How to grow Bell Peppers from Scraps?

Bell peppers (Capsicum Annuum) are popular vegetables that can eat raw or cooked. This nightshade family member is grown for its thick and mild fruits. These peppers are used in salad and cooked in many dishes. You can grow bell peppers from the scraps but it takes little care. 

How to grow Bell Peppers from Scraps?

Bell peppers are known as sweet peppers. Do you know how bell peppers are important for your health? It is essential to get you to know. Bell peppers are rich in antioxidants which protect your health from heart and cancer diseases. Always add Bell peppers to your diet. It increases your vision, improves your memory, maintains skin health, and promotes sleep. It contains vitamin C, which is helpful for healing wounds and supporting the immune system.  Bell peppers are green in color when immature, but they can turn red, orange, yellow, brown, and purple when ripening.  Moreover, bell peppers are very low in fat and calories which is helpful in weight loss. In this article, you will learn about how to grow bell peppers from the scraps?

Bell Peppers Know how

Types of Sweet Peppers

There are many types of sweet bell peppers are grown in different areas of the world. Bell peppers vary in their colors and shapes. Moreover, they can be grown from scrapes and seeds. Let’s take a look at a few popular varieties

• Canary Bell:  These are the yellow sweet peppers and take approximately 100 days to mature.
• Big Red:  Big red has thick flesh with a mixture of 3 and 4 block lobed fruits. These sweet peppers need 75 days to mature.
• Coral Bell: Vibrant orange Coral bell peppers  grow vigorously and produce 4-lobed fruit
• California Wonder: Usually, California Wonder takes approximately 75 days to mature. these sweet peppers are delicious when used in dishes.
• Purple Beauty: Deep purple color sweet peppers produce 4 inches long and 3 inches wide fruits. These peppers usually mature in 70 days.
• Chocolate Beauty: Chocolate Beauty is a Tobacco Mosaic Virus resistant variety. it grows quickly and takes approximately 65 to 70 days to mature.

How to grow Bell peppers?

Bell peppers are easy to grow in your home as well as outside in the garden. You can grow bell peppers from the seeds or scraps. 

But, before then, let us look at some interesting facts about the bell peppers.

Peppers grow best in warm weather. Therefore, plant them when all the danger of cold weather has passed. It would be best to grow bell peppers in the fall about 12 to 16 weeks before the expected first frost. Bell peppers are perennial plants but grown as long annual plants. Peppers thrive well in well-drained, well-aerated, and nutrients rich sandy loam soil. The ideal growing temperature for bell peppers is within the range of 21 to 29°C. Hence, it is not difficult to grow bell peppers. The plants require little maintenance and investment. 

How to Grow Bell Peppers from Scraps?

Growing Bell peppers from the scraps are pretty simple. Hence, you can grow bell peppers from the scraps, it will take little effort. There are the following steps that are required to grow bell peppers from the scraps. 

Collect and dry out your seed

The main step to growing bell peppers from the seed is to collect the seed from the peppers. Bell pepper scraps will usually be taken from leftovers. But, before you collect seeds, confirm that bell peppers are fully mature. Moreover, cut the peppers and remove seeds from them. After getting the seeds, you will start to dry out the seeds. Once they dried, you can store them for next year’s planting season or go ahead and begin planting.

Start planting your seeds

The second step is to plant the seeds of the peppers. Spread your seeds over a clean tray or paper towel. Moreover, if you want to grow seeds on a seed tray then fill it with soil and organic compost.  You can grow bell peppers over multi-seed trays and allow them to germinate in their own space for up to two weeks. Anyhow, place the seeds tray indoors near the window until the seed sprouts. After sowing, the seeds, plant them thoroughly to keep the soil moist. keep watering daily to keep the soil moist, otherwise, seeds could tops growing and die out. Keep reading for more information about how to plant peppers.

How to grow bell peppers from the seeds?

You need to start your pepper seeds with a germination tray or seed tray. Starting them in a germination tray is the best way to grow peppers’ seeds into seedlings. 

• Fill the soil or organic compost into the seeds tray.
• Spread 2-3 seeds in each section and cover them with a thick layer of soil.
• After sowing, water them thoroughly to keep the soil moist. But not overwater them. 
• Place the seeds tray in a warmer and sunny location.
• Placing the seeds tray in a warmer location helps speed up the germination time.
• Your bell peppers seeds will sprout within 6-8 days after planting.

Transplant the Seedlings

You will need to transplant the seedlings once they have 2-3 leaves and show the signs of growth. Make sure, the soil temperature is about 70 to 75°F before planting.  If you are planting in pots, you should need to bring them indoors when it is cold outside. And when it is sunny outside, bring them outside too.

How to transplant peppers seedlings in a container?

For growing bell peppers, you should use a round container that is 20 inches in diameter, and 6 to 8 inches deep. Make sure your container has proper holes for drainage.

Soil

Proper soil preparation is crucial for pepper seedlings’ growth. To successfully grow healthy sweet peppers, start with the soil. Do not use infertile soil for transplanting the seedlings. Moreover, mix the soil with organic compost to increase its drainage and fertility. Peppers grow much better in moist soil. They like well-drained loamy sand soil for growing. If the peppers cannot grow well, it may lead to stunned and misshapen plants. 

Water 

Usually, water plays an important role in peppers’ growth. Do not overwater, it may lead to fungal growth. Water them thoroughly to keep the soil moist. 

Sun

Place the container in a sunny spot, as peppers like sunlight to grow well. 

Anyhow, shift the seedlings in the pot carefully. Watch them regularly to check the plant growth. 

How to Transplants the Pepper Seedlings in the Ground

If you want to grow peppers in the garden, make sure the soil temperature is in the required range. However, if the soil temperature is below the required range then mulching is the best option to maintain the temperature. It is best to grow bell peppers on raised beds or furrows. While planting, make sure the plant to plant distance is about 12 to 18 inches. Keep watering thoroughly, Water them when the topsoil becomes dry. 

Managing pests and diseases

Bell peppers are susceptible to pests and diseases. Overwatering and poorly drained soil may lead to root rot or fungal diseases that cause permanent wilt. So be aware to root rot and fungal diseases use fungicides to control the diseases. Moreover, maintain the required soil pH to control calcium deficiency. Usually, some pests such as aphids, cutworms, spiders, stink bugs and fleas beetles mites affect the plants. Spray them with hot water or Neem oil to control the pests. 

Fertilizer requirements

Bell peppers do not require fertilizers if the soil is rich in nutrients, otherwise, you can use balanced water-soluble fertilizers like N PK to maintain the fertility of the soil. 

How to harvest the Bell peppers?

Bell peppers take about 60 to 90 days to mature. It depends on which pepper variety.  Moreover, you can pick them whey they are green but large enough and sweet. On the other hand, if you want to save the seeds of the peppers, you can allow them to fully ripe on the plants.   If left on the vine to ripen further, green peppers may turn red, then orange to yellow or purple. 

The stages of ripeness determine the colors and sweetness of bell peppers. Typically, the green bell peppers stay fresh longer than yellow and red. 

How many Bell Peppers does a Plant Produce?

The yield of bell peppers depends on the variety you grow. Usually, average bell peppers produce 5 to 10 peppers per plant under normal conditions. 

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