planted in the area where fresh manure was introduced, since an excess of nitrogen causes the growth of the vegetative mass to the detriment of fruit formation.

The site must be protected from the wind, which increases moisture evaporation, cools the soil and plants, and removes carbon dioxide rising from the soil. As if preventing the loss of moisture, plants shrink pores, which inhibits their growth and development. You can plant wings from tall plants (corn, beans, etc.) to create a more favorable microclimate for the peppers and retain moisture in the soil.

Soil requirements

Soils rich in humus are preferred, light structural, sandy loam and light loamy chernozems are preferable. Heavy clay soils are not suitable for growing peppers. In addition, pepper is sensitive to alkaline and acidic soils, the optimal pH value is 6.0-6.5. On acidic soils, liming should be carried out (300-500 g of lime per 1 m2).

Preparing the beds

The beds begin to be prepared in the fall after harvesting the predecessor. The site is freed from plant residues, compost is introduced (a bucket per 1 m2 with the addition of 20-30 g of superphosphate), it is dug onto a shovel bayonet, removing weed roots.

Bulgarian pepper cultivation and care in the open field, video and photo

In the spring, the soil is treated additionally. If organic fertilizers have not been applied since autumn, this can be done in the spring (a bucket of humus per 1 m2 with the addition of a glass of ash). You can grow peppers on a flat surface and on ridges, which are made higher on heavy, cold soils (30 cm or more).

Transplanting

Seedlings are planted when the stable average daily air temperature is 13-15 ° C and there is no threat of return frosts, and the soil at the planting depth warms up to 10-12 ° C. In cold soil, plants do not thrive and can get sick.
In order for the pepper seedlings to take root better, and the flowers do not fall off, a day before planting in a permanent place, it is sprayed with epin, zircon or etamon.

The planting scheme depends on the variety (usually its characteristics indicate the feed area). Seedlings of medium-sized plants are planted at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other (six plants per 1 m2), tall and densely leafy plants - 40-45 cm (four to five plants per 1 m2).

Seedlings are planted in well-shed holes (0.5-1.0 liters of water per plant). Plants are placed in the hole at the same depth at which they grew in the pot. The roots are tightly squeezed with soil, it is better to plant the plants on cloudy days or in the evening (they get sick less, take root well and grow faster).

After planting, the soil is mulched with peat, film (black and white) or non-woven material (polypropylene). To do this, before planting, the ridge is covered with a film and slots are made in it through which the seedlings are planted.

As a rule, pepper planted under mulch grows faster, does not require weeding and loosening of the soil, and moisture does not evaporate, and the soil is not compacted. Peppers grown in better light conditions (on a white film) give a yield increase of up to 20%.

Planting care

To protect against frost, the beds can be covered overnight with lutrasil or other covering material that transmits light, air, precipitation and retains heat.

Watering

Water the plants under the root, so as not to fall on the leaves and flowers, spilling the soil with warm water to a depth of 20 cm. Then the soil must be loosened, trying not to damage the root system. Irrigation with cold water (10-12 ° C) can cause the flowers and ovaries to fall off. It is not recommended to water the plants in hot weather.

Top dressing

During the growing season, two or three dressings are carried out. For the first feeding (10-15 days after planting), granular bird droppings (0.5 kg per 10 liters of water) or a solution of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium sulfate, or complex fertilizers are suitable. After 10-15 days, when an ovary is formed on the plants, a second feeding is carried out with mineral fertilizers (a solution of nitrate, superphosphate and potassium sulfate). Then the peppers are fed at the time of mass formation and filling of the fruits with mineral fertilizers. For top dressing, you can use the complex fertilizer "Kemira Lux", which contains, in addition to the basic elements, iron, boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, as well as a humate universal, AVA, crystallon.

Growing pepper in the open field

Growing pepper

Growing peppers using lazy technology

How is cultivation of sweet peppers different from cultivation of its popular cousin, tomato? At first, pepper is more picky about moisture and fertility soil. Secondly, the fruits of pepper can be eaten and prepared even green. Pepper heat and light requirements about the same as tomato.

Like many varieties of tomato, peppers can be grown without a lot of labor and time, without the use of complex fertilizers and pesticides, without special agrotechnical techniques that take away from the "lazy" gardener forever scarce time and energy. However, to get a good harvest, it is useful to know a few recommendations.

Sowing seeds

It is best to sow in early March or (if targeting an early harvest) in the second half of February. Pepper seedlings are not stretched as much as tomatoes. The soil for seedlings must be taken more fertile than for tomatoes, add up to 1/3 of a bucket of old rotted manure or compost to it and a mug of wood ash on a bucket of earth. You can sow in the same way as tomatoes, but before sowing, it is advisable to soak the seeds in wet gauze (not in water!) For 2-3 days in a warm place. After sowing, be patient: even at the most favorable temperature (+22 + 28 ° C), the shoots of some varieties of pepper may appear only after 7-10 days. Further, the care of the seedlings is the same as in the case of tomatoes; however, pepper seedlings are more fond of warmth - they do not need to arrange cool nights. In addition, dive pots can be smaller - 6 cm in height and width. Pepper seedlings are not as demanding on light as tomatoes, and can develop normally on the western and eastern windows.

Pepper seedling care

Seedling care peppers and tomatoes are also similar. It is not even necessary to feed pepper seedlings to "lazy" gardeners, if it does not turn pale and grows normally. By the end of April, in some of the seedlings of early and mid-season varieties, you can pinch the top above the 5-6th leaf. The pinched seedlings will stop growing for 2-3 weeks, which is very convenient - the seedlings will be small, conveniently transported, easier to take root in the ground. And most importantly, you can expect a higher yield, since the bushes will begin to branch earlier, the fruits are mainly formed on the side shoots. True, the first fruits with pinched seedlings will be ready for use 10 days later.Therefore, we recommend pinching part of the seedlings - with un-pinched, remove the first early fruits, pinched will later give a bountiful harvest.

Pepper care after planting in the ground

The time for planting pepper in the ground is the same as for tomatoes. The landing sites are similar. True, if elevated and sunny places are in short supply, early ripening varieties can also be planted in an area with little (no more than 2-4 hours a day) shading. Peppers, unlike tomatoes, can be safely planted in one elevated bed in two rows. Distances between bushes in a row are from 20 cm for small varieties and up to 35 cm for tall ones, between rows - 1.5 m. The furrow for irrigation up to 10 cm deep must be made more thorough than in the case of tomatoes - peppers need watering all summer. If there has been no good rain, water should be watered at least once a week.

One essential recommendation. As soon as the fruit has grown to the size normal for this variety, immediately remove it - if the fruit is left to ripen, new ovaries will stop growing. So 2-3 fruits will remain on the bush until the end of summer, but they will ripen. With the regular removal of growing fruits from a bush of the Sibiryak variety, for example, you can get more than 10 fruits per season. At the end of summer, do not rush to remove all small green fruits - peppers are not as susceptible to diseases as tomatoes, and the fruits of most varieties grow until the bushes die from frost. Even if the bush partially freezes under light frosts, which we may have in late August - early September, the fruits remain intact (the leaves protect them). Typically, peppers can grow outdoors until early September.

Pepper in greenhouses and greenhouses

To be honest, the "lazy" gardener does not need hotbeds and greenhouses for growing peppers.

If you want to have an early harvest, sow the seedlings early. As already mentioned, the seedlings of peppers are stretched less than that of tomatoes, so you can sow from the second half of February. Backlighting for seedlings is also optional. The greenhouse does not significantly extend the growing season of the pepper. Until the beginning of September, as a rule, it can grow in the open field, and in September the yield increase in the greenhouse will be small - the day is already. short, the sun is not enough, and in the second half of September severe frosts are possible, from which an unheated greenhouse will not save. In addition, the pepper in the greenhouse must be watered at least every other day, there is a high probability of aphid attack. So growing peppers in a greenhouse is unlikely to take away the hassle.

So, growing bell peppers, as you can see, is perhaps easier than tomatoes. Fertile soil, good varieties and seeds, reasonable sowing and planting times, watering and sunlight guarantee a harvest in any year. Unlike tomatoes, even gourmet peppers (California miracle, Gogoshary, etc.) can be grown by "lazy" farmers without much risk. Spraying, special fertilizers and agricultural techniques can, of course, increase the yield, but its foundation is laid by following a few simple growing rules given above.

Intensive methods of growing pepper

Unlike tomatoes, intensive methods of growing pepper slightly differ from simplified ones - only some techniques for pre-sowing seed treatment and plant feeding are added. These techniques are as follows.

Treat the seeds before sowing 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, soak (2-3 days) or bubble (18-24 hours) in an infusion of ash on snow water at the rate of 2 matchboxes per 1 liter of water (you can add aloe juice). Sow in small wooden boxes filled with nutrient mixture, the same as for tomatoes. Sowing to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, the distance between the grains is 1.5-2 cm, between rows 3-4 cm. The ground temperature should be +22 - + 25 ° C. Water the rows before sowing with warm, preferably snow, water. Cover with glass or foil, put in a warm place. Seedlings appear on the 6-10th day, with preliminary bubbling earlier. The best temperature for seed germination is +25 - + 28 ° C, below + 15 ° C, peppers may not rise at all. After sprouting, expose the boxes to the light.

In the first week after germination the air temperature should be maintained within the range of +16 - + 18 ° C. At this time, there is an intensive growth of roots, and the coolness inhibits the growth of seedlings (their elongation). It is necessary to water only with warm water. A pick is carried out in 2-3 weeks when two true leaves appear. The root system of peppers after picking grows back worse than that of tomatoes. Therefore, during this operation, avoid damaging the roots (only 1/3 of the main root is removed from below). The nutrient mixture in the pots should be composed of soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 6: 3: 1. Starting from seed germination, peppers and eggplants are in great need of phosphorus, so it is absolutely necessary to add superphosphate to it. When picking, the plants, as in the case of tomatoes, are buried to the cotyledonous leaves. Peppers should not be exposed to direct sunlight for several days after picking. With the onset of warm weather, at least 10 days before planting in the ground, the seedlings must be hardened in the fresh air, but at the same time protect them from cold northern winds.

Planting in the ground or in a greenhouse carried out when the ground warms up to at least + 15 ° C at a depth of 10 cm. Peppers can be planted in the greenhouse from the second half of May, in the ground - along with tomatoes - from the first ten days of June. We recommend covering the ground intended for pepper, after the snow has melted, with foil. This contributes to better heating of the soil and the retention of moisture in it. When planting, the seedlings should have at least 7-9 developed leaves and formed buds (early ripening varieties can be planted even with an ovary).

One of the recommended pepper planting schemes - double rows of ribbons. Between ribbons 60 cm, between rows 40 cm, between plants in a row 20 cm. The root system of pepper lies at a depth of only about 10 cm, so loosen it shallowly and carefully.

Watering the peppers

To obtain good yields, in addition to preliminary preparation of the soil, regular watering and feeding are necessary. With a lack of moisture, the stems quickly turn wood, the fruits become smaller and the yield decreases. However, excess moisture is also undesirable, as it promotes the spread of diseases in the soil and air. Therefore, after watering, loosening is very useful, in addition, the greenhouses must be regularly ventilated. Never pour cold (below + 18 ° C) water! During the summer, it is recommended to add humus or sod soil mixed with ash to the plants.

Top dressing peppers

Top dressing at the beginning of growth - bird droppings (1:15) or mullein (1:10) with the addition of 10 g of urea, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium sulfate per bucket of water. In the flowering phase, the last three components are added in a ratio of 7:40:30, and in the fruiting phase, 15:30:40. In the fruiting phase, you can also use a nitrophoska solution (3 tablespoons per bucket of water, 1 liter per bush).

Sweet peppers outdoors. Growing experience.

Peppers love feeding with wood ash at any time, add - 1 tablespoon under the plant. Useful foliar feeding with urea with potassium permanganate (1 matchbox of urea per bucket) during the growth period.

With mass flowering and fruit setting, foliar feeding with ash infusion (1-2 glasses per bucket) can be given according to color and leaves. Such top dressing can be replaced with micronutrient fertilizers used according to the instructions.

When growing peppers in a greenhouse or under plastic make sure that the air temperature does not rise above + 35 ° C, otherwise the flowers and ovaries begin to fall off, water at least once every 2 days in sunny weather. You can protect the roots from overheating by mulching with peat, sawdust, hay, etc., filling the soil with them with a layer of 5-10 cm.This also reduces the drying out of the soil (watering can be done 2-3 times less often), weed growth, the difference between day and night temperatures. Throughout the summer, it is recommended to close the greenhouses at night and open them during the day (from the ends). To avoid excessive overheating in the greenhouse, it is useful to place containers with water.

Harvesting the peppers

They start cleaningwhen the fruits of the first tier reach technical ripeness, the characteristics of which are the maximum size and color characteristic of the given variety. Pepper shoots are fragile, so remove the fruits very carefully using scissors or a sharp knife. It is necessary to cut off the fruits with a stalk. In a warm room, within 20-25 days, the fruits will reach biological maturity. It is recommended to harvest fruits in 4-5 days.

Getting pepper seeds

To get seeds select the most productive and characteristic bush for this variety. Fruits for obtaining seeds (no more than two or three pieces) must be left in the third tier from the bottom, kept on the plant for the fullest possible ripening; do not remove these fruits until the end of summer. At the same time, the rest of the fruits and growing ovaries must be removed every week, otherwise the seed plants may not ripen. After the seed fruits on the root reach biological maturity (as indicated by their size and color), cut them off and keep them in paper bags until they dry completely (in a completely dry place!), A sign of which is the sound of the seeds when shaking the fruit. Then cut the fruit, collect the seeds in a paper bag, indicate on it the name of the variety, characteristics and time of removal of the seed seed. The seeds should be stored in a dry place at room temperature. Normal germination is maintained for three years.

Pepper is a self-pollinated plant, but if you want the seeds to completely retain the characteristics of the variety and not to cross-pollinate, do not plant peppers of another variety closer than 2 m from the seed bush.

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Secrets of growing pepper in the open field

Growing peppers outdoors

Pepper Is one of the most popular vegetable crops and can be found at every summer cottage. It is not difficult to grow it; it is planted both in seedling and non-seedling methods. But you need to know that when growing in seedlings, the yield increases significantly and the ripening period is shortened. I start with the preparation of the soil.

Soil preparation

Pepper loves fertile, light soil. I start to cook it in the fall. Having removed all the crop and tops from the garden, I dig up and sow rye.

I have sowed the whole garden with rye for more than 10 years and thanks to this I got rid of many diseases, weeds, improved the structure of the soil.In the spring, two weeks before planting the plants, I dig up the entire plot with crops, embedding them in the soil as a green fertilizer. During this time, the crops begin to rot and the number of earthworms increases in the soil, which plow the earth. The earth is heavy clayey and in order to achieve more fertile soil, I add 2 buckets of humus per square meter, and for ease - stillage (waste of beer production - rotted barley).

Then I rub the whole earth with my hands, the soil for planting turns out to be fluffy. I add humus and vinasse on the day of planting seedlings.

Hardening of seedlings

In order for the pepper to hurt less after planting, I harden it for two weeks. Pepper seedlings dive into boxes and in warm weather I take them outside, starting at 30 minutes, protecting them from direct sunlight and from the wind.

Planting seedlings

Pepper is a heat-loving plant and even small frosts are destructive for them and I plant it in warm weather, when the ground warms up to +15 degrees (late May, early June), I plant it in beds, in rows at a distance of 30 centimeters between themselves and 40 cm in the aisle. I deepen the plant to the depth at which it grew before transplantation, otherwise it can lead to such a disease as a black leg.

Watering

Pepper seedlings are very demanding on soil moisture. After planting, I water it abundantly with warm water. Then I moisten as the soil dries out.

I water it daily on hot days. Lack of moisture leads to the shedding of ovaries and flowers, slows down the growth of the plant and can lead to death. I always water at the root, without touching the leaves.

Loosening

In order to have sufficient air and moisture access to the root system, after each watering I loosen the soil.

Growing seedlings

Top dressing

Two weeks after planting, in order to give an impetus for growth, I feed the plants with an infusion of mullein or chicken droppings at the rate of 10 liters of water - 0.5 liters of mullein slurry or 0.3 liters of chicken manure slurry. All subsequent dressings I do every two weeks - with a complex fertilizer, which includes all the necessary organic and mineral fertilizers. Top dressing should be done only after watering.

Picking

I dive pepper as well as tomatoes, leaving cuttings of 2 cm. When picking, I form a bush in three trunks (more can be). The more trunks, the smaller the fruit.

Harvesting

I collect the pepper as it ripens, allowing new ovaries to form and the rest to ripen. I cut off the pepper with a knife so as not to damage the entire bush.

I, Galina Nikolaevna Sukhova, have vast experience in farming, with which I generously share on the pages of my website

The secret of growing pepper

There can be several reasons for failures in the cultivation of sweet bell peppers: poor seed germination, weak seedling, poorly chosen planting site, insufficient or ineffective feeding.It must be remembered that, unlike other crops, pepper has a slow seed germination rate, as well as a relatively low speed plant growth. To get a guaranteed yield on your site, you need to know the secret of growing pepper.

Open ground not for pepper

Peppers love warmth, therefore, in central Russia, they need to be grown in a greenhouse or in the open field on a regular bed, but with arches with covering material installed above it.

Temperatures below 20 and above 30 ° C, combined with low air humidity (up to 50%), leads to a delay in the formation and ripening of fruits and shedding of flowers.

High temperatures lead to the formation of small and ribbed fruits. In cold summers, the crop can form, but it does not have enough warmth to reach biological maturity and the peppers will remain green. The fruits plucked from the plant ripen at the expense of internal resources. But due to the fact that the fruits did not have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of vitamins, sugars, dry substances, when ripening in room conditions, they can easily shrivel and wither. In order for them to turn red, turn orange or yellow (in a word, they have reached their biological maturity ), it is necessary that the fruits not only begin to turn a little brown, but begin to stain - redden or turn yellow - even on the plant.

Choose the "right" seeds

In order to avoid such a situation in the future, residents of regions with a cold climate should choose varieties and hybrids of an early ripening period ( Belozerka, Winnie the Pooh, Liza, Knight, Health, Jubilee Semko F1, Novosibirsk, Zarya F1, Apollo F1, Eroshka, Morozko, Merchant, Tamara F1, Bogatyr If there is space and opportunity, it is better to purchase a greenhouse made of cellular polycarbonate - it will provide a crop in cool and humid years.

Good seedlings are the key to success

Since pepper does not like picks, it must be immediately planted in separate containers. Read the article on the site on how to grow good seedlings.

How to plant peppers

The bed should be weed-free, protected from the wind, well lit. The most successful place for planting peppers is after cucumbers, root crops and green crops. In the soil you need to add a bucket of humus, 2 glasses of wood ash, 1 tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate per 1 sq. M. It is impossible to bring fresh manure under the peppers, since an excess of nitrogen will lead to a rapid growth of the vegetative mass of the plant and a delay in fruiting. Planting density is 5 - 6 plants per 1 sq. m. In the greenhouse, you need to plant more rarely - 3 - 4 plants per 1 square. m.

Pay attention to the ovaries

When ovaries appear, be sure to remove the crown flower - the one that appears at the fork. If you leave it, then the plant will first of all spend all its strength on it, which will restrain the development and ripening of the remaining fruits. If the peppers are already tied up in the seedlings above the first fork, then they can be left. Although this slows down the growth of the plant, it promotes the formation of a stronger root system, which will have a positive effect on the yield. The greenhouse is an ideal place for growing peppers.

Plant care

Plant care consists of watering and feeding. Pepper reacts negatively not only to a lack, but also to an excess of moisture. After planting the seedlings, you need to water the plants often, but not very abundantly (3-4 liters per square meter) in the morning.

As the fruit ripens, the need for water increases. Irregular watering during the fruiting period leads to cracks in the fruits. After watering, the soil should be carefully loosened. If mulching material is used, then loosening can be dispensed with.

Top dressing of pepper seedlings

For the first time, seedlings need to be fed 10 days after planting. Then, fertilizing should be carried out regularly after 10 - 12 days - depending on the condition of the plants. It is advisable to use both mineral and organic fertilizers: for example, alternate Mortar, Ideal and Bread Muff (pour a quarter of a bucket of bread crusts with 1.5 - 2 buckets of water and add half a shovel of ash). It is imperative to sprinkle the peppers with skim milk once or twice. nitrogen fertilizers, and during the period of fruit formation - phosphoric.

This should be taken into account when applying dressings. During the growing season, the peppers should receive a sufficient amount of calcium, since its lack leads to the formation of apical rot of the fruit. Therefore, it is good to carry out foliar dressing with a 0.2% solution. calcium nitrate (2 - 3 times per season) If you take into account all these requirements when growing pepper, you will definitely get a good harvest. Sweet pepper will grow for everyone! I wish you success, dear friends! Receive new articles directly to your mail. Enter your e-mail:

What kind of vegetable is this pepper?

Pepper is one of the most beloved and popular vegetables among summer residents. And this is no accident. Pepper overtakes tomatoes and eggplants in terms of the content of useful vitamins and minerals, in addition, it takes first place in the content of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, E, zinc, copper, iodine, iron. Bell pepper is very fond of heat, from - for this, the box with seedlings is best placed on a windowsill where sunlight gets in. However, in order to grow such a rich vegetable, you need to know the secrets of growing sweet peppers:

1. The sowing period depends on the timing of planting seeds in open ground. The growth of pepper is slow, so the age of the seedlings at the time of transplanting should be 70-80 days from the time of planting. Pepper is very photophilous, therefore it is not recommended to plant it in the shade.

This handsome red man should stay in the sun all day, from dawn to dusk. It is important to avoid strong winds and drafts. The best place for planting is the south of the house, where there is no wind and a lot of light. Pepper seeds take a long time to sprout.

In this case, they need to be bubbled for 2 days. Then the seeds are laid out on a moistened cloth and placed in a warm place (with a temperature of 20-30 ° C). The correct temperature for seed germination is 10-15 ° C. After the seedlings begin to grow leaves, they need to be transplanted into another pot, larger in size.

These seeds are easier to replant. It is important to remember that seedlings should not be taken from dry soil, otherwise the earth will crumble from their roots.By the time of planting, the seedlings will have a good fibrous root, reach 20 cm, and the leaves - up to 10 cm.

You can plant a pepper in open ground at a temperature of 15 ° C, when there is no chance of soil frost.If the seedlings have not seen sunlight before planting, they will certainly burn out. This will slow down its growth for 3-4 weeks. When planting, the root of the pepper is buried at the same level as in the previous pot.

Sowing sweet pepper seeds

Peppers need to be watered regularly. Since even a short-term drying out of the soil leads to the death of root hairs. Due to the fact that the process of growing sweet peppers is quite long, they must be sown earlier: in late January-mid-February.

The first shoots appear only after a month. It is worth knowing that the germination of this vegetable is relevant only for one year. The procedure will have to be repeated next year. Soil mixtures and their ratios that will be required to grow pepper.

Pepper is a thermophilic and moisture-loving culture. Growing pepper in the open field is not a difficult task, it is only important to adhere to some features. Sweet bell pepper is very popular among professional gardeners; it is successfully grown by summer residents. Everyone can grow pepper in their summer cottage. How to grow bell peppers and get the most out of the plant will be advised by the advice of experienced breeders. Following their recommendations, the yield can be increased several times.

Preparing a site for planting sweet pepper

Peppers thrive in open, sunny areas. But plants are afraid of the wind. Young plants should be planted in a place that is not shaded by trees, but also not in a draft. An ideal location is an area adjacent to the southern wall of a building. Planting peppers in open ground requires attention to soil composition, lighting, and draft protection.
The sweet guest grows well after cabbage and pumpkin crops, legumes and table root crops. Plant it the next year after these crops, and the pepper will surprise with the abundance of fruiting.
Bell peppers have not been grown for 3 years in the place where nightshade crops grew: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants. Peppers and nightshades suffer from the same infections that are transmitted through the soil.
The soil at the site of the planting of the pepper should be fertile, well-drained, and retain moisture well. The pepper planting site is prepared in the autumn. After the previous cultivated plant has been harvested, it is necessary to clear the bed of weeds and dig it up. In the autumn period, it is necessary to fertilize the soil using 1 sq. m. area:

• 50 g superphosphate;
• 80 g of wood ash;
• 10 kg of humus.

After even distribution of the nutrient composition, the soil is dug up.

Pepper is not planted in the area where organic matter has just been introduced.

The Bulgarian guest does not need an abundant amount of fresh organic matter. Pepper is better to "underfeed" rather than "overfeed". The abundance of nitrogen combinations leads to the fact that the culture is actively growing and developing rapidly. Such a plant bears fruit much worse: the pepper sheds the tied fruits, the size of the vegetables decreases. Therefore, organic fertilizers are applied precisely in the autumn.
In the spring, before planting, the open area must again be loosened and fertilized. For 1 sq. m. for spring fertilization is used:

• 40 g phosphorus;
• 40 g of potassium;
• 20 g nitrogen.

The preparations should be applied in early spring. Immediately before planting pepper seedlings, the site should be dug up and leveled again.

We plant seedlings

Bell pepper is a heat-loving plant. Young specimens are planted in the soil after the threat of spring night frosts has passed. The planting time of seedlings depends on the regional location of the dacha. Peppers are usually planted starting in mid-May.
Seedlings of bell peppers for open ground must go through a hardening process. To increase resistance to unfavorable factors, plants should be taken out into the fresh air in warm weather. The hardening of young individuals is carried out gradually, starting from several minutes.

Pepper planting scheme 70x30 cm or 50x50 cm:

• A few hours before planting, young plants are watered abundantly. The culture at the time of transplantation should be vigorous and healthy. Lack of moisture can have a detrimental effect on the survival process. Withered plants shed their first buds and retard their development. A weak and wilted plant when transplanting - a significant decrease in yield.
• Young seedlings are planted in the afternoon. At night, the culture will not fight the sweltering heat and will throw all its strength into survival. In the case when it is cloudy outside, pepper seedlings can be planted at any time of the day.
• Prepare planting holes in the soil. Each hole should be watered abundantly: 2 liters of water per plant. It is best to use water for irrigation at room temperature, warmed up in the sun.
• Seedlings are transplanted with an earthen clod. Each plant should be separated from the container and planted in the prepared pits not too deep: the pepper is planted 3 cm deeper than it grew in room conditions. Pepper does not form adventitious roots well. But still, their appearance contributes to better nutrition of the culture.

The plant is not demanding to the composition of the earth. But it still grows better on loamy soil.

Watering plants in the open field

Pepper loves water very much. But still it should be watered carefully. Pouring is as detrimental to the plant as dryness. Immediately after transplanting bell pepper from containers into the soil, watering is not carried out. For the first time, the soil is moistened after 7 days. Water the pepper at intervals of 3 days with 1 liter of warm water per plant. Water the culture at the root. In extreme heat, pepper is watered daily.

10 days after planting the seedlings, the plantings should be checked for survival. The dead sprouts are replaced with reserve ones.
The established plants are watered very carefully. Bulgarian professional vegetable growers call this watering thin - frequent watering in small doses.
Determining when a plant needs water can be simple: if the bush has completely darkened, the pepper needs urgent watering. Withering peppers can also indicate insufficient watering. Although the wilting of the plant in the afternoon hours does not indicate dryness of the soil.
At the time of the ripening of the crop, the pepper is watered much more: once every 6 days, 2-3 liters per plant.
During the hot period, pepper is watered in the morning or evening hours.

Loosen the bed with peppers

Pepper is very susceptible to soil air permeability. It is impossible to allow the formation of a crust in any way. With the help of loosening, the roots of the plant receive more oxygen, and the plant itself develops more quickly. Loosening helps fight weeds.
At first, the pepper grows slowly. Within 15 days after planting the culture, the root system develops, and the plant itself "sits" in place. Until that time, until the pepper starts to grow, it is not recommended to loosen the area.
The first loosening is carried out to a depth of no more than 10 cm. The root system of bell pepper is placed superficially, therefore, the soil should be loosened carefully, without injuring the delicate roots.

Subsequent loosening is carried out after precipitation, irrigation, before a crust has formed on the surface of the bed. As a rule, the bed under the early varieties of bell peppers is loosened 4 times during the growing season. The place under the early varieties is loosened a couple of times during the growth period.
The peppers bloom very profusely. During the period of peduncle formation, the culture needs hilling.

Loosen, weed, sprinkle sweet peppers very carefully. Its root system is in the upper soil layer. In addition, the plant itself is very fragile.

Proper feeding is the key to successful cultivation

During the growing season, peppers are fed no more than 4 times. The plant reacts painfully to the abundant content of organic matter and minerals in the soil, although it still needs a nutritious soil for successful fruiting.
The first application of fertilizers is carried out at the time of the first loosening of the soil - 2 weeks after transplanting seedlings into open ground. At the first fertilization, it is necessary to add a manure solution or chicken manure: 1 part of manure is diluted in 5 liters of warm water, 1 part of chicken manure is diluted in 15 liters of warm water. You can add 1 tbsp to the prepared organic matter. wood ash or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
First feeding:

• 10 liters of prepared organic solution;
• 60 g superfasphat;
• 20 g of potassium chloride;
• 1 glass of wood ash.

Also, pepper can be fertilized without using organic matter:

• 10 liters of settled warm water;
• 20 g of ammonium nitrate;
• 60 g superphosphate;
• 30 g of potassium chloride.

Fertilizer is applied at the root at the rate of 1 liter per 1 plant.
The second time, Bulgarian pepper is fertilized with the same compositions during the period of bud formation.
At the time of the formation of ovaries, the plant needs organic matter. That is why professional gardeners are advised to fertilize the plant with organic fertilizers at the time of fruit formation.
The fourth time the plants are fed when the fruits are reduced in size. This happens very often with early varieties closer to autumn.

Pepper does not tolerate chlorine. That is why it is recommended to replace potassium chloride with wood ash. Any varieties for open ground should be fertilized especially carefully.

Spring night frosts are detrimental to pepper: protective measures

After planting bell pepper seedlings in an open bed, you need to be ready for night frosts. They are found even at the beginning of summer. Many summer residents advise using so-called tents as protection - structures made of wooden planks, cardboard, and plastic. Young seedlings are simply covered overnight. In the morning, the protection must be removed. Film portable shelters, which are advisable to use during prolonged cold snap, have also proven themselves perfectly.

Since ancient times, fumigation of plants has been a reliable protector against spring frosts. For such a process, special smoke heaps are prepared, capable of producing very thick smoke.
Too low temperature readings lead to the dropping of small fruits and flowers. A temperature of 8-10 degrees is capable of causing this unpleasant phenomenon. In addition, in the cold, the growth of plants stops, the yield decreases.
It is not recommended to plant peppers in the open field too early. It is susceptible to low temperatures.

Temperature readings for successful cultivation

For successful development and high fruiting, sweet peppers need warmth. The plant feels best at temperatures from 20 to 25 degrees, and responds perfectly to higher temperatures. At low rates, the development of the culture slows down, the yield decreases significantly. You can protect the plant from low temperature indicators if you cover it during the cold growing season.

Tall varieties need support

Tall sweet peppers need to be tied. Low-growing varieties of pepper can not be tied up, but the presence of support contributes to uniform ripening of fruits, easier care and high-quality harvesting. Traditional wooden pegs are used to create the support. The plants themselves are protected by other high-growth crops. The wind through such protection will not blow so much.
We form a bush - we increase the yield of a vegetable

Formation of the plant is very important for obtaining high yields. Many breeders believe that it is impossible to get the most out of the plant without the correct form.
Bush formation methods:

• They create a skeleton of a bush: in the first fork, only the two strongest shoots are left. On skeletal shoots, 2 branches are also left, one of which will grow vertically, and the second directed to the outside. It is recommended to remove internal shoots. When properly shaped, a pepper bush can grow up to 1.2 m in height.
• The skeleton of the bush is created: two shoots are tied up in a vertical direction. In each node, 1 external shoot is left. With such a formation, it is necessary to plant the plants at a distance of up to 50 cm, install supports and pull horizontal strings. The bush is able to rise more than 2 m in height.

Attracting insects for pollination

In order for the pepper to be pollinated by insects, and accordingly, to give higher results of fruiting, insects can be attracted. For such a process, during the flowering period, it is necessary to spray the plant with a sweet composition:

• 100 g granulated sugar;
• 2 g boric acid;
• 1 liter of hot water.

In addition to artificial pollination, to attract honey insects, it is recommended to put containers with honey solution near the plantings: 1 tsp. honey dissolves in 1 tbsp. hot water.

Choosing a variety of pepper for growing in a garden

Currently, summer residents have the opportunity to use modern varieties of pepper that are resistant to low temperatures, not susceptible to infections. Breeders have developed a great variety of sweet pepper varieties, differing in the abundance of fruiting, color, and size of the fruit.

"Funtik"

• the height of an adult plant ranges from 50 to 70 cm;
• fruits have a rich red tint;
• conical ovary without relief pattern;
• fruit weight - 100-180 g;
• medium-yielding variety: one bush is able to please 18 fruits;
• resistant to infectious and fungal diseases.

"Czardas"

• relatively tall plant: as a rule, the bush has a height of 60-70 cm, under certain climatic conditions its height can reach 1 m;
• during the ripening period, the fruit changes its color from rich green to orange-red;
• ovary cone-shaped with a sharp nose;
• fruits are large, fleshy: weight can reach up to 250 g;
• medium-yielding variety: during the fruiting period, one bush is able to "grow" up to 18 fruits;
• fruits can be used for food both in green and ripe form.

"Barguzin"

• sweet peppers can grow up to 70 cm;
• fruit color from deep yellow to orange;
• fruits of a conical elongated shape;
• ovary weight - 150-200 g;
• during the growing season, it is possible to collect up to 18 fruits from one plant;
• differs in unpretentiousness and ability to adapt to any soil composition.

"Cornet"

• tall plant: the height of the bush exceeds 1 m;
• fruit color from dark brown to purple;
• fruits have a conical relief shape;
• large-fruited variety: one peppercorn can weigh up to 250 g;
• with proper care, up to 15 fruits can be harvested from one plant;
• bears fruit throughout the growing season.

"Chord"

• it is distinguished by its exactingness to lighting: with abundant light, the height of the plant can reach 1 m, but as a rule, the plant grows only 50-60 cm;
• fruits have a bright red hue;
• cone-shaped fruits;
• the weight of the ovary depends on the light: with abundant lighting - 200 g, with a lack of light - 150 g;
• medium-yielding variety: from one plant you can collect from 10 to 20 fruits;
• strong lighting is required for successful cultivation.

"Pinocchio F1"

• undersized variety: height very rarely exceeds 50 cm;
• fruits of a gradient shade, spotted ovaries can also be found;
• cone-shaped vegetable with significant elongation;
• peppercorns are lightweight from 80 to 120 g;
• low-yielding variety: with proper care, 12-15 fruits can be harvested from one bush;
• according to professional summer residents and cooks, this is the best variety for winter harvesting.

"Cabin boy"

• bush 50-60 cm high;
• color from dark green to deep red: green fruits are used for conservation, red ones are eaten fresh;
• the fruits are cone-shaped with a pointed tip;
• the weight of one vegetable is 130-180 g;
• high-yielding pepper: during the fruiting period, it is able to please up to 30 medium-sized fruits;
• resistant to diseases, unpretentious to care.

"Actor"

• one of the tallest varieties of pepper: the height of the bush is from 1 to 1.5 m;
• when ripe, the fruits have a scarlet hue;
• ovary conical, highly elongated with a blunt tip;
• the fleshy pepper: the weight of the fruit is about 300 g;
• medium-yielding plant: up to 14 vegetables can be harvested from a bush.

"Bagration"

• bush height 80-100 cm;
• fruit of a beautiful orange hue, sometimes with green or red spots;
• ovaries are club-shaped and with interesting relief;
• medium-sized ovaries - 150-200 g;
• has an excellent taste, refined aroma;
• during the growth period, one bush gives up to 14 peppercorns;
• high resistance to infections, fungi.

"Smile"

• as a rule, an adult plant has a height of up to 80 cm, with good care, its height can reach 1 m;
• unripe fruits have a rich green color; when ripe, the vegetable acquires an orange color;
• fruits are cone-shaped with a blunt tip;
• the variety is picky about watering;
• with sufficient moisture, fruits can weigh up to 250 g;
• yield value: up to 16 fruits from one bush;
• the variety can be used for food at different stages of ripening.

"Nafanya"

• an adult plant reaches a height of no more than 70 cm;
• fruits have a burgundy color, purple ovaries are less common;
• cone-shaped fruits with a sharp tip;
• ovaries weighing 70-180 g;
• medium-yielding variety: up to 15 fruits can be harvested from one bush;
• differs in the duration of flowering, is able to bear fruit throughout the growing season.

"Tomboy"

• the variety is picky about lighting, on which the height of an adult plant depends: with abundant light, the bush can have a height of up to 1 m, with insufficient lighting - 50 cm;
• fruits during ripening have a bright yellow or orange color;
• ovary conical rounded;
• medium-sized fruits weighing up to 150 g;
• high-yielding variety: more than 25 fruits can ripen during the fruiting period;
• as a rule, abundant fruiting leads to a decrease in the size of the ovaries.

"Bunny"

• not picky about growing conditions;
• the height of an adult bush can exceed 1 m;
• fruits are deep red, less often burgundy;
• differs in upward directed growth of fruits;
• the mass of one vegetable can range from 160-250 g;
• during the growing season, it is able to please up to 15 ovaries from a bush;
• the fruits are juicy and have a pleasant aroma.

The best outdoor sweet peppers will help you grow decent yields. Adhering to the recommendations of the breeders, the cultivation process turns into an interesting activity, and the result will stun with abundant fruiting.

Hybrid or variety: what to give preference to

There are a huge number of opinions regarding the cultivation of hybrids and varieties. If you are going to collect seeds from fruits, you should give preference to the cultivar in cultivation. Otherwise, a hybrid is used.
The variety is the result of breeders. Such peppers are adapted to certain growing conditions, capable of producing seed similar to the parent plant. It is distinguished by the reliability of its taste. But, unfortunately, the variety is more susceptible to all kinds of infections and is not always suitable for growing in a certain region. Pepper seeds can be harvested and used as seed.
Hybrid - plants obtained by crossing different varieties. Requires a lot of attention. Differs in resistance to infections and fungi, capable of producing high yields. As a rule, it differs in insignificant growth, taste of fruits and their presentation. In order to sow a hybrid, you need to buy seed in a specialized store every year.
Pepper is an amazing vegetable that is hugely popular. It has excellent taste and rich refined aroma. A variety of dishes are prepared from the fruits of the culture, used in fresh food. Pepper is a plant that should be in every summer cottage.

How to properly cultivate peppers in the open field and create care? Bell peppers are a southern culture and require warmth and humidity. In the middle lane, peppers are grown in open soil through seedlings and greenhouses. To grow the desired crop crop, you need special care.

Pepper grows well in the open field of the middle lane

Soil preparation

Growing pepper in the open field requires proper preparation of the land.

Outdoor sweet peppers grow better in places with a mild climate and in an area where there is more sun and less wind. To protect from the wind, they make a shield from plants or erect a wattle fence.

To grow peppers in an open area, it is important to understand after which crops it is more effective to grow peppers.

Planting peppers is best done in the place where cabbage, pumpkin, cucumbers, legumes, table roots grew. In places with a previous harvest of tomato, eggplant, potatoes, it is not recommended to plant peppers for three years, since diseases of these vegetables spread through the ground.

The soil allocated for the pepper should be fertile and retain moisture. They begin to prepare the ground in the fall. Harvesting in the fall, you need to carefully collect the remains of the previous crop and dig up the ground. They also fertilize the soil, enriching the following substances (per 1 square meter):

• superphosphate in a volume of 30-50 g;
• wood ash - 50-80 g;
• humus - from 5 to 10 kg.

In places where it was fertilized with fresh manure, sweet peppers cannot be planted, since there is no need for organic fresh feeding. Excessive nitrogen in the soil causes the active growth of the vegetative parts of the pepper, and the ovary is so poorly preserved, which affects the yield.

In the fall, the place where they plan to place the pepper is dug deeply. In the spring, the soil is loosened and fed with fertilizers with phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. The earth is slightly dug up and leveled before planting seedlings.

Pumpkin is a great precursor for pepper

How to properly plant seedlings?

Before planting, it is important to water the seedlings well so that the pepper does not wilt. The withered pepper does not take root well, its growth is delayed, which leads to the dropping of the first buds. So the early harvest is lost.

If the weather is hot, it is best to plant in the evening. In gloomy weather, morning disembarkation is recommended.

Prepare the holes for planting and water. It is recommended to pour up to two liters of water (at least a liter) into each hole, which should be heated in the sun. The seedlings are planted deeper than they were planted in pots, like seedlings. On the stalk covered with earth, adventitious roots are formed that can feed the plant.

Pepper seedlings are planted in the holes, while ensuring sufficient watering

How to water bell peppers properly?

Sweet pepper seedlings require special care.

In order for the seedling to take root faster, it is necessary to water the root every 2-3 days. For one seedling, 1-2 liters of water are consumed. If the weather is hot, water it every day. Seven days later, the seedlings are checked and where the pepper has died, a new sprout is planted from the reserve. Reduce the amount of watering. This is called "thin" watering. It is important not to harm the plants with abundant watering. How to determine the need for a vegetable in water? If the plant darkens, this is a sign that water is needed. Prolonged wilting of the plant should not be allowed. If the leaves are withered in the heat, this is not a reason for watering.

When the fruits ripen, watering is done once every 5-6 days. In the heat, watered in the morning or evening hours.

Watering young peppers should be regular

When to loosen the soil?

Sweet peppers grow comfortably in loosened ground. It should not be brought to the appearance of an earthen crust.

What is the use of loosening the soil?

• Air flow to the root is improved.
• The plant grows faster.
• The functioning of microorganisms is stimulated.

By weeding the ground, weeds are being fought.

You should be aware of the slow growth of pepper in the first 10-14 days, because the rhizome is strengthened and the soil does not need to be loosened.

The first loosening of the earth is done after the first "thin" watering. The root system is located in the upper ball of the earth, so the loosening will be shallow, at a level of 5-10 cm.

If the soil is heavy, the first time it is allowed to loosen the soil deeper, destroying the soil crust. This way the soil warms up and ventilates better.

Hilling is carried out during flowering.

Loosening the soil around the peppers should be done regularly.

Feeding

Pepper care will not bring the desired harvest if not fed.

Seedlings are well fertilized with nettle dressing. To do this, combine nettle with water, in a ratio of 1:10 and insist for two days. The last time the seedlings are fed 2 days before planting, increasing the dosage of fertilizers with potassium (7 g per 1 liter of liquid).

At least three dressings are done per season. The first time during the first plowing (after disembarkation in two weeks). Fertilize with slurry from manure, poultry droppings, mixing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers or wood ash.

Manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4, bird droppings are diluted 1:10. It is good to alternate the chicken afterbirth with nitrophos (1 tablespoon per bucket of liquid).

It is effective to add 40-60 g of superphosphate and potassium chloride to a solution of organic fertilizer (manure, droppings) up to 20 g or wood ash in the amount of 150-200 g.

Mineral fertilizers are also used. To do this, add the following substances to 10 liters of water:

• ammonium nitrate - 15-20 g;
• superphosphate - 40-60 g;
• potassium chloride - 15-20 g.

This dressing is used for 8-10 seedlings.

During the formation of fruits, the need for pepper nutrition increases. At this stage, the third feeding is carried out. And the second time they feed at the beginning of fruiting, with an increase in the dose of ammonium nitrate.

If the fruits of the culture ripen small, they are fed for the fourth time.

It is important to know that when caring for peppers, they use fertilizing without chlorine or with a very small percentage. Pepper does not tolerate chlorine. But there is a good substitute for potassium chloride - this is ash from wood.

Superphosphate is one of the main fertilizers for pepper

How to protect peppers from frost?

Having planted pepper, you need to know how to protect the crop from frost and damage. Caring for a crop at the time of frost, forcing ingenuity.

Tents are built from scrap materials (pieces of wood, cardboard, fabric, etc.). They are taken in the evening and removed in the morning. But when the cold snap lasts a long time, it is advisable to use a film.

Flowers and ovary fall off often. All because of the unfavorable temperature conditions for the vegetable (low or very high temperature). Growth stops at + 8-10 degrees. But if there is a heat of 30-35 degrees for several days, the buds also fall off.

The consequence of untimely watering is a lack of moisture. Dry soil also reduces crop growth.

Pepper must not be shaded. In insufficient light, especially during a cold snap, flowers and ovary also fall off.

Bell pepper flowers may fall off due to lack of sunshine

Features of the care of bell pepper

There are some subtleties of caring for peppers, in order to better yield:

1. It is imperative to pinch the pepper - removing the side and bottom stepsons. But in hot and dry weather, pinching is not recommended. Leaves protect the soil from evaporation. Professionals suggest, to increase the yield, cut the central flower that has grown from the first branch.
2. During the growing season, long shoots are cut off a little so that there is no shading of other branches.
3. Remove plant branches below the main branch and internal branches. Pruning is carried out every 10 days.
4. Pollinating insects are useful for sweet peppers. They are attracted by spraying the plant, during the flowering period with a solution of sugar (100 g of sugar and 2 g of boric acid are diluted in 1 liter of hot water).
5. Applying mulching of pepper with rotted straw (up to 10 cm of a layer), the frequency of watering will decrease.
6. When leaving, it is important to tie up the crop immediately after hilling and mulching.

Mulching Pepper Helps Reduce Watering Frequency

Pest control

Pepper is sensitive to diseases, therefore it requires special care.

But most pepper suffers from pests (scoop, whitefly, aphid, Colorado potato beetle, bear, slugs).

So that the plant is not damaged, pollination is carried out with wood ash (three times per season). To fight aphids, you can use a solution of serum with water (0.5 liters of serum per bucket of liquid). And sprinkle the leaves with wood ash on top.

With all the tips in mind, you can grow a great sweet pepper crop.