When to sow Espelette pepper?
The sowing of Espelette is sowing hot in February / March. Seeds actually need heat to raise: 18 to 20 ° C.
What to do before sowing Espelette pepper (preparation, etc.)?
The Espelette pepper likes very rich soils! Work the soil with a fork-fork at least 30 cm deep. Do not hesitate to amend your parcel generously: count 3 kg of manure or mature compost per square meter.
How to sow it?
Hot seeding
The Espelette pepper proves to be delicate to handle, the ideal is to carry out a sowing in buckets: that will facilitate the stage of the transplanting.
- Fill each bucket with seed potting soil;
- Deposit 3 seeds per cup;
- Tamp lightly and water in fine rain, not to move the seeds.
Install the buckets in a warm and bright place: window sill, porch or greenhouse. After emergence, make a selection to keep only one plant per bucket.
To transplant the plants
Espelette pepper blossoms in a warm earth. We will wait for the month of May to put it in place in the garden. To reduce the risk of disease, space the plants well: 50 to 60 cm. Do not hesitate to dig a hole deep enough to bury the first leaves of your plants, as this will promote better root development. The earth does not seem hot enough? Use tiles as mulching. But be careful: they will have to be removed when temperatures begin to climb. Because if the Espelette pepper likes a warm soil, a temperature too high will not succeed!
Where to plant Espelette pepper?
To fully flourish, Espelette pepper needs light and heat. It will therefore be offered a sunny location, and protected from one of its worst enemies: the wind!
The Espelette chili lends itself to a pot culture on the balcony. It is also very decorative. In the garden, it will obviously be grown in the kitchen garden, where it will be particularly popular with tomatoes and aubergines. If you want to create an original decor in an ornamental garden, you can introduce a few feet into your beds!
How to maintain it?
Ideally, you should hoe and weed regularly your plants. Common gestures in the kitchen garden, which are nevertheless very complicated! Espelette pepper, very delicate, breaks easily. Better to choose a mulching. This option will also allow you to optimize watering. Because of its fragility, this variety is one of the rare peppers that it is wise to stake.
How to water Espelette pepper?
Espelette pepper does not need a lot of water. It will be satisfied with a moderate watering. Always make sure that the hose or watering can be positioned at the foot, to avoid wetting foliage.
Harvest Espelette pepper: when and how?
The production of Espelette pepper ranges from August to October. Harvest the fruits when they turn a beautiful red color and they mature. Proceed with delicacy, so as not to crush the peppers and not break the branches.
You can of course eat Espelette pepper when it is fresh. If you prefer to keep it for later use, it should be dried.
Dry the peppers
If you want to dry your peppers, you can choose two options:
- Drying on a shelf: place the peppers on shelves in a sunny and well ventilated place. This technique requires space, it will be reserved for small quantities;
- Rope drying: get a needle and string. Pass the thread at the peduncle of peppers. Finish with a loop and hang the rope in a sunny and well ventilated place.
Allow 4 to 5 weeks, depending on the hydrometry. For perfect drying, you can finish drying by baking: place your peppers or cords at half-height, at low temperature (50 ° C). Heat them for one hour, preferably leaving the oven door ajar.
Once dried, the Espelette pepper is used in strips, incorporated in your preparations, rice cooking water or pasta or income. You can also use it to make your own powder, so remember to keep it dry, away from light.
Harvest the seeds
Like all pepper, Espelette pepper produces seeds that are easy to recover and preserve for a next sowing. To make sure to harvest peppers that have all the morphological qualities of the authentic Espelette pepper, the secret is to choose the mother plant. Select a sturdy, robust and well-branched plant, and harvest its finest fruit. Wait until they are perfectly dry to recover the seeds.
Diseases of Espelette pepper and what to do?
Espelette pepper is not very vulnerable to diseases. Two simple precautions will be enough to keep healthy plants: give them sufficient spacing and avoid wetting the leaves.
Gastropods
Espelette chilli is particularly fearful the slug and the snail. To protect it, you can use traps or just stop around the feet. To do this, use natural products: pine spines, crumbled egg shells … Chilli enjoying potash, you can also use ashes.
Aphids
Espelette pepper is quite resistant to aphids. In case of massive invasion, however, it is better to intervene. You can opt for a treatment with black soap or pyrethrum extract.
Even more to plant:
