Bell peppers are one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens. The bell pepper is native to Central and North America and is easy to grow. There is now a much wider variety of peppers to choose from with different colours and even different shapes. Peppers are a tender, warm-season crop. They resist most pests and offer something for everyone: spicy, sweet or hot, and a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. For this page, we will focus on sweet bell peppers. Seeds Specifications Seeds per Packet 30 Common Name ornamental pepper, Bell pepper, Paprika, Capsicum annuum, Indian name Shimala mirch Height 1 to 3 feet Colour Red Bloom Time Year-round Difficulty Level Easy to grow Planting And Care Soil should be well-drained, but maintain adequate moisture either with mulch or plastic covering Water one to two inches per week, but remember peppers are extremely heated sensitive If you live in a warm or desert climate, watering every day may be necessary Fertilize after the first fruit set Weed carefully around plants If necessary, support plants with cages or stakes to prevent bending Try commercially available cone-shaped wire tomato cages They may not be ideal for tomatoes, but they are just the thing for peppers For larger fruit, spray the plants with a solution of one tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon of water, once when it begins to bloom, and once ten days later Capsicum Green Care Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last spring frost date The temperature must be at least 70 degrees F for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results Start pepper seeds three to a pot, and thin out the weakest seedling Let the remaining two pepper plants spend their entire lives together as one plant The leaves of two plants help protect peppers against sunscald, and the yield is often twice as good as two segregated plants Begin to harden off plants about 10 days before transplanting A week before transplanting, introduce fertilizer or aged compost in your garden soil After the danger of frost has passed, transplant seedlings outdoors, 18 to 24 inches apart (but keep paired plants close to touching )Soil should be at least 65 degrees F, peppers will not survive transplanting at temps any colder Northern gardeners can warm up the soil by covering it with black plastic Put two or three matchsticks in the hole with each plant, along with about a teaspoon of fertilizer They give the plants a bit of sulfur, which they like Sunlight partial sun Watering Moderately Soil Loamy with neutral pH Temperature 18 °C and 35 °C. Fertilizer Apply any organic manure Harvest Season Capsicum will be ready for harvest about 2 months from planting. Capsicum Green Special Feature For maximum flavour, eat peppers on the same day they are picked. You can also leave them on a kitchen counter for a day or two to ripen further. Do not place peppers in the crisper drawer or in plastic wrap or bags in the refrigerator. Peppers are warm-weather fruits and do not store well in cold temperatures. If you have too many peppers, consider the following storage options. Capsicum Green Uses Medicinal Use: The fruit of the capsicum plant is used to make medicine Capsicum is used for various problems with digestion including upset stomach, intestinal gas, stomach pain, diarrhoea, and cramps Note: Use only after consulting the specialist Culinary Use: Can be sliced and seeded and used raw in salads