Why capsicums might be the most rewarding vegetable to grow

Capsicums are one of those crops that make you look like you know what you're doing, and I say that as somebody who's still learning most of this. They're not fussy, they crop for months, and they'll forgive a fair bit of neglect along the way. Here's why they're worth a spot in the patch.

They're not a one trick plant

Capsicums, also called bell peppers, are a vegetable, a fruit and a splash of colour all at once. Depending on the variety they grow green, red, yellow, orange and even purple, so they do something for the garden bed on their own, with no landscaping degree required.

And they're genuinely useful in the kitchen. Roast them, stuff them, throw them through a salad, or blend them into a sauce. They'll do sweet and they'll do savoury, which is a lot of range out of one plant.

Good ground for a beginner

If you're just getting into gardening, capsicums set you up to win. They're not fussy about where they go, so a raised bed, a decent sized pot or a patch of backyard soil will all do the job, and if you've made a few mistakes in the garden before, capsicums tend to look the other way and get on with it.

They want a sunny spot, and beyond that they want water, decent soil, a feed now and then, and a stake once they start carrying weight. That's about the whole list. For anyone juggling work and kids and everything else, they're the crop that doesn't need you standing over it.

They're good for you, which helps

Whether you're growing your own to save a bit of money or just because you like eating something you grew yourself, it's better again when the thing is actually good for you. Capsicums carry a solid hit of Vitamin C and beta carotene, and the red ones carry more of it than the green ones, because the ripening is what builds it.

And because they're yours, you know exactly what went on them, which is usually water and a bit of fertiliser and not much else.

A long season out of one planting

Capsicums have one of the longer cropping seasons of any vegetable. Plant them in the warm months and they'll keep handing fruit over through to autumn and sometimes past it, depending on where you are. One plant will give you more than you expect.

Before long you'll be finding room in the fridge for them, or knocking on a neighbour's door with the extras, which is its own kind of gardening success.

Good with kids in the garden

If you've got little ones around, capsicums are a fair introduction to growing food. Watching the tiny flowers turn into plump glossy fruit takes long enough to be interesting and not so long that a kid loses the plot.

And kids eat what they grew. The fussy eater in your house might turn into a capsicum fanatic, and you've got them outside and off a screen for an afternoon into the bargain.

Pick them when you like

You don't have to wait for full colour to start picking. Green capsicums are perfectly good eating, crisp and a bit tangy. Leave them on longer and they sweeten up and go richer. That's your call, and it means there's no panic when you see ripe fruit sitting on the plant.

What they actually need

• Full sun, and some shelter from the worst of the wind.
• Free draining soil with compost or aged manure dug through before planting.
• Steady water rather than a flood and then nothing. Mulch helps a lot here.
• A feed when the first flowers set, and again a few weeks later.
• A stake once the plant is carrying fruit, because a loaded branch will snap.

Shop related products

• D.T Brown Capsicum California Wonder Bell. A reliable mid variety that gives you the mix of colours.
• Brunnings Seed Raising Mix 5L. For starting seed in punnets before it goes out in the bed.
• Brunnings Easy Wetta Potting Mix 70L. If you're growing in pots rather than in the ground.
• Gyganic 1.5kg. An organic pelletised feed made for vegetables and fruit.

Did you know we also stock bamboo stakes, garden stakes, watering cans and secateurs in the shop. They're not all on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

The rest of the seed, soil and fertiliser range is in the garden centre, and if you're not sure what you need, come in and have a yak with us.

More from the garden

• Three easy summer vegetables for a first veggie patch
• Seeds or seedlings, which should you start your garden with
• 7 mistakes to avoid in a new vegetable garden

Nobody starts out knowing any of this, and anyone who makes it look instant is selling something. Ask me in the shop, I'm still learning it myself.

Cheers,
Candeece