Ornamental peppers aren’t accurately edible | Dwelling & Garden

Following 33 yrs creating a gardening column for the Article-Dispatch, Chip Tynan is retiring from the Missouri Botanical Backyard. We are rerunning some favourite columns for a few months, but the back garden will resume the column shortly. Please go on to ship inquiries to the address under.

Q • Are ornamental peppers edible? I have a charming plant with multicolored fruits and handsome eco-friendly leaves that grew in a pot this summer time and I brought indoors prior to frost.

A • Ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum) are closely related to the lots of backyard garden vegetable peppers but are developed for their ornamental qualities, alternatively than their edible fruits. They are not poisonous, but no matter whether they are edible is a make a difference of style. Some are blisteringly hot many others are simply just bland.

When grown indoors, peppers will need at least a few to 4 hrs of immediate daylight a day to keep in peak situation. Maintain the soil evenly moist, never soggy. They tolerate regular household temperatures, but the fruits last longest when night time temperatures drop to 55 to 60 levels. Under great problems, fruits may possibly continue being ornamental for two to a few months. If it survives until finally spring, give it a hard pruning and place it back again outside for the summertime soon after the climate warms up in May. Peppers adapt incredibly nicely to container culture but will need to be repotted as they expand more substantial. Alternatively, it can be planted in the backyard in a sunny, properly-drained spot.