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The Little Village
Introduction
Peppers are something that even a novice can grow successfully. Below are a few rules to follow when
attempting to grow your own hot things.
Rule #1
Start as early as you can if you are growing them outside, preferably February. Yes, that's right, February.
Some of the pepper seeds are very slow to germinate, especially habanero peppers.
Rule #2
Plant 5 times as many seeds as you want plants. Just like our little sperm buddies, a lot of these guys just
don't make it. So make sure and plant plenty of seeds or you may not have anything to show for your hard work.
Rule #3
In early spring, when the guys are 4-6 inches tall, place them outside in small starter pots. Don't start them outside
too fast though ... give them an hour of sunlight the first day, 2 the second, 4 the next ... etc. On the 5th or 6th
day, you can plant them in the ground and make sure to find the sunniest spot you have. Pepper plants love the
afternoon sun more than anything.
The Little Village
Rule #4
Water them when you first put them in the ground but don't water them again for a week. Continue to be stringent
with the water, peppers will develop more flavor when you stress them with a good drought. But don't overdo it,
you can still kill them you know. Give them generous amounts of water every 10 days or so ... if they're drooping
to the ground, you might want to shorten the watering cycles. The more stress you give them, the more capsicum will
be generated and that directly translates into flavor!
Rule #5
Miracle Grow is perfect for fertilizing the peppers although you may not need to do so at all. Also, spider mites love
peppers as much as you do. You might want to use Dr. Bronner's Magic Peppermint Soap diluted in some water and sprayed
on the leaves.
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