One of the crops I really thought would be easy to grow that turned out not to be for me was peppers, specifically bell peppers. Turns out not only do peppers really prefer a lot of heat, they also prefer more water than I typically use in my gardens and in my fields. And peppers are one of those plants that I get asked about all the time in messages and at the farm stand. Because once you get the hang of it, you can grow boatloads and we bring lots of beautiful peppers to market and it gets people talking. It’s also one of those vegetables that is a mainstay in many people’s kitchens and they can be expensive at the grocery store, so knowing how to grow your own is high up on the gardening wish list for a lot of people. So, today we’ll talk all about peppers, both sweet and hot, how to get them to germinate, their feeding requirements, planting, spacing, harvesting and all the usual basics. By the end of this episode, I hope you can fill in the gaps of what’s been going on with your peppers to get you some success or give you the confidence to give them a try if you’re new to the capsicum scene. So, let’s dig in to growing peppers.

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Resources:

Capsicum annuum - Wikipedia

Pharmacological importance of an ethnobotanical plant: Capsicum annuum L - PubMed (nih.gov)

Capsicum annuum (Grossum Group) (Bell Pepper, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

Bell Peppers 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits (healthline.com)

Chili Peppers 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Effects (healthline.com)

6 Ways to Use Epsom Salt in the Garden | Epsom Salt Council

Capsicum annuum (Grossum Group) (Bell Pepper, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers.

Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, 1978

Damrosch, Barbara; The Garden Primer. Workman Publishing, New York. 1988