California Wonder Bell Peppers

California Wonder Bell Peppers have been around since 1928 and these plants produce beautiful peppers that are large and delicious. They are easy to start and are fun to watch as they change their color from green to red. Dice them up and toss them in your spaghetti sauce or scrambled eggs.

• Start inside 8 weeks prior to the last frost. Use a heating pad to ensure good germination rates.
• Peppers need warm soil to germinate. If you are starting them in starter pots, a heating pad will speed up the germination process. If you are planting outside, make sure the soil is at least 80°F.
• To direct sow, plant seeds in debris-free, well-worked soil that has been deeply watered. Cover with 1/4″ of finely sifted soil. The minimum temperatures at night should be no less than 60°F.
• If you are planting seeds in starter pots, plant seeds into thoroughly moist high-quality seed starting soil. Place seeds on the top of the soil and cover with 1/4″ of finely sifted soil.
• Once your seeds have germinated and are 1-2″ tall, fertilize with an organic liquid fertilizer. When the plants are 3-4″ tall you can plant them out into the garden.
• Space plants at least 12″ apart.
• When growing bell peppers, shade cloth can help to diminish sun scald that can scar the skin of the peppers
• Peppers are easy to grow once you get them established.
• Mulching heavily around your peppers will help with weed suppression and moisture retention.
• Harvest peppers often to encourage more production. Cut fruits from their stems; do not pull.

Peppers make excellent container plants. Make sure your container is at least 20″ deep and provide support for the plants to grow up. Keep in mind containers will dry out faster because they have more surface area and less soil to hold onto moisture. Mulch heavily on the top layer of soil in the pot to keep the soil from drying out or heating up too much.

Storing Peppers. Take your extra peppers and slice them into medium size strips. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and then put them in the freezer for an hour. Take them out of the freezer and put them in a freezer bag and then put them back into the freezer. Now you have a bag of pepper slices and whenever you need some to add later just go to the freezer, open the bag and pull out a few strips and start cooking. They won't be stuck together and are easy to access.