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Friday 29 August 2014

Ripening peppers

Every year I grow chilli peppers and I always do well with them. Sweet peppers on the other hand normally elude me. I can grow the plants but the peppers never ripen properly, the skin is too thin and they don't change colour very well.
"Cherry Bomb" chilli peppers - meant to be like peppadews, I'll let you know when I've pickled them
This year I decided to try to tackle the problem because we eat a lot of peppers. I decided to just grow a variety that's meant to have small peppers that are quick and easy to ripen due to it's small size. These "Mini Bell" peppers have been growing well in the greenhouses this year and we've had one ripen so far with loads nearly ready (I feel a gult coming on). We ate the first one straight off the bush, I don't think I've ever eaten one so sweet in all my life, it was delicious!
My small sweet peppers "mini bell"
So if anyone else struggles with peppers like I did then I can recommend growing a smaller variety to try to get them to ripen quicker and have thicker flesh. 
Unless anyone has got any tips on getting peppers to ripen faster or grow better?

10 comments:

  1. what variety are the small ones, I would like to try those, same as you plenty of green peppers but very rare to get a red one.

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    1. I'll get your email at some point in the next month or so and make sure you get some seeds as they're not an F1 - I've got an idea and I'm going to try to set up a blog seed swap in the next few weeks if you're interested?

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  2. Nice one Kev. I rarely manage to ripen to red too. My green peppers are good this year and my chillis have been the best yet, but my red peppers are just making muddy brown.

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    1. Since coming back this week loads of mine have turned red - I'm quite pleased. I wonder if I should put some bananas in there as well?

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  3. So interesting! I have some 'Mini Bell' and Cherry bomb seeds but I haven't sowed them yet. Thanks to remind me.

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    1. The cherry bomb are great, not too spicy and hot but a lovely sweetness to them. I want to try and pickle them really.

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  4. Bell peppers are slow going here too...I've not seen the mini ones.
    Jane x

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    1. It was the first time I'd seen them and I thought it made sense, if its small it should ripen quicker.

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  5. I'll have to try those next year. My bell pepper plants juts barely got peppers on them. It was only last week when the went from flower to actual peppers. And then I went out yesterday and one was all droopy and wilted despite getting watered every morning.

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    1. I had a plant just wilt and die even though it was treated the same as all the ones around it. They can be a little temperamental I think. the smaller the better for our climates I think!

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