 | If you’re hot for the dash of spice that chili peppers can add to your cooking, then make sure you plant a few varieties to be on hand when you get the urge to make homemade salsa and other dishes. Thanks to a boom in the popularity of ethnic dishes, peppers in general are heading up the list of many home gardeners.
Peppers are a warm season growing plant, a member of the nightshade family along with tomatoes and eggplants. This is one reason why you must be careful not to plant peppers next to, or in a spot where other nightshade plants grew previously. This is to avoid the spread of diseases from one to the other, since they share common enemies.
Whether you are going to grow your own seedlings, or buy from a commercial nursery, peppers are delicate, and will not tolerate frost or cold nights. It’s best not to set out young plants until two weeks after the last frost.
Like tomatoes, peppers enjoy a soil that is rich in natural nutrients and which drains well. You can raise the rows where you are going to plant, by digging in some peat moss for drainage, and compost for fertilization. Then bank the rows, and put down a good mulch of straw, or plastic that is then covered in straw. This will help retain the moisture from your watering.
Always check the information tags that come with your seedlings, for planting, watering and fertilizing information. In general, peppers can be planted anywhere from 18-24” apart. But if you are planting several varieties, make sure the bell peppers are not next to the chili peppers, to avoid cross-pollination.
Peppers require a steady, even supply of water. That may mean either irrigating for the hotter weather, or using a soaker hose that lays along the row, and can be covered in straw mulch. The fertilizer you apply, should be one recommended by your garden center, for that particular variety. A good starter application after planting, should be followed by a supplemental feed after the first crop of peppers appears. Chili peppers vary in their maturation time, with a growing range of 70-84 days.
Pick your peck of peppers for pickling, when they are easily removed from the vine. If you have to tug, they are not quite ripe. However, since some recipes call for green chili peppers, using a small pair of shears to clip with, is better. Chili peppers can be dried by stringing the fruit and hanging it in a cool, dry area such as the basement, with a cheesecloth covering to keep the dust off. Alternatively, you can uproot the entire plant, and hang it upside down until the peppers are well dried. Store in paper bags, or in jars, but be sure to check the jars for the first few weeks to make sure there is no sign of lingering moisture to ruin you winter supply.
(A note of warning: capsaicin, which is the element of chili peppers that reportedly causes their “hot” quality, can also be an irritant to skin or eyes. Avoid contact with skin when picking, by using gloves.)
|  |
|
|
|
