Sweet pepper

Pepper is not hardy and is damaged at as little as around 5 °C. Before the first night frosts, bring the plant into bright, cool, frost-free quarters (ideally 10–15 °C, such as a windowsill or bright stairwell) and cut it back lightly beforehand. Over winter, water only very sparingly and do not feed; after the Ice Saints it may go back outdoors. Pot up outdoor plants into a container beforehand.

Sowing (main method): Sow pepper indoors between mid-February and mid-March. Raising young plants takes around 8 to 10 weeks. Fill seed pots or trays with fine seed compost, press the seeds in about 0.5 to 1 cm deep and keep the soil evenly moist. For reliable germination you need constant soil warmth of about 25 °C (range 22 to 28 °C); a heated propagator mat or a warm place in the house helps. Cover the containers with a translucent lid to retain warmth and humidity. At optimal warmth the seeds usually germinate after 10 to 14 days; at cooler or fluctuating temperatures it can take up to three weeks. Put the seedlings somewhere bright straight away, otherwise they become leggy; in February/March supplementary lighting is often sensible. Once the young plants have two to three pairs of true leaves, prick them out individually into 9 cm pots. After the Ice Saints (mid-May) you can set them 40 to 50 cm apart in the greenhouse or in a warm, sheltered spot outdoors; harden them off beforehand by putting them outside during the day for several days.

Cuttings (supplementary method, only for overwintered plants): If you have kept an especially good plant over the winter, propagation from cuttings in late winter (end of February) from the fresh new growth is worthwhile. Cut tip cuttings 5 to 10 cm long near the shoot tip with a sharp, clean knife just below a leaf node. Remove the lower leaves, leave only one or two small leaves at the top, and insert the cutting into moist seed compost. Place a clear lid or bag over it (mini greenhouse); this keeps the humidity high. Stable soil warmth around 25 °C promotes rooting; depending on conditions the first roots show after about 2 to 4 weeks. Afterwards, gradually get the rooted cutting used to drier air by taking the cover off a little longer each day. This way you secure true-to-type copies of your favourite plant, but it requires that the mother plant overwintered well.