Milena – (F1) Bell Pepper Seed

Blocky orange pepper for heated and unheated tunnels.
Milena’s resilient plants perform well in both low-tech greenhouses and unheated tunnels. The medium-large to large fruits are deep orange and have very good flavor. High resistance to potato virus Y, tobacco etch virus, tobamovirus races 0-3, and tomato spotted wilt virus. Avg. 65,000 seeds/lb. Mini: 10 seeds. Packet: 25 seeds.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Capsicum annuum
CULTURE: Sow seeds in desired medium 6–8 weeks prior to transplanting. Maintain a constant 80–90°F (27–32°C) soil temperature. When first true leaves just show, transplant the seedlings into cell-type containers or blocks. 2" or larger containers will produce larger, stronger root systems; 4" blocks are the standard. Grow plants at 70–74°F (21–23°C) days and 68°F (20°C) nights. Fertilize with a complete nutrient solution (EC 1.5–2, pH 5.2) or equivalent as needed to keep plants dark green and healthy. When transplanting into the greenhouse, maintain temperatures of 73°F (23°C) days and 70°F (21°C) nights for the week after transplanting. This promotes rapid vegetative growth and root establishment. 7–10 days after transplanting, lower temperatures to 63–64°F (17–18°C) nights and 73–75°F (23–24°C) days. For two-stemmed plants, use a plant density of 3–3 1/2 plants/square meter, which results in 6–7 stems/square meter (9 sq.ft.). Plants can be pruned to 4 stems, maintaining 6–7 stems/square meter (9 sq.ft.), but fruit will be smaller. Remove flowers up to the second or third node after initial branching to allow the plant to reach a suitable size before trying to support a fruit load.
TRELLISING: We recommend pruning the plants to 2–4 stems and trellising them up a string, like greenhouse tomatoes.
HARVEST: Harvest peppers when they are 80% or more final ripe color.
DISEASES AND PESTS: Use crop rotation or new media to reduce soilborne disease problems. Use regularly scheduled releases of beneficial insects to control pests.
DAYS TO MATURITY: From transplanting.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/OZ.: 3,200-4,150 (avg. 3,700).
TRANSPLANTS: Avg. 950 plants/1,000 seeds.
MINI: 10 seeds.
PACKET: 25 seeds.