Planting Japanese Cucumbers, Lemon Cucumbers & Bell Peppers

Planting Japanese and Lemon Cucumbers

• 1

  Choose a plot for your Japanese and lemon cucumbers with light, sandy soil and full sun for most of the day. Wait until early summer, when the soil temperature has risen to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit to sow your seeds. Two weeks before you intend to plant your patch, spread 2 inches of compost over the surface of the soil and dig it in.

• 2

  Position a trellis that is at least 4 feet high and 10 feet long. Draw a 1-inch-deep row in the soil, parallel to the trellis and 1 foot away from it. Plant your Japanese and lemon cucumber seeds 1 foot apart in the row and cover them with soil.

• 3

  Water the soil well and watch for the seeds to sprout within a week to ten days. Continue to water the seedlings enough to keep their soil slightly damp at all times, but avoid getting moisture on their leaves.

Planting Bell Peppers

• 4

  Sow your bell peppers indoors in mid-spring, two months before you plan to transplant them into the garden in early summer. Fill a 6-inch pot with a potting soil or seed-starting mix that is low in peat, as peat can inhibit pepper germination. Immerse the seeds briefly in hydrogen peroxide to eliminate any fungi on them, and rinse them in water.

• 5

  Moisten the soil in the pot and plant the bell pepper seeds one-half inch apart and one-eighth inch deep. Cover the pot with plastic wrap, place it on a seedling heat mat to provide temperatures in the low 80s F and watch for the seeds to germinate in about a week.

• 6

  Remove the plastic wrap and position the pot under grow lights timed to run for at least 12 hours per day. If grow lights are not available, place it on a windowsill that gets at least five hours of sunlight daily. Turn the pot frequently to prevent the seedlings from leaning toward the light.

• 7

  Water the seedlings when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch, by setting the pot in a dishpan that contains an inch or so of water. Allow the pot to draw up moisture through its drainage holes until the soil surface is damp again.

• 8

  Transplant the seedlings into individual seedling pots filled with low-peat potting soil when they are 2 inches tall. Mix a tablespoon of bone meal into the soil of each pot.

• 9

  Move the seedlings outdoors to a shady spot a couple weeks before you plan to set them in the ground. Gradually expose them to sunlight until they are receiving it for most of the day. Transplant them into the garden, during a period of cloudy weather to lessen transplant shock, setting them 18 inches apart.