Sweet pepper
Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)
Sweet pepper is part of the Capsicum genus and its scientific name is Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group). The annuum part of this plant's botanical name means 'annual'.
Bell or Sweet Peppers are a common addition to the home vegetable garden and are easy to grow. Sweet peppers come in a multitude of different colours, sizes and flavours and tend to grow best in warm areas where the soil can be kept relatively cool and moist.
Sweet peppers are categorized in the Grossum Group of peppers. All Peppers are best categorized by their rating on the Scoville Scale of heat. The Scoville scale (which is 10 point rating system based on the amount of capsaicin, the chemical that gives the heat) is the standard for describing hotness. A 0 or 1 is a bell or pimento/pepperoncini (respectively), and therefore considered a “sweet” pepper and placed in the Grossum group.
Sweet pepper grows as an annual and is an edible vegetable / fruit. Being an annual plant, it tends to grow best over the course of a single year. Sweet pepper is known for growing to a height of approximately 1.79 feet (that's 55.0 cm in metric) with a climbing habit. Expect blooming to occur in early summer and harvesting to start by mid summer. Consider California wonder, Red Bell, Sweet Banana, Green Belle, and Yellow Bell to grow as they are very popular with home gardeners.Typically, Sweet pepper is normally fairly low maintenance and can thus be quite easy to grow - only a basic level of care is required throughout the year to ensure it thrives. Being aware of the basic growing conditions this plant likes (soil, sun and water) will result in a strong and vibrant plant.
This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about Sweet pepper have been kindly provided by our members.
How to grow Sweet pepper
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Full Sun
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Medium
Mulch sweet peppers during the summer months to keep the soil temperature down as they have quite shallow roots. Keep the compost moist, but not wet. Fertilise weekly – when flowers appear feed with a high potash tomato feed.
Allow to completely ripen before harvesting for flavour.
Plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. As a rough idea of the types of climates Sweet pepper does best in, check to see if your local area is within USDA Hardiness Zones 4 and 11. Sweet pepper requires a soil ph of 5.5 - 7.5 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil. Keep in mind when planting that Sweet pepper is thought of as tender, so it is imperative to wait until temperatures are mild before planting out of doors.Growing Sweet pepper from seed
Peppers, like tomatoes, will not germinate with frost or cold temperatures. For most climates, starting early indoors is necessary. Pepper seeds germinate best with bottom heat keeping the soil temperature around 77-80 ºF (25-27 ºC). There are special seedling heat mats that raise the soil temp 10º above room temp, or you can use a lamp from above to warm the soil. If you do a search you can also find instructions for do-it-yourself bottom heat trays using Christmas tree lights.
Ensure a distance of 0.98 inches (2.5 cm) between seeds when sowing - look to sow at a depth of approximately 0.25 inches (0.64 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 20°C / 68°F to ensure good germination.By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Sweet pepper about 60 days before your last frost date .
Transplanting Sweet pepper
Transplant outdoors when seedlings have 5-6 leaves and after soil temp exceeds 55F.
Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Sweet pepper is a tender plant.By our calculations*, you should look at planting out Sweet pepper about 14 days after your last frost date.
Harvesting Sweet pepper
Carefully cut off short piece of stem with fruit to avoid damaging plant.
Companion plants for Sweet pepper
These plants have been known to grow well alongside Sweet pepper so consider planting:
Sweet peppers work best with plants which can help them with keeping humidity levels even – either by sheltering with leaves or providing a ground-cover.
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Sweet pepper loves Sweet pepper
Planting other peppers nearby helps keep the humidity high and can help shelter the fruits from direct sun.
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Sweet pepper loves Chili pepper
Planting chili peppers nearby helps keep the humidity high and can help shelter the fruits from direct sun.
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Sweet pepper loves Tomato
The dense foliage of tomatoes keeps the humidity high around the plant and can help shelter the fruits from direct sun.
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Sweet pepper loves Hardy geranium
Is a good trap crop for insects that carry the curly top virus.
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Sweet pepper loves Petunai
Is a good trap crop for insects, and may also help with humidity.
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Sweet pepper loves French marigold
Marigolds help to repel nematodes which can spread disease.
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Sweet pepper loves Marjoram
Good groundcover which can help to keep humidity high around the pepper plant.
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Sweet pepper loves Basil
The dense foliage of basil helps keep humidity high around the pepper plant.
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Sweet pepper loves Oregano
Dense foliage of oregano helps keep humidity high and the scent can help to repel aphids.
Repellent plants for Sweet pepper
These plants will not grow well with Sweet pepper so avoid planting these within close proximity:
Avoid planting Sweet Pepper with any plant that adds nitrogen to the soil.
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Sweet pepper dislikes Bean
Beans are host to nitrogen fixing bacteria and can be too much for peppers.
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Sweet pepper dislikes Tomato
Tomatoes can pick up the same diseases as sweet pepper.
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Sweet pepper hates Black walnut
Produces juglone which is allelopahic to nightshades.
Common Sweet pepper problems
These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Sweet pepper plants:
Identification of Pests Of Pepper
Beet armyworm2
Tobacco hornworm2
Flea beetles2
pepper weevil2
pepper weevil larvae2
green peach aphid2
potato leafhopper2
corn earworm2
fall armyworm2
Pepper maggot2
cutworms2
european corn borer2
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Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV) is caused when infected aphids and other insects com...
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Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is carried by tobacco in cigarettes, and is mainly...
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Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) was first found in Cucumbers, hence its name - ho...
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Cutworms are dull brown caterpillars that are normally they are found on or j...
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A moth and the larvae attack all parts of the corn.
Sweet pepper Etymology
Annuum refers to these plants being highly capable of being treated as an annual, regardless of perennial heritage.
Other names for Sweet pepper
Capsicum, Pepper, Bell pepper, Sweet pepper
Capsicum annuum var. grossum, Capsicum annum
Misspellings: capsium, Capsicum annum
Latest Sweet pepper Reviews
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07 May 2013
DUKE's WHITE LAKES was
Reviewed day 120
Nothing spectacular about this pepper except the fact that it is white before it ripens to a deep red. The taste is bland. 1 star for being white.
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08 Mar 2013
AngelaP's Capsicum Colour Salad Selection was
Reviewed day 117
Several long chilli shaped capsicums, not sure when they’ll be ready for harvest???
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19 Feb 2013
Sprocket1980's Pepper - Green Bell was Reviewed day 20
Readily available as plants at Wal-Mart, Home-Depot, etc. Easy to grow but may need support. Lots of large green peppers throughout the season which will ripen to sweet red if you wait it out.
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16 Dec 2012
JGarfield's Pepper: 'Sweet Pickle' [Meijer] was
Reviewed day 36
Plants seem to love the exp. clay pellets and FloraNova Grow 1ml/gal. Root base has grown out of the pots. I expect to have to change the hydro food out today the plants seem to have more waste than my other hydro units.
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16 Dec 2012 JGarfield's Pepper: 'Sweet Pickle' [Meijer] (01a) was
Reviewed day 36
Plants seem to love the exp. clay pellets and FloraNova Grow 1ml/gal. Root base has grown out of the pots. I expect to have to change the hydro food out today the plants seem to have more waste than my other hydro units.
Sweet pepper care instructions
How long does Sweet pepper take to grow?
When should I plant Sweet pepper?
Our when to plant Sweet pepper estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!
Footnotes
1 Wikipedia list of companion plants
3 Virus Diseases of Pepper Fact Sheet Page: 736.00 Date: 10-1984
Popular varieties of Sweet pepper
Sweet pepper Forums
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Capsicums, Sweet Peppers or Bell Peppers
Whatever name you call them by, this group can be a nice resource for advice from those who know better... _If you...
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