ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot

The greenhouse in August is full of dazzling rows of ripening peppers, a multicoloured spectacle of colour changing to red, orange, yellow or brown, depending on the variety. Normally grown as annuals on the West Coast, peppers are actually tender perennials, needing maximum sunshine and warm sheltered sites to thrive.
For the best yields, it’s advisable to get an early start on the season. Start pepper seeds in late February, under grow-lights indoors or on bottom heat in a greenhouse. They germinate best around 75°F (23°C) and can take anywhere from one to four weeks to germinate. They grow best at 70°F (21°C) during the day, and no lower than 60°F (15°C) at night.
Peppers don’t like warm days followed by cool nights, so it’s best to wait until the soil has really warmed up in early June before setting them out. Peppers belong to the Solanaceae family, so avoid blight by not planting them where tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes have grown before.
They grow best in moist warm soils, between 65-80°F (18-26°C), in a neutral pH around 6.5. Kelp meal and a handful of rock phosphate in the planting hole will provide the high levels of phosphorus and potash needed for fruit production. A handful of dolomite lime will prevent calcium deficiency, which causes blossom end rot, a common problem for peppers.

Tip: Create a mini-greenhouse around your pepper plants. Hammer a cedar stake into each corner of the pepper patch; wrap 6 ml plastic around the outside of the stakes, stapling it onto each stake to hold it tightly in place. A lightweight plastic roof can also be framed up and used for extra protection during cold nights.
Try growing peppers in black, plastic, two-gallon pots, one pepper plant in each pot. A length of sturdy bamboo or a tomato cage is enough to support the bushy plants. The pots can be placed in a greenhouse, or on a hot deck or patio, so you can enjoy your colourful peppers up close and personal and regularly pick a peck of perfect peppers.

Tip: Foliar feeding with liquid seaweed throughout the season encourages greater fruit set. Blossom end rot results from irregular watering, so consistent daily watering is very important.

Garden Path favourites
(Heat scale sweet to hot 1-5)
Pimiento (1): thick-walled, very sweet, juicy slicer for salads, sandwiches, stuffing and baking.
Italian Sweet and Red Bull’s Horn (1): thin-walled, slightly tapered, sweet red peppers good for roasting and stuffing.
California Wonder (1): thick-walled, blocky green bell peppers, good for salads, dips and baking.
Dainty Sweet and Jingle Bells (1): smaller, multicoloured ornamental peppers for sweet eating.
Gypsy (1): high yields of slightly tapered, yellow peppers which grow well in cooler conditions, good for fresh eating and stuffing.
Klari Baby Cheese (1): bell peppers, the shape of a baby Gouda cheese, great for fresh eating, roasting and stuffing.
Chocolate Bell (1): thick-walled, juicy dark bell peppers, good for eating fresh or for dips and stuffing.
Tequila Sunrise (2): orange, carrot-shaped, thin-walled peppers with a slight kick, good for pickling, drying and roasting.
Ancho (2) (also called Poblano): dark green, tapered fruits with slightly hot, distinctive flavour in Mexican cuisine for stuffing and sauces.
Hungarian Black (3): extremely early, small, pointy black fruits, good for eating fresh, drying and roasting.
Early Jalapeno (3): medium-hot peppers, ideal for salsas and pickling.
Starburst (4): smaller, tapered multicoloured ornamental peppers for hot eating and drying.
Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Serrano (5): smaller peppers hot enough to blow your head off!

Take the heat out of peppers
The seeds and placenta contain capsaicinoids that give hot peppers their mouth-searing pungency. Use hot peppers with extreme caution. If your head is about to “blow off,” eat dairy products or starchy foods, such as bread or rice. Do not drink cold water, which will actually increase the heat. Handle the seeds of hot peppers with respect. Don’t rub your eyes or inhale too deeply around them or you’ll be sorry.

From A Year on the Garden Path: A 52-Week Organic Gardening Guide by Carolyn Herriot. Second edition $24.95. Available from your favourite bookstore or order online at www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath.