Most vegetable growers grow peppers in their summer cottages. Pepper has beneficial properties that remain even after defrosting. This vegetable crop loves heat very much and therefore it is recommended to determine in advance when to plant pepper in open ground for its best growth. After all, if you plant it too early and the minimum temperature outside drops below 0-5 degrees, the frozen seedlings will die.
When to plant pepper seedlings in open ground
Before planting pepper in open ground, it is necessary to determine the timing of its planting.The period for planting seedlings depends on two main factors.
Weather
It is no secret that the optimal temperature plays a very important role when planting peppers in the garden. Its quality depends on the temperature at which pepper seedlings are grown. Therefore, you should find out in advance what minimum temperature the seedlings can withstand. The temperature outside should be at least 15-18 degrees Celsius. This is enough to grow a good harvest. The critical temperature for planting a crop is 0-10 degrees. With such indicators, seedlings may begin to freeze.
Optimal temperatures in different parts of the country occur at different times. Residents living in the southern regions are recommended to plant bell peppers no earlier than May. This month, even a strong drop in temperature will not affect the planted seedlings. If you plant seedlings in April or March, night frosts can destroy all the bushes.
In more northern regions it gets warmer a little later and, therefore, to prevent the bushes from freezing at night, they are planted no earlier than the second half of May. Some gardeners from the northern regions of the country prefer to grow peppers in a greenhouse. At the same time, the temperature in the greenhouse during the day and evening is maintained at 20 degrees.
Moon calendar
A considerable part of vegetable growers determine favorable planting days for pepper using a special lunar calendar.
It is known that the phases of the moon can affect the planting date of peppers. As the size of the Moon increases, all the power of the plants is directed upward, and when it decreases, it is directed downward, closer to the roots. Pepper fruits are aboveground and therefore their planting in the spring should be carried out during the growing month. This year, the size of the Moon will increase during such spring days - from April 25 to May 10.People living in northern areas must wait for the next phase of the moon, which begins on May 29 and lasts until June 10. It is in these numbers that it is better to plant peppers in the shade or in the sun to achieve good yields.
Planting seedlings
Having determined the optimal planting date for peppers after frost, you can begin replanting. Planting vegetables in open ground is quite difficult and therefore it is better to become familiar with the features of this process.
Site selection
Before carrying out spring transplants, you need to select the most suitable site in the garden. The quality and quantity of the harvest depends on where the pepper is planted. To prevent the planted seedlings from freezing during cultivation, they should be planted only in sunny areas that are constantly warming up.
Also, when choosing, you should take into account the crops that were planted on the site earlier. You can plant this vegetable crop where cabbage, cucumbers, legumes and zucchini were grown. At the same time, sweet peppers will not grow well after potatoes, tomatoes, physalis and eggplants.
In addition, it is necessary to determine which soil is best suited for this vegetable crop. It is recommended to grow peppers in light and loose soil. They grow best in it, and their root system almost never freezes. Pepper is afraid of clay and sandy soils located in damp, low-lying areas. Such soil freezes quickly during cold weather, so lower night temperatures can harm the bushes. Some gardeners still grow peppers in clay and sandy soils. However, to prevent the seedlings from freezing during the day or at night, it is better to plant them in a greenhouse.
Soil preparation
Having determined where the pepper will be planted, you should begin pre-preparing the soil. First, you need to treat the area with fertilizers that will help normalize the acidity of the soil. To do this, the entire area should be sprayed with a mixture prepared from overripe sawdust and humus. Then a bucket of coarse sand mixed with peat is added to the soil.
To prevent the ground from freezing at night and being caught by frost, it needs to be warmed up a little.
This procedure should be carried out 5-10 days before planting. The soil should be treated with warm, overripe manure, which will help not only increase the temperature of the soil, but also restore its fertility. Before you spray the soil with fertilizers, you need to decide on the amount of fertilizer to add to the soil. Spray a square meter of area with a bucket of fresh humus mixed with a glass of ash.
Landing
Planting any crop begins with preparing the bed. Make two or three small beds on the site. Before doing this, it is advisable to determine what dimensions they will have. The length of one bed should be about three meters, and the width should be 80-90 cm.
You should also decide on the distance between the rows. In this case, it all depends on the varieties planted. If you prefer low varieties, then the row spacing should be at least 30 cm. For tall varieties, the distance between the rows increases to 60 cm. The beds should be made higher so that during severe frosts not a single root begins to freeze.
When all the beds have been created, the grown seedlings can be planted in them. In this case, you should make sure that only the root of the bushes fits into the soil, and their stem remains above the ground.After planting, you can take care of protection from possible night frosts. To do this, it is recommended to cover all seedlings with film at night. The film is opened only after the temperature rises to 15-18 degrees.
Care
Many gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to get a high-quality harvest without proper care of vegetables. Definitely not, since proper care helps to increase the yield of pepper.
Watering
Not everyone knows what to do to prevent the pepper from drying out and burning, and how to save it from this. If the sweet pepper burns in the absence of rain, it means it lacks moisture. This vegetable is afraid of the soil drying out and therefore the bushes will not withstand dry soil for long.
After planting the seedlings, you need to carefully consider the watering regime and determine what temperature the water will be. I'm afraid that too cold a liquid will damage the stems of the peppers. Therefore, I will stick to my opinion and advise warming the water to 20-25 degrees before watering. It is necessary to moisten the soil 2-3 times a week on cloudy days. In summer it is recommended to do this daily.
Top dressing
After planting the seedlings, you need to take care of regular fertilizing. For the first time, it is necessary to restore nutritional components in the soil after the formation of two true leaves on the bushes. During this period, mineral fertilizing will fade into the background, since only organic matter should be added to the soil. Humus with peat and sawdust is added to the soil. You need to fertilize again two weeks after the first. During the second feeding, mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium are added to the soil.
Conclusion
Planting peppers is quite a complex job, which is not easy to cope with without experience.To do everything correctly, you need to determine the optimal sowing time and become familiar with the peculiarities of planting this crop.
