Growing
Young capsicum plants need to be raised when the
weather is warm, so I sow
capsicum
seeds directly
into the garden from August through to January.
But during winter I
grow
the capsicums in fizzy drink
bottles or pots in my
garage for all year round production.
Capsicums
are related to the tomato family
so they thrive in similar conditions.
From seed they germinate in 14-21 days in good light, give the plants
plenty
of time to
grow and develop
and they will provide you with fruit for months.
The plants grow to an
average height of 1 metre, so they
will need support I
like to stake mine with a bamboo
stick or two and tie it
to the main stem to
hold
them up.
Keep capsicums well watered and I like to give them liquid fertiliser every
few weeks.
It will take about 18 weeks for the plant to bear fruit, pick the fruit to
encourage more production, as winter draws near pick
them when they are
glossy as they will not get very big as the weather deteriorates. A
mature green pepper will turn red in
three weeks if left on the vine in warm
conditions.
Storing
Capsicums do not freeze well so keep them on the
vine until you need them, and pick them fresh as required, or put them
in
the fridge and try and use them as quickly as possible. I do chop up
capsicums in various sizes and freeze them for
winter. Chunkier sizes
are good for casseroles and small sizes are good for pizza during the
winter, do not thaw the
capsicum just add them directly to your dish and
cook. Capsicums are great for kebabs, casseroles, stews and mince
dishes over winter.
Capsicum Seedlings Indoors
