Bulgarian, or sweet, pepper grows every gardener, because it is rich in vitamins and minerals, is an integral part of summer salads and many other dishes. Because of the wide variety of colors, taste and shape, this vegetable has become very popular for cultivation - both at home and in industrial scales. And today we will get acquainted with a very popular variety of sweet pepper “California miracle”: with its description, characteristics and how to grow it.
- Description and characteristics of large-fruited varieties
- Growing conditions
- Growing sweet pepper "California miracle"
- Preparation of planting material
- Capacity and soil for seedlings
- Sowing seeds
- Care and conditions for growing seedlings
- Planting pepper in open ground
- Care and secrets of growing
- Watering
- Features feeding
- Soil care
- Harvest
Description and characteristics of large-fruited varieties
The height of the bush "California miracle" is 50-75 cm, and the fruits begin to ripen within 4 months from the moment of planting. The fruits of such a pepper have a cube-shaped form with a prominent structure.Weight ranges from 80 to 170 grams, the fruits have fleshy elastic pulp up to 1 cm thick, which is covered with smooth skin. Like most varieties of Bulgarian pepper, when ripe, the fruits have a bright green color, but when the California Miracle ripens, it turns red. It differs from other varieties of pepper by its specific and sweet taste, which allows to eat fruits not only raw and in salads, but also to be used for stuffing, cooking various sauces, and also for canning.
Growing conditions
Pepper "California miracle" is demanding to light and heat: if the daylight day is less than 12 hours, early and fruitful fruiting will be stimulated. As for the soil, it should have a neutral acidity. In acidic soil, the plant is more exposed to various diseases. This vegetable may be similar to the conditions for growing tomatoes.
Growing sweet pepper "California miracle"
This vegetable is grown from seedlings. The quality of seedlings depends on the correct planting of seeds.on which, in turn, the amount of the crop and the resistance of the plant to diseases, as well as to adverse environmental conditions, depend. 
Planting seeds in the open land is not worth it, because you need to sow no earlier than June, when the daily temperature will allow. In this case, the pepper will begin to bear fruit not earlier than the end of August or September, and the quantity of the crop will be very small and of poor quality.
Preparation of planting material
Before planting, seeds need special treatment. They should be soaked in water with a temperature of about 60 ° C for several hours (until the planting material swells). Then the seeds must be removed, wrapped in wet gauze or bandage with water and left in this form for a period of 2 to 4 days. This procedure will speed up seed germination. A few days after the seeds are planted, they will begin to germinate.
Capacity and soil for seedlings
To grow strong seedlings, the soil must consist of a substrate with a high fertility.Such a substrate can be purchased at an agricultural store or you can make one yourself: to do this, mix sand, leaf humus and garden soil in equal parts. 
And to protect the "California miracle" from diseases and pests, it is recommended to add a handful of wood ash. Many varieties of Bulgarian pepper can not dive, so the seeds are planted in separate pots with a diameter of about 9 cm. The best option for planting will be peat pots. The plant can be planted in the ground with them.
Sowing seeds
The most favorable time for sowing seeds of the California Miracle pepper is the middle of February or its end.
Care and conditions for growing seedlings
After sowing seeds of pepper, it is necessary to pour them well with water, and then cover with a film, and glass may come up. Before the plant grows, it must be kept in a warm room at a temperature not lower than 21 ° C.
When the plant rises, the optimum temperature for it will be 27 ° C during the day and 13 ° C at night. Do not often water the seedlings, as frequent watering can lead to rotting of the stem and roots. For watering seedlings need to use water, the temperature of which will be slightly higher than the surrounding. In February and March, seedlings need extra light for 14 hours a day.
Planting pepper in open ground
Before planting seedlings in the open land, it should be gradually accustomed to environmental conditions. Therefore, it is taken out on the street for several hours every day, increasing the time spent in the fresh air.
Seedlings should be planted in open land from late May to mid-June, and if planted in an unheated greenhouse, then this should be done in April.Pepper wells should be 40 centimeters by 40 centimeters. The depth of planting should be equal to that in which the seedlings grew in a cup or box.
If you are going to plant several varieties of peppers in the garden, they should be planted at a great distance from each other, since the pollination is peculiar to this vegetable. To avoid it, between different varieties should be planted high crops, such as corn, sunflower. 
The landing site of the pepper is also important, or rather, what grew up at this place last year. The best predecessors are cucumbers, onions and carrots. It is impossible to plant in those places where solanaceous crops grew last season, as they feed on the same elements, and this depletes the soil, which will negatively affect the plant.
Care and secrets of growing
Caring for the "California miracle" is no different from caring for other varieties: it consists of timely and proper watering, feeding and pruning of the shoots below the main branching, which is carried out every 10 days and after harvesting.
Watering
Pepper "California miracle" is a very moisture-loving plant, when growing which requires frequent watering.Watering should be after each disclosure of the flower. During a drought, watering should be intensified and carried out only in the morning and in the evening.
After the appearance of the ovaries, the pepper begins to grow in length, then in breadth, and only then it begins to increase the amount of pulp. During this period, it is especially necessary to pay attention to watering: if the vegetable receives less necessary moisture, the fruits will grow unsaturated and dryish. 
But also it is not necessary to flood the plant - it can lead to rotting of the roots or lure slugs that feed on both fruits and pepper leaves.
Features feeding
Plants start feeding from the time when 2 strong leaves appear on the seedlings. For the first top-dressing, 0.5 g of ammonium nitrate, 1 g of potassium-based fertilizer and about 3 g of superphosphate are taken for 1 l of water. The following feeding is carried out in 14 days with a double dose of fertilizer.
Soil care
After each irrigation, the soil should be loosened (aerated) at a depth of up to 8 cm so that the earth does not harden. In especially hot time, it is necessary to produce mulching of pepper with a straw that is more than 10 cm thick. These procedures will help protect the soil from drying out and preserve moisture for the pepper.
Harvest
The first harvest is carried out in July, but if the seeds were planted immediately in open ground, then it starts in August and lasts until the onset of frost. The harvest of the "California miracle" is carried out with the onset of biological ripeness, when the pepper has fully ripened and acquired all its varietal qualities, as well as the onset of technical ripeness, when the fruit has formed a shape and optimum size, but has not acquired the characteristic red color and taste.
Such ripeness can be determined by the crunch when touching a vegetable. Often the fruits are harvested with the onset of technical maturity - this allows longer to store the vegetable. 
Fruits that have matured, both biologically and technically, should be cut with the leg: thanks to this, the shelf life is increased. Harvesting is necessary on time - if you are late with harvesting, then there may be no second harvest.
