Story: Edible or Flowering plant of the week
Episode: 09
Presenter: Neville Passmore
Air Date: 22nd October 2022

Neville shows us the best ways to sow some gorgeous capsicums and some oh so spicy chillies!

• Chillies and capsicums are the same plant, Capsicum annuum. Capsicums are essentially really mild chillies!
• Did you know chillies and capsicums are perennials? This means you can grow them for several seasons. They are just frost tender and are grown as annuals in areas that receive frosts.
• Generous harvests – these plants produce an abundance of fruit. Just one chilli plant can produce a year’s worth of chillies. Capsicums also produce a lot of fruit but usually the larger varieties will produce less due to the energy required to produce larger fruit.
• Fresher – capsicums from the shop are prone to losing their crispness. Once you try a fresh one grown at home, you never go back! They can be picked at a variety of stages including green or waiting to full ripen for a sweet flavour. This means you can pick them as you want to use them for the freshest flavour.
• Seeds prefer warm and steady conditions in order to germinate. A steady warm soil temperature of minimum 20 degrees Celsius is ideal. The Mr Fothergill's Superhot Chillies can often require even warmer soil of 22-26 degrees which is why it is advisable to sow inside a mini greenhouse placed on top of a heat pad.
• The seeds should not be buried too deeply as this will also affect germination (5mm is ideal.) Once germinated and the danger of frost has passed, plant in their final position in the garden.
• Apply some slow-release organic fertiliser. Side dress every 4-6 weeks to top up the fertiliser. When plants begin to flower, they will benefit from a liquid feed that is rich in potassium every fortnight. Well-fertilised plants will produce more fruit.

For more information, head to:
https://www.mrfothergills.com.au