We often attest to the notion that no fruit or vegetable tastes quite as good as the ones we plant and nurture in our own gardens. My five year-old nephew actually ate callaloo he helped to plant and water daily, despite his previous remarks of just how horrible it tasted. It's a triumph for the home garden or the kitchen garden, as we know it - which goes along with our Jamaican expression "yu own a yu own, if is even pepper".

Speaking of peppers - hot or sweet - these are spicy additions to almost all of our local dishes. Botanically speaking, peppers are fruits which we eat as vegetables. Surprisingly, both sweet and hot (chilli) peppers belong to the same species Capsicum annum and if planted in close proximity will be cross-pollinated by insects resulting in peppers of a rather explosive taste.

This species is divided into five main groups (based on their shape, colour and flavour), namely:

1 cerasiforme or cherry peppers - small, spherical, hot-tasting, yellow, purple or red.

2 Conioides - ornamental, hot-tasting, conical, white or green beaming crimson or purple when ripe.

3 Fasciulatum - cone-shaped, hot, clusters of bright red.

4 Longum Cayene or chilli - hot-tasting, long, tapered fruit in red to black-purple shades.

5 Grossum group (sweet peppers) - ovoid, bell-shaped, green fruits ripening to yellow, red and purple.

Sweet Peppers

This is a nutritious vegetable (fruit) which adds a piquant flavour to salads and cooked meals and is rich in vitamin C. These are easy plans to grow and you will need only four to six plants to supply the needs of the average family. These plants can also add interest in flower beds and borders using a small amount of space for maximum production.

How to plant

Seeds from your last pepper or from packets at garden centres may be sown anytime in containers or directly in the ground. For transporting, prepare the soil, adding compost or manure and if possible a handful of 2:3:2 fertiliser for best results. Seedlings are usually ready for transplanting in six to eight weeks. Plant in full sun 30-40 cm apart and, when established, pinch out the growing tips to ensure branching. The plants flower while still small but these should be picked off to allow them to grow larger. When large enough, allow them to set fruits and then pick the peppers regularly while green, as this will promote a prolonged fruiting season.

Pests and diseases

Unfortunately peppers are susceptible to virus, fungal wilt, anthracnose and powdery mildew.
These may be treated with chemicals from your local plant nurseries - always following the directions on the labels.
In a month or so, you will be reaping a sweet harvest - give one or two to the neighbours to make this delightful salad.

Mixed pepper salad

Finely chop 1/2 onion
1/2 a green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 red pepper
1lb cooked shrimps
Add salad dressing of your choice, mix and sprinkle with salt, black pepper and mixed herbs to taste. Delicious!

PS Leave space in your garden, as next week we will be adding tomatoes to your salad. Happy gardening.

The fear factor

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS