
If you plan to grow sweet peppers in the great outdoors then growing them in containers is the In cooler parts a greenhouse / polytunnel or conservatory is essential. Some form of artificial heat is almost always required at the beginning of the year and In the UK these conditions don't occur for long enough to ensure germination through to fruit
Sweet Peppers originate from South America and thrive in warm and sunny conditions. Sweet Pepper seeds WHERE TO GROW SWEET PEPPERS
Sweet pepper flowers open up like clockwork two to three hours after sunrise and last for onlyĪ day or so. Depending on variety and conditions, flowering will begin 70 to 80 days after seed is sown. Seeds take 8 to 21 days to germinate in good conditions. Seed will keep for 3 years when stored in appropriate conditions. daylight length is not a significant factor in Sweet peppers are 'day neutral' plants (i.e. Tolerate night time temperatures as low as 5☌ / 41☏. InĪ greenhouse or cloche (which will protect them from wind) they will Ranges, however they will still grow at significantly lower temperatures. The above temperatures are the optimum temperature. These slightly lower night time temperatures help the fruits to set. Plants grow best in a night time temperature range of 15☌ / 59☏ to 20☌ /Ħ8☏. Plants grow best in a daytime temperature range of 19☌ / 66☏ to 28☌ / 82☏. Range for germination is 25☌ / 77☏ to 30☌ / 86☏. To 32☌ / 89.5☏, outside of that range germination rates fall very rapidly. Seeds germinate within the range 18☌ / 64.5☏. Sweet peppers tolerate colder conditions better than hot peppers. The Latin name for sweet peppers is Capiscum annuum which is a tropical plant. Skip to the next section if you want to get down to more practical matters quickly. This section provides some background information about growing sweet peppers. Up with a small very hot pepper plant when you actually want a sweet pepper. The Americans especially tend to use different words and it's very easy to end Whatever the shape, size or colour make sure that you buy only seeds specifically marked as Longer and narrower than normal, these sweet peppers look like large chilli peppers but reallyĭo taste sweet. Way even when ripe), orange and yellow, even deep purple are some of the available colours. A twist on the classic sweet pepper are varieties of different colours.
The fruits start off as green and if left long enough turn red.Īs a general rule, they are miore crunchy when green but sweeter when red. These are the ones youĬommonly see in the supermarkets. The classic shape, similar to a bell and about the size of a man's fist.There is no formal classification for sweet peppersīut there are definitely very different shapes, sizes and colours available in the UK and Ireland.Īll peppers are technically fruits even though they are most frequently used as vegetables.