{"id":67,"date":"2020-03-28T17:17:25","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T22:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/?p=67"},"modified":"2022-10-29T11:58:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-29T16:58:07","slug":"peppers-worth-considering-for-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/?p=67","title":{"rendered":"Peppers \u2013 worth considering for your garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-68\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Habenero-peppers-Sept-2019-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Home grown habanero peppers\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Habenero-peppers-Sept-2019-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Habenero-peppers-Sept-2019-300x200.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Habenero-peppers-Sept-2019-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/>\r\n<figcaption>Patio pot grown habanero peppers<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Peppers are such a versatile vegetable to have on hand in your pantry.\u00a0 They are great fresh, amazing in a stir fry, a chili or soup, and they maintain a lot (80%) of their nutrients when canned or frozen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Peppers keep well in the fridge \u2013 if unwashed, up to 10 days.\u00a0 They also do not\u00a0 require blanching before freezing, making it convenient to save for use in the winter months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"225\" class=\"wp-image-69 alignleft\" style=\"width: 150px;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Green-bell-peppers-2018-e1585431493441.jpg\" alt=\"Green bell peppers 2018\" data-wp-editing=\"1\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Green-bell-peppers-2018-e1585431493441.jpg 3456w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Green-bell-peppers-2018-e1585431493441-200x300.jpg 200w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Green-bell-peppers-2018-e1585431493441-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Green-bell-peppers-2018-e1585431493441-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\u201cBell peppers\u201d often just referred to as red, orange, yellow or green peppers are very nutritious.\u00a0 One red bell pepper has twice the amount of vitamin C as an orange! These nutrient packed vegetables also have vitamins A, B6, K, E and elements such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.\u00a0 Bell peppers are also full of antioxidants, making them a tasty super food.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Peppers are rated for heat in Scoville heat units with bell peppers at zero.\u00a0 Jalapeno peppers have around 3500-8000 units and, well one of my favorite peppers habaneros, pack between 150 000 to 300 000 units.\u00a0 There are even hotter peppers, such as ghost peppers. So, if habaneros do not pack enough heat for you, grow or pick up some ghost peppers at your local farmers market.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"googleadsrectangle\"><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; }<br \/>\r\n@media (max-width:420px) { .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } }<br \/>\r\n<\/style> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5639430099219624\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script> <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5639430099219624\" data-ad-slot=\"4864070677\"><\/ins> <script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like an easy way to add \u201ckick\u201d to your recipes, hot peppers, such as habaneros, dehydrate well using a dehydrator.\u00a0 Just wash, quarter and seed your peppers, and then process them according to your dehydrator\u2019s instructions. Then store them in a sealed container.\u00a0 When you are ready to use them, blend them in a coffee grinder or food processor. I don\u2019t want to breathe in the powder, so I blend my dried hot peppers outside or in the garage.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have heard that green peppers are just under ripe red peppers.\u00a0 While it is true that some green peppers will in time ripen to red. Some varieties of green peppers will stay green throughout their maturation process.\u00a0 I love buying my peppers for salsa making at the farmers markets because I can get a half of a bushel at a time. I like to see some peppers, in a bushel of bell peppers, that have started to turn red because that means if I want to use them as a red pepper, I just have to leave the pepper at room temperature for a couple of days, and it will turn red.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the red pepper more nutritious than a green pepper?\u00a0 I have read that a green pepper will have<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> less vitamin C and A compared to a red or orange pepper.\u00a0 However, if you prefer the bitter taste of a green pepper, eat it!\u00a0 Consider it to be part of \u201ceating your greens\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"googleadsrectangle\"><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; }<br \/>\r\n@media (max-width:420px) { .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } }<br \/>\r\n<\/style>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5639430099219624\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5639430099219624\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4864070677\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fun fact, peppers belong to the nightshade family of plants.\u00a0 Other nightshade plants include: chili pepper, cayenne pepper, eggplants, tomatoes and potatoes (but not sweet potatoes or yams).\u00a0 It is rare, but some people have severe digestive problems when eating night shade plants so if you are finding that all the above fruits and vegetables give you some issues, you might want to avoid the nightshade family of plants.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Regarding planting peppers<\/b><\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_70\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-70\" style=\"width: 231px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-70\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jalapenos-2019-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"jalapenos 2019\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jalapenos-2019-231x300.jpg 231w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jalapenos-2019-768x996.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jalapenos-2019-790x1024.jpg 790w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-70\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jalapenos grown in a cold frame 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It took me several years to figure out how to achieve success in growing peppers in my home garden.\u00a0 When I first started home gardening in Southern Ontario and was just starting to get into growing vegetables, I would buy a couple of greenhouse jalapeno pepper plants each year.\u00a0 I would basically plant them and water when needed and I would be lucky to see a couple of peppers each year from each plant. It hardly seemed worth the effort.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But I am stubborn, and so over the years I have tried different pots and locations with a variety of sun and wind exposures and have found that this has resulted in the best success in growing peppers:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If starting from seed indoors make sure to start your plants early.\u00a0 For instance, for poblanos (ancho) peppers they should be started 5-6 weeks before the last frost. So, where I am these can be seeded indoors as early as mid March.\u00a0 Habaneros can be seeded indoors even earlier.<br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are going to purchase plants from a green house, choose the straightest, healthiest plants and buy your plants early.\u00a0 Even if you have to baby them a bit at home before they are ready to be transplanted, by buying early you will have a good selection of healthy plants to choose from.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose a very sunny location, at least 8 hours of direct sunlight<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most successful vessel for growing peppers has been my cold frame.\u00a0 We amend the soil with compost and manure.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My cold frame is in a nice location, no wind issues and full sun.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seed package instructions will tell you to make sure your soil has an abundance of phosphorus and calcium. So to do this, you can add lime when applying the compost to the bed or container before transplanting.\u00a0 I have found that putting both compost and manure in my cold frames has been sufficient.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And most important, prepare to fertilize your peppers.\u00a0 I scratch in an organic pellet fertilizer after transplanting the plant and then scratch in additional organic fertilizer every 3 weeks.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peppers will tolerate dry soil but you will get good plant growth if the soil is kept moist.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/li>\r\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be patient, peppers do take a long time to develop.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t get your transplants in until the end of May or June, you might not have peppers until August or September.\u00a0 But again, be patient, because some of my best pepper plants produced the most peppers ready for harvest at the beginning of September.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/span>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_71\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71\" style=\"width: 628px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-71\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Poblano-peppers-2019-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"628\" height=\"418\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Poblano-peppers-2019-300x200.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Poblano-peppers-2019-768x512.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Poblano-peppers-2019-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-71\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Poblano peppers grown in a Mayne planter with reservoir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"googleadsrectangle\"><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; }<br \/>\r\n@media (max-width:420px) { .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } }<br \/>\r\n<\/style><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5639430099219624\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"autorelaxed\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5639430099219624\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1690262368\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Peppers are such a versatile vegetable to have on hand in your pantry.\u00a0 They are great fresh, amazing in a stir fry, a chili or soup, and they maintain a lot (80%) of their nutrients when canned or frozen. Peppers keep well in the fridge \u2013 if unwashed, up to 10 days.\u00a0 They also do &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/?p=67\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Peppers \u2013 worth considering for your garden&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,339,117],"tags":[15,8,18,17,12,13,11,340,14,16],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8102,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions\/8102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homekokki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}