Mini Bell chocolate is an organically grown, very productive, low growing, strong plant and it produces a prolific amount of small, bell pepper-shaped fruits that grow to about 4 - 5 cm in size. The delicious, sweet flavoured peppers ripen from dark green to chocolate brown. This easy and fast growing variety is very well suited for growing in cooler climates. It can also be grown outdoors in large pots on a sunny spot with some shelter. Harvest the sweet peppers regularly to prolong the flowering and growing of new fruits till the end of summer.
Sweet pepper is a very healthy and versatile vegetable. Sweet pepper contains a.o.: vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B11, C and E. And the minerals: calcium, phosphor, iron, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium and zinc. Sweet pepper also contains some fibres, capsicum, antioxidants and little calories. Red sweet peppers contain the largest concentration of nutrients of all sweet pepper colours. You can cook, steam, stir-fry, grill, roast and prepare sweet peppers in the oven. You can also fill sweet peppers with for example rice or minced meat. You can use sweet peppers raw in salads, as bite to eat or as a healthy snack. You can also make a soup with sweet pepper that is very delicious both hot or cold. The flavour of sweet pepper combines very well with a.o.: eggs, yogurt, pineapple, nuts, olive oil, cheese, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, minced meat, hot red pepper, onions, parsley, vinegar, coriander, rice, garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme, pasta, cumin, lemon, apple, potatoes, red and white wine, prawns, salmon, tuna-fish, nutmeg and soy sauce. Sweet pepper combines very well with other vegetable as: cucumber, lettuce, aubergine, peas, sweet corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, courgette, celery, carrot and leek. Non hardy annual. Height: 60 - 65 cm.
Pre-Soaking: 12 hours
Indoor sowing: February - April
Outdoor sowing: from May
Germination: 7 - 14 days
Germination temp. : 22 - 25 °C
Sowing depth: shallow - ½ cm
Replanting: 2 - 3 weeks after sowing
Transplanting: in May, after the Ice Saints
Plant distance: 40 - 50 cm
Plant position: greenhouse or glashouse
Days till harvest: 75 - 85
Sow indoors from February on in trays filled with well-moistened potting soil. Sow shallowly and sparingly. Cover the seeds with a very thin layer of sowing soil, as sweet peppers are light germinators. Put a lid on the trays and put them in a propagator to ensure as constant and high a temperature as possible. Don't let the temperature drop especially at night. Keep the seeds well moist. For faster germination, soak the seeds in water for about 12 hours before sowing. Remove the lid as soon as the seedlings emerge. Keep well moist, warm and light. Transplant the seedlings into larger, separate pots 2 - 3 weeks after germination. Now you can put them away slightly cooler at 18 - 20 °C.
Harden off the seedlings, about 10 - 14 days by putting them outside in the sun during the day or put your seedlings in a coldframer. After this, you can put the seedlings outside from mid-May, as soon as there is no chance of night frost. Put your plants in an unheated greenhouse, conservatory or heated greenhouse. A very sunny and sheltered spot outside is also possible. Sweet peppers are heat-loving plants that need a lot of warmth, sunlight and shelter to give a good harvest.
Sowing outdoors can be done from May onwards. Provide a very sunny, warm, sheltered spot with well-drained soil. Wait to sow until there is no more chance of night frost. Sow the seeds shallowly and sparingly and press them gently into the soil. Cover with a very thin layer of soil. Keep well moist and weed-free. Once the young seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to 40 - 50 cm. Water regularly and once the peppers develop give some liquid fertiliser like e.g. Chilifocus every week. Give your plants a good and firm support. Harvest the peppers by carefully cutting them off the plant or by gently twisting the fruits off the plant.
