A step-by-step guide to growing peppers on the balcony: we get a good harvest without leaving home

To grow your favorite vegetables with your own hands, you don’t have to have your own plot of land. You can create a small vegetable garden on your balcony. In specialized stores presented a large number of hybrids and varieties suitable for growing on balconies and windowsills. Preference is given compact, low-growing and unpretentious crops.

Among the vegetables that are grownut on the balcony, there is pepper, both sweet and bitter. For getleniya goodhis harvestI pepper important to consider requirements for the environment and soil, follow the rules of plant care and regularly fertilize the soil.

What is needed to grow peppers on the balcony

To grow peppers on the balcony, let's create for him comfortable conditions.

When choosing a place to grow vamust be taken into accountthat this culture loves light and warmth. That's why for pepper, a balcony located on the south, east or west side is suitable. On the darkened side of the house do additional lighting. The best option is a glazed balcony; it will protect the plant from drafts and temperature changes.

Advice. On sunny days at high air temperatures, peppers need to be darkened, so it is advisable to cover the windows on the balcony with curtains or install blinds.

Hot pepper grow not only on the balcony, but also on the windowsill. The window should be southwest or east.

After choosing a place, we decide with a variety of pepper and studywe eat step by step cultivation.

Features of cultivation

Pepper can be sweet or hot. Cannot be grown on one windowsill or balcony both types, since cross-pollination will occur during the flowering period, and all fruits will be bitter as a result. Growing different varieties of just bell peppers on the balcony, for example, won’t work either. Due to cross-pollination, their fruits will have an average shape, color, taste and smell. That's why stop choosing one variety or hybrid.

Regardless of which pepper (hot or Bulgarian) you will grow, remembersethat the plant needs to be selected:

• short (no more than 40-50 cm);
• with a compact root system;
• with a long fruiting phase;
• determinant, that is, stopping growth at a certain point.

Hot peppers are not too demanding to grow. He capable withstand a lack of water and light with virtually no loss. This balcony miracle not only bears fruit, but also serves as a decorative decoration. Small bushes with bright fruits decorate any interior.

Sweet peppers are more demanding to care for, but if you create favorable conditions for them, a rich harvest is guaranteed.

Attention! The taste of peppers grown on the balcony is somewhat different from those that we are used to eating.

Varieties for growing on the balcony

A large number of varieties have been bred for growing pepper on a balcony or windowsill, which allows you to choose the best option. Main1st condition: the variety must be self-pollinatingm.

Varieties of sweet peppers suitable for growing on the balcony:

1. Maikopsky 470 — highly productive variety.The ripening period is 110-120 days, the height of the bush is 35-45 cm, the fruits are pyramidal.
2. Watercolor - early variety. The ripening period is 100-108 days, the height of the bush is 50-80 cm, the fruits are small and oblong.
3. Winnie the Pooh - sweet early ripening variety (107-115 days). Large fruits of conical size, bush height - no more than 30 cm.
4. Mysterious island - early ripening variety. Technical ripeness occurs on the 85th day. Compact bush, height - 40-60 cm, fruit in the form of a pointed cone.
5. The firstborn of Siberia. The ripening speed is 108-113 days, the height of the bush is about 50 cm, the fruits are cone-shaped.
6. Dwarf - compactoh, determinantoh, standardsoh plantse. Height - 30-40 cm, VBranchiness and foliage are weak.

Among the best varieties of hot peppers are:

1. Hungarian spicy - a low-growing plant. Yields up to 30 peppers per bush.
2. Magic bouquet - mid-season variety. Bush height - 70 cm.
3. Jalapeño - a type of Mexican chili pepper that is particularly hot. Perennial. There are several varieties of Jalapeño peppers: early, orange, purple, yellow.
4. Hot cherry - small compact plant. The ripening period is 85-90 days.
5. Habanero - one of the hottest peppers. It is characterized by high productivity; about 90 fruits are harvested from one bush.

Step-by-step instructions for growing

Growing peppers on the balcony requires compliance with certain rules.

Preparing the place and container

If for growing sharpWow pepper a window sill is enough, then a glazed balcony is preferable for sweet peppers. Choose the most illuminated place, which is equipped with shelves or racks. Will also fit mini greenhouses designed for balconies. In early spring, when the air temperature is low, they are used for growing seedlings. In summer, the film covering is removed, and the mini-greenhouse serves as a rack for plants.

To plant pepper seeds, use plastic cups, small containers or boxes.

Seed preparation

Since pepper has a long growing season, it is better to start planting in the first ten days of February if you plan to grow it on a glassed-in balcony. If the balcony is not glazed, the optimal landing time is the first ten days of May.

Sowing seeds hot pepper start already in January.

To disinfect, seed material is soaked for 3 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1:1000). For planting, take the seeds that have sunk to the bottom, and discard those that float.

Then the seeds should be slightly dried and soaked in a growth stimulator.and “Epin” (1 drop per 100 ml of water) or “Zircon” (1 drop per 300 ml of water) for 18 hours.

After this, the planting material is folded into white cotton fabric, folded in several layers and soaked in water. The fabric is tied into a bundle and placed in a plastic bag, which is left in a warm place. After three days, the seeds are checked: if the smaller half has hatched, the bundle is left for another 1-2 days.

After germination, the seeds are hardened by placing them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 3 days.

Soil preparation

Pepper loves loose, nutritious soil with low acidity (pH within 6.0-7.0). To reduce acidity, into the ground add lime or dolomite flour. soil acquire ready-made or on your own mix turf soil, sand and humus in a ratio of 2:1:1. Before planting seeds, the soil is disinfected. To do this, pour boiling water over it and then allow it to dry a little, or calcinate it in the oven for 10 minutes at a temperature of 200 °C.

Landing

A drainage layer (fine expanded clay, coarse sand) is poured onto the bottom of the prepared container, then soil is added. The soil is shed with warm water, and if it shrinks, more is added.

Place two seeds in a plastic cup at a distance of 2-3 cm to a depth of 1 cm. When sowing in a box, make grooves 1 cm deep at a distance of 4 cm from one another, the interval between seeds is 3 cm. The seeds are covered with earth, the container is covered with film.

Seeds are germinated at a temperature of 23-25 ​​°C. With the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed and the seedlings are transferred to a bright place. The temperature is reduced to 18 °C for 5-7 days to harden the plant. Then the optimal temperature regime is established.

Care

In order for full-fledged seedlings to grow, and subsequently a healthy plant that bears fruit, follow the rules of care.

Transplantation and picking

After 3-4 weeks the peppers transplanted and pikircosiness. To do this, prepare the container: boxes for 2 plants or individual pots with a capacity of 2 liters. Drainage is poured into the bottom of the dish, then soil (garden soil, sand, peat in equal proportions). The soil is moistened and a hole is made for the plant.

Reference. It is better to transplant peppers on a cloudy day or previously darken window.

Two hours before transplanting, the seedlings are irrigated. One seedling is planted in a pot. In the box, maintain a distance between plants of at least 30 cm.

The seedling is lifted along with a layer of soil, the root is carefully cut to no more than ¼ of its length. The plant is placed in a new container so that the main root does not bend and the leaves rise 15-20 mm above the ground. The soil is being crushed.

Within 2-3 days recommended maintain temperature within 19-21 °C. Colder temperatures can cause blackleg to form and the plant will die. To prevent root rot required to comply moderate humidity.

Care requirements

For normal growth and development of peppers important maintain temperature conditions. For bell peppers, the optimal temperature during the day is 22-27 °C, and at night it should not fall below 17-19 °C. The optimal temperature for growing hot peppers: in winter - from 16 to 18 °C, in summer - from 22 to 25 °C.

Lack of lighting should compensate with additional lighting (phyto- or fluorescent lamps).

Pepper loves moisture. If the air in the room is dry, plants additional sprayingut. Water with warm water in small portions. During the period of flowering and ovary formation, the bush requires about 1 liter of water per day, in hot weather - up to 2 liters.

To retain moisture in the soil, it mulch. But it is better not to loosen or do it carefully so as not to damage the roots.

Peppers are fed three times during the growing season: a week after planting the seedlings, during flowering and during the formation of the first ovary. Complex fertilizers are used for vegetable crops. Also do additional feeding: during the flowering period - with potassium fertilizers and succinic acid, during the period of ovary appearance - with fertilizers with phosphorus.

To form a bush exists a number of rules:

• the stepsons growing from the axils of the leaves are removed;
• leaves growing below the first branch are removed;
• the formation of a bush comes from only two shoots;
• the first flowers are removed at the bud stage;
• on a weak branch, pinch the crown above the first ovary;
• to stop the growth of the plant and allow the formed ovaries to develop, pinch off all the tops a month before the end of the growing season.

Diseases and pests

Zgreen aphid - one of the main pests of pepper. ABOUTusually flies in from the street. To get rid of from her, plant washed stream of water.

If cobwebs appeared on the bushes, it means he was attacked spider mite. In this case, the plants washed solution of laundry soap (1 piece of soap per 10 liters of water), and earthYu polyvayut weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 tsp per 1 liter of water).

Curling of the leaf and the appearance of a purple tint on it indicates a lack of phosphorus. Small grayish foliage indicates a lack of nitrogen. If the leaf curls and the edges become dry, it means there is not enough potassium. Should fertilize with phosphoric acid, ammonium or potassium nitrate.

White spots on the leaves appear when moisture stagnates, Means, Watering should be reduced.

Reference. With proper seed preparation and plant care, balcony peppers are practically not affected by diseases and pests.

Harvest and storage

Pepper fruits are harvested as they ripen. Ripe ones are cut, not broken off.

Several bushes of bell pepper grown on the balcony will not bear fruit, sufficient for preparations and preservation. But diversify your daily diet with fresh vegetables.

Here's a hot pepper will enjoy the harvest from late spring until December. Some varieties bring up to hundreds of fruits. Hot peppers are harvested when they are ripe, that is, when they turn orange, red or yellow.

Hot peppers are stored in boxes whole pods in dried form. Or they grind it and put it in jars. Another option is in vegetable oil. Pwashed pepper place into a glass bottle and pourvayut refined oil. After 1-2 months, a fragrant tincture is obtained.

Conclusion

Pepper is considered a fastidious crop. He reacts sharply to the lack of necessary conditions for growth. Growing peppers on the balcony is not easy, but it is quite possible. For this should take into account the peculiarities of growing sweet and hot peppers, select and equip the right place, choose the right variety and comply with all agrotechnical requirements for preparation and care.