Green Pepper Seeds 7g

This green hot chili is harvested young and fresh, while the pods are still bright green, glossy and firm. Picked at this green stage it delivers a clean, crisp heat with a lively grassy bite rather than the deeper, smokier flavour that develops if the fruit is left to fully ripen and change colour. That makes it a kitchen favourite for fresh salsas, quick pickles, green sauces and the everyday Egyptian dishes where you want sharp, vibrant spice. Picking the pods green also keeps the plant flowering and productive, so a single healthy plant can keep cropping through the warm season.

Planting

Hot chili peppers need a long, warm season, so give them a head start indoors. Start seeds under protection about 8-10 weeks before your last expected cold spell (some hot types need up to 12 weeks). Sow about 0.6 cm deep in a sterile, soilless germination mix. Seeds need warmth of around 21°C to germinate and usually come up in about 10 days; a heat mat holding 27-32°C speeds and improves emergence. Once seedlings appear, keep them at 16-18°C in bright light. When true leaves form, thin or prick them out so they stand 5-8 cm apart, or pot each one on when it is about 2-3 cm tall. Transplant outdoors only after night-time lows stay above 10°C and the soil has warmed to at least about 18°C. Space plants 38-45 cm apart (30 cm for dwarf types), or set one plant per 22 cm pot in containers. Choose the warmest, sunniest spot: peppers want full sun with at least 6 hours of direct light a day, and 8-10 hours is even better.

Fertilizing

Before transplanting, work a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10 or 13-13-13) into the soil at about 1 kg per 9 m², adjusting phosphorus and potassium to suit your soil, and keep the soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Once the first fruits set, side-dress with nitrogen to support continued growth and fruiting. Go easy, though: too much nitrogen produces bushy, leafy plants that are slow to bear fruit. For plants in containers or under glass, feed weekly with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser (such as a tomato feed) as soon as flowering starts, to favour fruit over leafy growth.

Care

Keep soil moisture even and steady. If the plants do not get about 2.5 cm of rain a week, soak the soil thoroughly at least once a week, and water with drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering to reduce disease. Watch for common pests such as cutworms, aphids, tomato hornworms and stink bugs, and stay alert to diseases like bacterial leaf spot, bacterial wilt and viruses, as well as physiological problems such as blossom-end rot and sunscald. The pods are usually ready 70-85 days after transplanting. Pick the first fruits promptly once they reach full size to encourage more fruit to set; harvest them green for the biggest overall yield, since leaving chilies on the plant to ripen to full colour develops a hotter flavour but suppresses new flowers and can cut the total harvest by 25% or more.