Saturday 5 April 2014

Talking about capsicums

One of the many reasons I'm grateful for my glasshouse is that it allows me to grow capsicums. I've experimented with growing them in it and also in the garden, and come to the conclusion that it's not even worth trying to grow them outside. (If I didn't have a glasshouse, I'd rig up some kind of cold frame for them.) But the glasshouse ones did well this year.

Last year in autumn I heard that it's possible to keep a capsicum alive over winter if you coddle it, and then it will regrow in spring. I decided to try that, so I trimmed the glasshouse peppers down to a smallish stump with a few leaves still attached, put the pots in a huddle together and covered them with frost cloth. One out of six survived, despite us having the mildest winter we'd had for a long time. In spring, the surviving capsicum did regrow and have flowers and put out baby capsicums . But the six new plants I'd bought as seedlings grew faster and overtook it! So again I conclude, it's not worth the bother of trying to keep them alive over winter.

So my method of growing capsicums is to buy a punnet of 6 seedlings in spring, when the weather has started to warm up and they'll be ok in the glasshouse. (I've tried growing them from seed but they take ages to sprout while the weather warms up, and I'd rather buy seedlings so they can take advantage of the growing season straight away.) I put each one in a big pot with lots of sheep manure and compost and water well. Then I treat them the same as I treat my glasshouse tomatoes.

As you can see I got some lovely big ripe beauties this year! I've put plenty in the freezer so I'll be eating capsicum for several months to come.

6 comments:

  1. I loved all your detailed instructions on how to grow capsicums. It made me want to try!
    Have a great week!
    xo Ingrid

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    1. You should try! They taste so much better than shop ones :) And they really aren't that difficult to grow!

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  2. Do you think growing capsicums in pot is faster than in a glass house soil? I grow tomatoes in green house soil when it becomes warm. Will try to plant capsicums in pots!
    Have a nice day, Rose!

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    1. My glasshouse has a concrete floor so everything I grow in there is in pots. But I do think this is an advantage, because the concrete holds warmth so things get going earlier in the season. The only thing with pots is that you need to make sure they don't dry out - daily watering is usually enough for mine when the weather gets hot.

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  3. Hi Ruth,
    Wow, you've grown big capsicums! I admire the fact that you always work aggressively to grow plants, knit something , or do everything you get into!
    'Pot Fountain' you've made for your mother is amazing! And you've planted a succulent in the Japanese Bonsai tiny pot, which looks lovely:)

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I suppose I do but it's the kind of work that's fun for me :) I like seeing results! Oh I love my little succulent in the bonsai pot - it's so cute on the windowsill :)

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