Here is the story of growing Bell Peppers in my Garden in 2023.....

February 2023

Seeds were started in my Garage Nursery. I planted California Wonder which do well in my Southern California garden. I put them on a heat mat as the temperatures at night can get pretty cold and they will germinate faster with higher soil temperatures. I tend to get a pretty good yield in about 10 days germination time.

February 23, 2023

May 11, 2023

I wanted more peppers than I grew from seed, so I succumbed and bought some from Home Depot. This year they had '9-packs' which I had never seen before for $6.98. I hate buying plants from the store, but if I don't plan well (I nearly said I was too busy - more on that later) enough to have the seedlings I want for my garden, I will use Lowes or Home Depot as a good secondary solution.

May 11, 2023 Bell Peppers Are In The Ground

I cleared out my Broccoli and added compost to my raised garden beds. The peppers that I had grown from seeds and the ones I bought in 9-packs all went in together. I ended up planting over 30 bell peppers this year.

June 23, 2023 - Bell Peppers are Growing Strong

July 22, 2023 - First Bell Pepper Harvest

Finally my Bell Peppers are ready to eat! It seemed like it was a little later this year than usual, but I expect to have a great harvest.

July 30, 2023 - Large Harvest

I have over 30 green bell peppers. Of course, these would be yellow or red bell peppers if let to mature, but green peppers are simply yellow or red bell peppers that are immature, picked before they change colors. The benefit of picking them green is that that will encourage the plant (yes you can encourage plants...) to produce more fruit - so you will have a second harvest later in the season.

Blanched Bell Peppers

I will blanch these for later use in stir fry or fajitas!

August 8, 2023 - Sun Damage and What to Do About It

This summer has been particularly hot, with several days over 100 degrees F. The scorching sun will damage those peppers that are exposed, producing what I call 'sun spots'. If you see this starting to happen, immediately pick the fruit as the rest of the fruit is still safe to eat as long as you don't see any discoloration in the area left to eat.

A Sun Shade Is A Great Solution

I bought a 55% Sun Shade from Amazon to filter half of the light to give the plants much needed sunlight to continue to allow the plants to thrive, yet protecting it from the hot summer days from burning the fruit and leaves.

Final Large Harvest of Red and Yellow Bell Peppers

I negelected the garden for a while this year. I spent a lot of my discretionary time in July and August working on my websites, and also enjoying some vacations. I didn't spend much time in the garden. I had over a dozen fruit that over ripened or were hurt by pests, but I was able to harvest about 10 large bell peppers, and about 10 smaller bell peppers. There are some still growing on the plants so I will probably be harvesting a few more before I rip up the plants and put the brocolli in their place.