Next to tomatoes, growing organic peppers is the most popular organic vegetable grown. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are terribly hot and others are sweet. There are hundreds of different types of peppers and they are easy to grow and maintain.
Often, gardeners buy a few pepper plants from their nursery and they find out how easy they are to grow, that they start to increase the number and types of peppers that they are growing. Most nurseries’ only have a limited number of different types of peppers. So, gardeners start buying their own seeds and raising their own. Soon, the organic garden is filled with a wide variety of peppers.
Peppers need to be grown where there is plenty of sunshine. Plants need to be placed about 18 inches apart and rows should be kept 3 feet apart. The soil should have plenty of organic matter with slightly higher nitrogen and phosphorous levels. Use tomato cages to keep the plants upright when the peppers start to develop.
Crops should not be planted until the average nighttime temperature is above 50 degrees – this is typically in May or June. For a large harvest, protect the plants from damaging wind and excessive cold weather.
Peppers are relatively pest free which makes them a favorite among many organic vegetable gardeners. Perhaps you may want to protect the stem from cutworms by using a paper collar or a 6-inch plastic pot with the bottom cut out. Using the pot method will also allow protection from the wind for small seedlings.
Be careful when harvesting your crop. Use gloves and don’t rub your skin or eyes. Oil from the peppers will get on your gloves and will irritate your skin and eyes. When finished, wash your hands thoroughly. Peppers can be harvested when they are green or after they turn red – all of them will turn red and their flavor is not influenced by the color. Peppers can be eaten fresh, but also try drying, pickling, and marinating with them. So, spice up your life, try growing peppers in your organic vegetable garden.
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