Most of us eat sweet peppers fairly regularly and chilli peppers are increasingly part of our diets as well. Peppers require a relatively warm environment in which to grow and the UK doesn't really have the climate for it. A good way of growing peppers with success is to make use of a polytunnel.
A polytunnel provides a large growing space and enables you to grow fruit or veg in much greater volume. Most commercial crop farming operations will use polytunnels, if not to grow exotic fruit and veg then to extend the growing season for native produce. Polytunnels are effectively giant greenhouses, providing a warmer environment which allows people to grow plants that otherwise wouldn't be suited to our conditions.
If your pepper plants grow a bit leggy, use sticks or bamboo to support branches and once they have flowered, feed them with tomato fertilizer or something similar. Peppers grown from seed can be planted in polytunnels from around May onwards. Rich, well-drained soil is needed for pepper plants.
Grown in a polytunnel, peppers can ripen right the way up until November and you will know when to pick them by their colour. Both types of peppers - sweet and chilli - start off green and then ripen over time and this is when you will see the advantage of growing in a polytunnel. If your plants fruit late in the season, there generally won't be time for them to properly ripen outdoors, which is particularly bad for chillies as they will lack heat.
Tomato plants require similar conditions to peppers and also grow well in a polytunnel. A polytunnel makes an excellent investment if you wish to grow produce on any scale. Peppers are not the only fruit worth growing in a polytunnel, there are many that benefit from the heat and longer growing season.
A polytunnel provides a large growing space and enables you to grow fruit or veg in much greater volume. Most commercial crop farming operations will use polytunnels, if not to grow exotic fruit and veg then to extend the growing season for native produce. Polytunnels are effectively giant greenhouses, providing a warmer environment which allows people to grow plants that otherwise wouldn't be suited to our conditions.
If your pepper plants grow a bit leggy, use sticks or bamboo to support branches and once they have flowered, feed them with tomato fertilizer or something similar. Peppers grown from seed can be planted in polytunnels from around May onwards. Rich, well-drained soil is needed for pepper plants.
Grown in a polytunnel, peppers can ripen right the way up until November and you will know when to pick them by their colour. Both types of peppers - sweet and chilli - start off green and then ripen over time and this is when you will see the advantage of growing in a polytunnel. If your plants fruit late in the season, there generally won't be time for them to properly ripen outdoors, which is particularly bad for chillies as they will lack heat.
Tomato plants require similar conditions to peppers and also grow well in a polytunnel. A polytunnel makes an excellent investment if you wish to grow produce on any scale. Peppers are not the only fruit worth growing in a polytunnel, there are many that benefit from the heat and longer growing season.
About the Author:
Paul Cheacham is a widely respected writer who has been writing for 5 over years often writes on Summer Houses and a wide range of other subjects.
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