Growing Sweet Pepper

Growing delicious sweet peppers in your own garden, it is not easy but absolutely possible. Sweet peppers love warmth. It is therefore very important to keep them nice and warm during their growth. Peppers come in different colours, varieties and sizes. Continue reading to find out how to grow sweet peppers from seeds.

Growing your own sweet pepper from seeds

To grow delicious sweet peppers, it is important to have an idea of which variety and/or colour you want to grow. We have various types of sweet pepper seeds in our range. Think, for example, of the bell pepper, the pointed pepper or the snack pepper. All varieties come in different colours. Both ‘normal’ sweet pepper seeds and organic sweet pepper seeds.

Position and soil for growing sweet pepper

Sweet peppers need to be grown in a sunny and sheltered spot. The soil should be slightly sandy, loose, well-drained and enriched with compost.

Sowing and planting sweet pepper

When can you start sowing?

This depends a little on the conditions and possibilities. Indoors, you can start around the end of February or beginning of March. However, if you start at this time, it may be necessary to plant the seedlings in the greenhouse at a later date. If the daytime temperature in May is between 20°C and 25°C, a greenhouse is of course not necessary. 

1. Once you have decided which variety of sweet pepper you want to grow start sowing, for example in seed trays. The best time to do this is from the end of February to May.
2. Carefully cover the seeds with about 1 cm of soil. Press the soil lightly. Never press it too hard, as the soil should remain airy.
3. moisten the soil well (preferably with a little lukewarm water) and the germination of the seeds can start.
4. It is very important that the temperature in the room where you have sown the pepper seeds is between 20°C and 27°C during the germination period. Peppers like it warm and do not tolerate cold. So, a sunny place in the room or use a propagation lamp.
5. When the seedlings have 4 leaves, it is time to move them in larger containers, for example in 8 x 8cm nursery pots.
6. The first flowers appear after about 8 weeks. These first flowers can eventually be removed, this promotes the growth of other fruits, in order to have a nice harvest of healthy fruit after 4 to 5 months.
7. As soon as the pots are well filled with roots, you can place them in the greenhouse or outdoors (depending on the temperature, including night temperatures).
8. Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict the exact time of harvest. It depends on the weather, the heat in which the peppers are grown and, of course, when you started sowing. The fruit is ready for harvest when it is firm.

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Growing peppers in a container

Of course you can also grow peppers in a container. This is ideal if you want to sow later in the year. You can then place the plant indoors or in a greenhouse, when it is too cold outside, so that the sweet peppers can continue to grow.

It is recommended to use a large container. Preferably a 15 or 20 litre container. This should contain enough soil for about 3 plants. Place the containers in a warm spot, preferably near a sun-facing wall. It will stay warm for longer when the sun is not shining (extra heat).

How to care of your sweet pepper plants

When growing, make sure that not too many flowers develop. Each flower stands for a sweet pepper. It would be a waste of energy if you only end up with unripe peppers because the plant wasn't strong enough to get them all ripe. Sweet pepper plants should be fertilized and watered regularly. Of course, it depends on where you sow, but in high temperatures it is necessary to water the sweet pepper plant at least once, sometimes even twice a day. Make sure that the soil is well-drained. If the pepper plant is left in moist soil for too long, there is a high risk of mold growth, which can mean the end of the plant.

When and how to harvest sweet pepper?

The pepper is ready to harvest when it has a uniform colour and is firm. Of course, you can harvest them earlier, but the taste van be slightly bitter. The process from sowing to harvest takes about 5 months. If you have 5 ripe sweet peppers per plant, you can be quite satisfied.

How to preserve sweet pepper

Sweet peppers can be stored in the refrigerator (vegetable compartment) for about 17 days. They can also be frozen, both unblanched and blanched. It is important to wash and chop the peppers first.

Is sweet pepper healthy?

Sweet peppers are very, very healthy. They are rich in vitamins, low in calories and have a large amounts of minerals. It is one of the vegetables richest in vitamin C.

Sweet pepper seeds in our collection

Sweet pepper seeds come in different varieties and colours. These include the bell pepper, pointed pepper and the snack pepper. These are also available in different colours. We have following varieties of sweet pepper seeds in our range:

• Organic sweet pepper ’California Wonder’.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Kyra’.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Zazu’ Gelb.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Xaro’.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Lilo F1’.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Olly F1’.
• Organic sweet pepper ’Piquillo Rot’.
• Sweet pepper ‘Patio Paragon‘.
• Organic sweet pepper yellow ’California Wonder’.
• Sweet pepper ’Atris F1’.
• Sweet pepper Palladio F1’.
• Sweet pepper ’Yolo Wonder’.
• Sweet pepper colour mixture.
• Sweet pepper (mini) Snacking Orange.

Tips to grow sweet pepper

The sweet pepper plant likes heat and is therefore not hardy. If you have started sowing sweet pepper seeds too late, it is advisable to bring them indoors before it gets cold and allow the fruits to ripen further in a greenhouse or a warm room with sunlight.

Related questions:

Can I Sow sweet pepper seeds from store-bought sweet peppers?

It is possible to take the seeds from a sweet pepper bought in the supermarket. However, only time will tell whether this will bring the desired success. These sweet peppers are often grown from F1 hybrid seeds. This makes reseeding the sweet peppers difficult or impossible.

I have brown spots on the leaves of the sweet pepper plant. What is it?

These brown spots can appear if the sweet pepper plant has been in direct sunlight too long. Sometimes it also happens that a drop of water remains on the leaves and they dry out in the sun. This also leads to a brown spot.

This is not a problem for the further growth of the fruit.

We hope this information has been helpful to you when sowing, growing and harvesting sweet peppers.

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