I started most of my bell pepper plants from seeds. I started my seeds indoors under grow lights. I used California Wonder, Grand Bell Mix ( super colorful), Jalepeno and Anaheim Peppers. These varieties take anywhere from 65 - 85 days to mature. The peppers actually were growing very well as young seedlings and when they were about 2-3 inches tall they sort of slowed down. I ended up giving them a very diluted boost with some regular Miracle-Gro. This seemed to get them going again. In April, we began what I affectionately call the "plant shuffle". Every morning if the temperature permitted my family helped me carry the trays of seedlings outside and we shuffled them back in every night. This helped harden them over a period of time. They have to acclimate to the sun and wind. Here in Colorado the rule of thumb is do not plant your warm crops until AFTER Mother's Day. Well, being the know-it-all, impatient gardener that I am I diligently checked my 7 day weather forecast the week before Mother's Day. It showed nothing but blue skies, sun, and warm temps. Go for it- put those peppers out. So naturally you can guess what happened next.... Mother Nature threw us a curveball and gave us one of Colorado's finest spring snowstorms. I can't even begin to explain my sadness as I watched each snowflake fall on my newly planted frost intolerant garden. My husband and I did fashion some wood and seed covering fabric together to try and protect them the best we could. Miraculously, even though temps plummeted to 28 degrees my peppers made it through.
Tip: Buy the epsom salt from the cosmetic area for a couple bucks instead of the epsom salt that's in the garden area of the store which is double the price. They are the exact same thing.
I noticed that a couple weeks after that the peppers stopped growing. Puzzled, I immediately began an internet search trying to figure out what was wrong. Well- the cold shocked them and they needed a jumpstart. I read that peppers love magnesium so I put 2 tablespoons of epsom salt into a gallon of warm water. I sprayed the base of all of my pepper plants as well as my tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Within a week, there was an inch of growth on the plants. We were back in business but now we had to make up for lost time. I started doing some research on fertilizer and picked out a liquid fertilizer made specifically for vegetable plants. After applying the fertilizer there was another inch of growth. I realized that in the future I only wanted to use organic fertilizer on my plants and found a powder type of fertilizer that you scratch into the top inch of soil and water thoroughly. The fertilizer is called Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable fertilizer. The powder fertilizer only needs to be applied about every 3-4 weeks. A word of advice: don't let the dog near the garden while applying fertilizer. They just love the smell and taste of it. It has blood meal and bone meal in it and I've noticed that these are common ingredients in some dog foods. A pepper plant will grow and all you will see is leaves for awhile then you will begin to see tight little buds. You may get excited if you're like me and think this is a bell pepper and then you will be slightly disappointed when you watch the bud turn into a flower and not the pepper you thought it was.
Tip: Prior to planting peppers in the ground, place a book of matches into the bottom of the hole along with some epsom salt. This will provide sulfur and magnesium and get your peppers growing quickly!
This morning I went out and did my usual morning walk around the garden and lo and behold what did I find? My first teeny little bell pepper. Isn't he adorable? I know... I sound like a crazy person but when you been caring for them since they were a tiny seed it is a proud mama moment when you actually get peppers. Where that previously disappointing shriveled up flower was is now a pepper! Now, I know the chain of events. I haven't had any pest issues with my peppers so far. I put each of my pepper plants in a tomato cage. This just provides extra support and helps contain them as I have pretty much over planted and crammed things a little too close together. I will keep you updated as they grow and let you know about any other challenges we might encounter.
Happy Growing!
Happy Growing!