Hot pepper is a plant that originated in the Amazon and its use has steadily spread to other parts of the world with time. People can now be able to plant pepper in their home gardens using a few simple steps. The experience is not only rewarding but its is also fun. The best moths for one to grow hot pepper are February to March. Since the last day of frost is usually in June, one should start eight to ten weeks prior to that although they can wait until the late days of March so that they can sow their seed.
Step 1: Plant the hot pepper seeds indoors 8 weeks prior to the last frost in a pot of about 2 inches long.
Step 2: Hot pepper does well in areas with full sun. First prepare the garden; add much manure, compost and general fertilizer.
Step 3: After the last frost, immediately transplant the young seedlings outside. Incase the weather has not changed, delay the transplanting for a number of days.
Step 4: Hot pepper prefers soil that is most. One should add much water as possible during the hot and dry summer months but do not flood the soil.
Step 5: The next step is to plant and this should be done with spaces of eighteen to twenty four inches. This space often varies somehow depending on the kind of hot pepper that one is growing.
Step 5: To control weeds, surround the pepper with mulch. This will also help to retain the moisture in the soil. As the pepper grows, one should switch to fertilizer that has high content of Potassium and Phosphorous. Most gardeners often provide too much of nitrogen and this is a mistake as the result is usually a green, big looking plant that does not have much fruit.
Step 6: Hot pepper plants pollinate themselves and they usually cross pollinate from the pollen that is carried by insects such as bees. If one wants to have some seeds left over for the following year, minimize the cross breeding possibility. Avoid planting different varieties next to each other.
Step 7: Regularly dust the pepper for aphids and spider mites using organic insecticides.
Step 8: Harvest hot pepper when they reach the normal edible size. When the pepper matures, continue harvesting through clipping the pepper off the plant. Avoid pulling off.
Hot pepper normally continues growing until the first period of frost. When grown under the right conditions, the results are spectacular.
