how do you grow peppers and when is a gooseberry ripe?

[tatt]

don't know where else to ask - this is part of my attempt to reduce food miles .

I have some small pepper plants in the greehouse but all my gardening book says is treat like tomatoes????? Am I going to need to stake them, they don't seem to be growing very quickly?

The gooseberries are swelling but how do I tell when to pick them?

When they feel ripe. Try eating on- you'll soon find out if it's ready

what does ripe feel like for a gooseberry, it's not something I've eaten in years? A few have fallen off so I guess those were ripe - but they are smaller than some still on the bush?

Mine are nowhere near ready atm- bit early in the season. They feel a bit squishy and there's give in them iyswim. Taste one. You'll soon know if they're ready

wouldn't eat them raw, too tart for me. They are still firm so not ready yet then.

Anyone know about peppers?

Ooh I love raw gooseberries

Peppersdon't get as tall as toms but they can be staked if they need to

thanks. Do side shoots need to be pinched out like tomatoes? They are beginning to grow a bit now

I never have but then I don't bother much with the toms either

thank you. I'm hoping to get lots of peppers - all (almost) free as the seeds came from one that we bought to eat

We had over 80 chilli pepper plants last year (dh really likes chillis).

AFAIK he treated them like toms and they were fine. There are some germination tips, but I'd have to ask him.

didn't have any problem with germination, I have more plants than I need ( I think - depends how heavily they fruit). No sign of any flowers yet though. Mine are capiscums rather than chilli pepers.

gooseberries are rock hard when not ripe and have a little squeezy 'give' in them when ready.

can't be bothered with plants that need fertilising - so perhaps I won't get any pepers after all . No whitefly yet though . However the basil has something wrong with it, sort of lines on the leaves.

We didn't fertilise them with a paintbrush - I'd have remembered that (because I wouldn't have been able to resist commenting). We still had shedloads of chillis (and still do, pickled in large jars - bloody husband).

So far no sign of any flowers anyway .