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Bell Peppers

Kitty52Kitty52 Posts: 186
in Fruit & veg
Me again with a question about peppers. Have tried to look online about whether to prune or not etc etc. This is how mine looks at the minute.  There appears to be no room for the peppers to grow? Also how do I know when they are ready to be picked? The close up one isn't as big as it looks. Thanks all again.....


Posts

  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    edited August 2020
    Generally you can just leave peppers to do their thing. Growing like that will affect how they look, but not how they taste. If getting a "perfect" pepper (supermarket shape) is important to you then yes, you can remove other peppers and some leaves etc, but all you're doing is affecting your crop for aesthetic reasons. 

    Peppers will change color when ripening, yours look pretty good in those photos so I'd suggest let them grow, feed them once a week. 

    Incidentally that looks like a halo on the background of your first photo - they're more effective in grow bags or in the ground.

    Edited to add: if your local conditions mean that you're unlikely to ripen your peppers before the end of the season, you can remove some and ripen them in a bowl with a banana, and leave the rest on the plant. Depending where you are and if you're using a greenhouse you'll have between 1 and 2 months to go!
  • Kitty52Kitty52 Posts: 186
    No I don't need them to be perfect they just seemed overcrowded and wondered if I should have been doing anything else.   I feed them on a weekly basis.  The halo which I think you're maybe referring to on the right of the photo does not have peppers in it.  They are growing in pots however in the greenhouse.  Can't plant directly in greenhouse.  First time trying anyway and from seed so happy if I get a couple.  Thanks  very much for your advice. 
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    Why don't you pick and enjoy eating the bigger ones, leaving room for the smaller ones to develop?  They are nice fried with boiled potatoes.  Cut peppers into large pieces and fry with boiled (or raw) potatoes.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • Kitty52Kitty52 Posts: 186
    I will probably do that. Thanks
  • Novice2020Novice2020 Posts: 42
    I have planted bell peppers (California Wonder) into an outside raised bed. The plants are growing well and look healthy. They have begun to produce flowers but as yet no sign of fruit. Will I get any fruit? I am feeding them with a tomato fertiliser once a week. The bed gets sun.
  • Kitty52Kitty52 Posts: 186
    This is the first time for me growing too. The peppers will come from the flowers the same way as tomatoes appear.  
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