Planting Peppers

Mike left for Honduras (follow him at #MikHonduras on Twitter) about an hour ago for a big Scuba vacation.  I am consoling myself by planting peppers.  Last year at this time I planted a couple of types of flowers, tomatoes and peppers.  The tomatoes got a bit leggy, so I am holding off another couple weeks for them. I already have pea shoots, rocket, broccoli sprouts and basil growing.  I'll be eating the pea shoots I planted again for supper tonight, and if I'd like to be eating my own peppers for supper in Saskatchewan, it is time to plant them.

How to plant indoors:

• Soak peat pellets in boiling water or fill small pots with a peat and soil mixture (I use pellets but they are less environmentally sustainable)
• When the soil is damp and cool, make a small hole with the end of a pencil or chopstick.  Check the seed package for the depth of the hole
• Drop in two seeds.  You will pull or snip on of the two plants in they both grow, but I use organic seed, so one seed in five doesn't sprout
• Cover over the seeds with the dirt you pushed to the side with the pencil and pat lightly
• Place tray under grow light or in very sunny south window (I am using my grow table)

Peppers need a minimum of 8 weeks indoors before planting time in most parts of Canada.  Mine will need 2-3 weeks more, and most will live on my south walls, patio or in the greenhouse where the heat is most intense.  Without that, I could grow pepper plants, but would never harvest more than the first pepper off of them. As it is, I will fertilize the first blossoms by hand so I can eat multiple peppers off the bell pepper plants.

This year I planted organic 12 green bell peppers and 12 yellow bell peppers.  I also planted 6 mini peppers and 6 of the hot chilies I liked so much last year.  I will buy one jalapeno pepper (I only use one plant, so the bedding plant is cheaper than the seed in that case).