Italian Roaster Chili Pepper Seeds

69 days to harvest. Heat Index: Medium. Italian Roaster Chili Pepper Seeds yield a pepper that is dark green to red. Smooth skinned chili, 8-10" long. Sow indoors 7-9 weeks before last frost. Package (30 seeds).

Vegetable Garden � Tips on Growing Chili Peppers From Seed

Days to Maturity: 55-90

GROWING SEEDLINGS:

Sow Chili Pepper seeds in shallow flats, 4 seeds/in., 1/4" deep, in late February or March or about 8-12 weeks prior to transplanting outdoors.
If possible, maintain soil temperatures 80-85�F (27-29�C). Pepper seed germinates very slowly in cooler soil, and may very well rot before they germinate.
Well-drained, fertile soil with abundant amounts of phosphorus, magnesium and calcium is best. Peppers do well without much added nitrogen. They are also more tolerant of acid soil than many other Garden Vegetables. Chili Peppers are less likely than bell or sweet peppers to object to the low level of aeration in heavy clay soils. Just remember to water them well in hot and dry weather.
When the first true leaves just show, transplant 2-3" apart in flats or 2" cell-type containers.
The use of 2" or larger cells will produce larger plants with better-developed root systems.
Harden off the pepper plants one to two weeks before your last frost by setting them outdoors, if the plants have blossoms cover the tomato plants at night until the night temperature is warmer.
Grow plants at approx. 70�F (21�C) day and 60�F (16�C) nights.
Do not let people that smoke handle your peppers or pick your peppers before they wash their hands. The virus that causes tobacco mosaic which will affect peppers, survives the cigarette manufacturing processes.

COLD TREATMENT:

Exposing the seedlings to controlled cold treatments can increase the number of flowers and fruits.
When the third true leaf appears, grow the plants at a minimum night temp. of 53-55�F (12-13�C) for 4 weeks.
The plants should receive full sunlight.

After 4 weeks adjust temperature to 70�F (21�C) day and night. If this technique is used, peppers should be seeded 1-2 weeks earlier than usual.

TRANSPLANTING:

Transplant out after frost when the soil is warm and weather is settled.
Ideal seedlings have buds, but no open flowers.
When setting out peppers plants I bury them 2 inches deeper than what they were in the pots or trays. Set plants 12-18" apart in rows 24-36" apart, or 2 rows on poly/paper mulch, 18" between plants.
Water-in transplants using a high phosphorus solution.
Use Row Covers: Cold weather is buffered and earliness increased by using plastic mulch, especially in combination with a slotted row cover or lightweight fabric row cover supported by wire hoops.
Remove row covers when in sunny weather above 85�F (29�C) to prevent heat damage.

USDA Hardiness Zone -First Frost Date- Last Frost Date

Zone 1 -July 15th -June 15th
Zone 2 -August 15th- May 15th
Zone 3 -September 15th May 15th
Zone 4 -September 15th May 15th
Zone 5 -October 15th April 15th
Zone 6 -October 15th April 15th
Zone 7 -October 15th April 15th
Zone 8 -November 15th March 15th
Zone 9 -December 15th February 15th
Zone 10 -December 15th January 31st (sometimes earlier)
Zone 11 -No frost. No frost.

INSECT PESTS:

Control climbing cutworms with with paper cylinder collars.
To prevent bacterial spot and phytopthora, drip irrigate only.
Plant only in well-drained soils, minimize soil compaction.

Follow a 4-year crop rotation.
Sunscald is caused by inadequate foliage. Prevent blossom end rot with adequate soil calcium and regular moisture.
Big bushy plants with few peppers can be caused by an excess of nitrogen, hot or cold temp. Extremes during the flowering period, tarnished plant bug injury, and choice of late, poorly adapted varieties.

To keep seedlings from growing long, skinny and weak stemmed, they need 10-12 hours of good direct light each day. Windowsill growing has a few problems; generally not enough light in most settings and unless you have triple glazed windows the area near a window is the coldest area of the room, especially at night. The lack of light makes the seedlings grow long (climbing to the light) and bend towards the source (closer to the cold window), not an ideal environment for producing sturdy plants. We set the trays under the lights on 12 hour shifts. This allows you to double the number of trays and lengthen the life span of the bulbs by not turning them off and on. Often we set trays on top of the light fixtures to warm the soil instead of using a heat pad for germination. We have used the "grow light" bulbs and found there is no major difference in performance over using regular fluorescent bulbs. A better use of your money is to buy more light fixtures to get more light instead of the expensive "grow lights".

The first true leaves will develop several days later. Seedlings may be given their first feeding of half strength Miracle Gro�, Peters� or Schultz� brand fertilizer (15-30-15, 20-20-20, 20-30-20 at 1/4 teaspoon to a gallon of water) as soon as the true leaves first show. Not too much, just enough to wet the leaves and soil. Newly emerged seedlings should have a gentle air flow. The best prevention for damping off and strength stalks is to have gentle air flowing around your plants. But you don't want too much air drying them out, either.

Transplanting:

Seedlings should be transplanted to a 3 or 4 inch pot as soon as the first true leaves are fully unfolded, and the second pair of true leaves is just beginning to develop. It is also safe to leave the babies in the starting cells longer, but growth will slow when the roots run out of room. Transplant to Jiffy peat pots, plastic pots or even to waxed milk cartons, taking care not to disturb the root ball. Soil temperatures should be kept to a minimum of 70�F for fastest growth. Most good potting soils contain some nutrients, but a good non-burning liquid high phosphorous fertilizer can improve root growth which is most important at this stage. Apply according to package directions about once a week. Phosphorous is the middle number between Nitrogen and Potassium. A 15-30-15 fertilizer has twice as much Phosphorous as the other two elements. We use Peters 15-30-15 soluble plant food which is widely available in the United States.

Growing:

Now that your chile plants are in the garden, keep them watered, fertilized, protected from the wind, and getting lots of sunshine. Keep a lookout for pests. The major pests we've encountered are aphids, and they can build up rapidly. Using organic insecticidal soap not only controls aphids but also kills white flies and thrips too, plus it does not "drive away" the good insects like bees, wasps, and lady bugs like sprays with a Diazanon and Seven solutions will do. Follow label directions for best results. You can harvest your Chiles when they are green, but they're so much prettier if you wait until they turn to orange or red or yellow or brown. As the growing season comes to a close, cover the plants at night with plastic or cloth sheets if frost is predicted or the temperature is to go below 32�F or 0�C. Don't use this method if strong wind is in the forecast, as the sheeting can catch the wind and destroy the plants. You will be surprised at how much long you can extend a growing season. This is not practical for large crops, but if you only have a few plants or a "pet" plant, it is worth the effort. Just remember to uncover the plants before the sun gets too high the next morning.