Contents:
- Pepper - Scoville scale
- Paprika - how to sow?
- Colorful varieties of chili - list
- Pepper - how to plant?
- Pepper care
Pepper - Scoville scale
Although sweet pepper, pepperoni and chili are collectively called "paprika", they are actually different species and botanical varieties. Chili was known and cultivated by the Aztecs. Most of its varieties come from South America and the Caribbean. What distinguishes them the most is the shape and degree of sharpness, which is influenced by the different concentration of capsaicin.The sharpness of the peppers is measurable. For this purpose, the Scoville scale measurements are used (more on the next page).
This scale is very broad and should be treated as indicative. The same varieties may have a different degree of sharpness, depending on the growing conditions (insolation, soil fertility, temperature). But one thing is for sure: some peppers are really hot as hell.So sharp that eating even a small bite can cause pain and even disrupt the nervous system.
Paprika - how to sow?
Peppers can be grown on their own from seeds or, more conveniently, from seedlings bought in gardening. Almost all varieties require more heat than tomatoes and ripen best under glass, in a foil tunnel, or in a sheltered position near the house.
The pods are ripe for harvest when they have the right color. The fruits of most varieties are green at the beginning, becoming yellow, orange and finally red as they mature.Some varieties also mature yellow or orange. As it matures, the degree of spiciness hardly changes, but the flesh becomes juicier.
Colorful varieties of chili - list
Colorful varieties of chili
1. 'Tabasco' is probably the most popular chili variety in the world.The pods are first green, then yellow, in the maturing phase they turn fiery red.Shrubs overwintering in pots in the first year bear fruit abundantly in the following year.
2. 'Birds Eye' is one of the sharpest varieties.
3. Violet chillies, such as the 'Starfire Purple' and 'NuMex Twilight' varieties, have a compact habit and are perfect for growing in containers. During the period of ripening, the pods take on a rainbow color in shades of green, purple, orange.
4. Blueberry chili has very effective varieties, incl. about fruit in the shape of bells. After harvesting, the pods stay firm for a long time.
5. Rocoto Capsicum pubescens is characterized by black seeds. The flesh is thick and juicy, so the pods are difficult to dry.
6. Habanero 'Orange Latern' creates icicle-shaped fruits - green at first, orange when ripe.
Pepper - how to plant?
The seedlings should be hardened about 10 days before transplanting outside, which should be done 2-3 weeks after the threat of spring frosts is over. When night temperatures reach at least 15 degrees Celsius, you can transplant the seedlings outside, at intervals of up to 15-20 cm. Plant the seedlings no deeper than they were already potted - otherwise the stems may become more susceptible to rotting. The temperature of the soil at the time of planting should be around 12-15 degrees Celsius, as peppers are very sensitive to low temperatures.Speed up the heating of the soil by covering it with black foil or dark mulch about a week before the planned planting.
Pepper care
This vegetable is not demanding to care. For sweet pepper, the first flowers are peeled. In tall, but slow-growing species, pinch the shoots at a height of about 30 cm, behind the first flank of leaves. Thanks to this, the pepper bushes will keep a compact, dense habit and develop more fruiting side shoots.To prevent them from breaking under the weight of heavy pods, they should be tied to supports.
The varieties with large, fleshy fruits are fed in two stages with organic fertilizer for vegetables. We feed it for the first time during planting, the second time in June, when the plants begin to set fruit. Chili peppers are fed more often, but with smaller doses.In pot growing, organic liquid fertilizer that is mixed with watering water every two weeks is best. In the period of fruit formation, we can even feed every week.
