Harvest – What should you consider?
Peppers are harvested from August to November. You can harvest them either green or ripe, but always with the stem attached. Ripe peppers are often sweeter and more aromatic than green ones. Tip: Harvesting in good time stimulates the plant to produce new fruit.
Mixed culture – What are good neighbors?
Eggplants, tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, basil and okra go well with pepper plants.
Botany – What kind of plant is this anyway?
The bell pepper plant belongs to the annual nightshade family and has a wide variety of varieties. The biggest differences are found primarily in color, shape, and size. Unlike its close relatives, chili and hot peppers, sweet peppers contain hardly any capsaicin and therefore have a mild rather than fiery flavor.
The flowering period of the bell pepper plant is from May to June. Only then do the fruits ripen. In sweet peppers, the fruits ripen from green to red or yellow. In our gardens, the plant can reach a height of 80 cm.
Cultural history – How did the pepper come to us?
The pepper arrived in Spain by ship with Christopher Columbus, from where it spread throughout the Mediterranean to India and Southeast Asia. Archaeological finds also prove that the fruit has been cultivated in tropical Central America for thousands of years.
The paprika arrived in Hungary via Turkey in the 16th century, where it became a characteristic part of the national cuisine over the years. Later, expelled "ethnic Germans" from Hungary, Romania, and Bessarabia brought the paprika to Central Europe and began cultivating it there as well.
Today, our markets primarily feature block peppers produced in the Netherlands or Spain. These have thick walls and thrive only in warm climates or greenhouses. However, there are also thin-walled varieties from Russia or Hungary that thrive in cooler climates.
Overall, global pepper production increased by 30% as more mild and sweet pepper varieties began to be bred.
TEXT: Merle Hildebrandt
