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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: debster on January 27, 2008, 19:40:53

Title: Pepper Rubens
Post by: debster on January 27, 2008, 19:40:53
Hi guys I have some seeds from the taste of italy seeds range from t and m they are a long red pepper the instructions on the back ay i can sow now indoors then pot on into larger pots later would the instructions be for the uk ?
Title: Re: Pepper Rubens
Post by: bupster on January 28, 2008, 16:02:51
Debster, if it's for keeping indoors, it doesn't matter where it is!

If you're going to try to grow on outdoors in this country, you might need a polytunnel - not sure whether your peppers will be hardy enough to cope otherwise. However, most peppers need starting quite early as they take quite a long time to fruit, so regardless, you could sow the seeds around now!
Title: Re: Pepper Rubens
Post by: Tee Gee on January 28, 2008, 16:28:04
I think 'now' is a bit early particularly if you have no frost free facilities to grow them on in.

I find middle of March early enough (Chillis a couple of weeks earlier) and even then I only do this because I have the facilities to grow them on, otherwise I would wait till early April.

Where do you eventually plan on planting them out indoors/ outdoors?
Title: Re: Pepper Rubens
Post by: debster on January 28, 2008, 20:09:27
any large plants would need to go outdoors so will delay thought it was too early but i do tend to follow instructions to the letter i dont expect them to not be totally honest lol  ;D
Title: Re: Pepper Rubens
Post by: Barnowl on January 29, 2008, 10:28:25
The Seeds of Italy packets usually have instructions on the back  that are colour coded by zone. I think you'll find we're in a colder zone than Italy.

The real issue is that peppers, particularly the sweet variety, are unlikely to handle temperatures below 5 deg C and a hard frost will almost certainly kill the plant overnight. I think that means in your area you might have to wait until May to put them outside unprotected by which time they'll be pretty large plants and should have been moved to their final (large) pots.

You could start some now, harden them off  (in a cold frame if possible or by putting them out during the day and bringing them in at night) then put them out in April but fleece them at night until all danger of frost has passed. That's what I'm going to try this year - but we're usually a few degrees warmer here in London.  Nothing ventured.....