More Palates Wanning To Sweet Peppers

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30277, 1 November 1963, Page 8

More Palates Wanning To Sweet Peppers

Capsicums or sweet peppers are a vegetable becoming more popular in New Zealand and being offered in everincreasing quantities in the shops. They can

be served in various ways, added to casseroles, stuffed or most often used raw in salads or as sandwich fillings.

The capsicum is a form of the plant capsicum annum which is a very variable species. All kinds produce pungent fruits. The smaller, elongated thin ones are very hot to the taste and are not often considered palatable. Their use is mainly restricted to ornamentation and for making cayenne pepper. The larger, fatter, stumpy and rather inflated fruits are those commonly used for culinary purposes. This plant, although unknown in the wild, probably originated in tropical America and it is generally thought that it needs a warm

area for cultivation. While it does grow and ripen fruit far better in a warm area it can never-the-less be grown in the more sheltered areas of Canterbury. Select the warmest, most sheltered part of the garden to give it maximum protection during the long growing season which is needed in order to develop and ripen sufficient fruits of reasonable size.

It is preferable to raise the plants from seed under glass, prick off into pots (or sow direct into peat pots), and then carefully transplant outside when about 4in high. The ground should be well prepared beforehand, incorporating liberal quantities of well-ratted organic matter. Do not forget to harden off the young plants before planting them outside. Spacing is somewhat dependent on the variety grown but should not be less than l|in to 2in between the plants and 2in to 2| in between the rows. Once the plants have established themselves they should be kept growing and never allowed to dry out at the roots which means keeping them well watered, especially during the dry weather.

Watch flor red spiders and apply an immediate control such as malathion when there is evidence of their presence. Rates of fruit maturity will vary greatly, depending on ail sorts of factors but it will take some considerable time with the earliest ready perhaps in February.