Quick Read: Chilli and Sweet Pepper Growing Guide
, by Ellen Rignell, 1 min reading time
Our quick read guide to growing heritage sweet peppers and chillies full of flavour.
1. Sow chillis and sweet peppers from Valentines day to mid-March.
2. Sow seeds in trays filled with seed compost about 0.5cm under the surface. Use a propagator heated to 27C.
3. Check daily and move to a bright, South-facing windowsill when the seedlings emerge.
4. Prick out when seedlings have between 3-4 leaves. Replant into 9cm pots filled with multipurpose compost. You should plant leggy seedlings all the way up to their first pair of leaves (cotyledons). N.B. The photo below is of tomato seedlings - don't worry, the process is the same.
5. Wait until your plant roots have filled their pots and there is no risk of frost. Plant out at 45-60cm spacing in your greenhouse or polytunnel. Cover with fleece at night to keep them extra cosy.
6. Keep an eye out for aphids and read our aphid guide. Prompt action is essential to prevent a proper infestation.
7. Remember to keep the plants watered and you can expect green peppers in July and red peppers in August through to October.
