• To not miss anything and get all the information to succeed in your pepper planting, check out our Ultimate Pepper Growing Guide

The Barra Do pepper is a Baccatum pepper variety rarely cultivated in Europe but which adapts well there. The plant is very decorative once the fruits appear and they are also suitable for consumption. You can, for example, use them abundantly in salsas or other preparations of your choice. The peppers ripen from light green then light yellow to purple, and can reach 2 cm in length when mature. The heat of this pepper is rather medium and you will need to germinate the seeds between January and March ideally. The plant grows to about 70cm, is sensitive to frost, and must therefore remain in a pot indoors until all risk is eliminated.

• heat: 15,000 on the Scoville scale.
• plant size about 70 cm.
• medium-sized fruit, about 2cm long.
• fruit color: Green then Yellow during growth, Purple at maturity.
• genus: Capsicum Baccatum.
• ideal germination: between January and March.
• harvest: between September and November.

What Equipment for growing my peppers?

To optimize your results we recommend that you equip yourself with:

Barra Do Pepper Seeds.
An enclosed growing area such as a mini greenhouse.
Coconut pellets, peat or cotton (to germinate the seeds).
Labels (to avoid mixing your seedlings).
Potting soil (ideally a mixture of 50% black peat and 50% blonde peat) or special flowering potting soil which will also do the job.
Fertilizer for Peppers or for Tomatoes, or 5 5 10 fertilizer for connoisseurs.
A water sprayer or watering can.
Gloves (if you don't like contact with soil).
Pots with a diameter of 7 or 8 cm at the beginning before using pots of 10 liters or more depending on the pepper for repotting

To make your life easier we offer our mini greenhouse for growing your peppers.

How to Germinate my Pepper Seeds?

Planting Peppers is a process that requires patience and some knowledge, but don't panic, we'll explain everything to help you germinate your pepper seeds!

Pepper seedlings are sown at the beginning of the year generally between January at the earliest and March for the beginning of spring. To do this you will need the equipment listed above.

You then have 2 options:
Plant your seed directly in a pot full of potting soil at half a cm depth
Place a seed on a coconut pellet or on a piece of cotton.

In both cases, once the seed is in place you will need to spray enough water to moisten the soil or cotton without wetting it, then place your coconut pellet or cotton in a container like a mini greenhouse which will then retain heat and humidity thus providing oxygen. If you use a flower pot you can simply stretch film over it and make small holes with a toothpick to oxygenate the plant.

The ideal is to maintain a constant temperature of 28 degrees. You can store your container behind a sunny window, on or near a radiator or on a heating mat or heating pad designed for this purpose.

OUR TIP:

Place your mini greenhouse on your internet box!

Remember to ventilate your growing area from time to time to avoid the appearance of fungi while keeping the soil moist. Once the first leaves appear you will need to be careful to give your shoots enough sun for 12 to 14 hours per day. Once the second set of leaves is well developed you can then repot them.

Once in a pot keep your plant near a heat source and exposed to the sun (ideally try to filter the light to avoid heat stress)

After the Ice Saints around mid-May you can move your plant outside and plant your pepper in the ground if you wish or leave it in a pot and display it on a balcony, a window sill or even along a wall, preferably on the south side.

How to water my Barra Do Pepper?

For watering your Barra Do pepper, be careful of over-watering. Too much water can drown the plant and lead to its demise. You will simply need to let the soil dry between each watering to avoid insect proliferation and drowning of the plant.

Once the plant is well developed (once your plant reaches about thirty centimeters) you can cause water stress by stopping watering the plant for several days before resuming watering (be careful however not to abuse this technique, it would be a shame to let your pepper plant die).

How to properly prepare my harvest?

Once your pepper plant is in place, here are our tips to optimize your future harvest:

When your pepper plant reaches a height of 15 to 20 cm you can pinch the top of the stem (without breaking it) which should allow the plant to grow bushier and produce a little more.

If flowering is early for one of your plants, remove the first flowers to prevent them from demanding too much energy from the plant.

If your pepper plant is outdoors, insects will take care of pollinating the plant which will then produce peppers. If your plant is indoors, you will need to do this manually: take your clean finger and rub it lightly against each flower from one to another.

Don't hesitate to use a bamboo stake or rod to support your plant.

When to harvest my Barra Do Pepper?

For harvesting your Barra Do pepper, as with others, you will need to look at its color! This pepper is harvested once it turns Purple.