There are few plants in the garden more satisfying to grow than bell peppers, one of the many types of peppers to fall under the scientific name Capsicum annuum. Rich green leaves, a compact form, and brightly colored fruit make them a contender for even the most formal gardens.
I did say fruit. So many of the plants we commonly refer to as vegetables are actually fruit, including peppers, for the simple fact that they are seed bearing. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
From omelets to tacos, to pasta dishes and salads, sweet bells provide a tasty crunch to so many popular meals without the spice. But nothing beats the crunch of a freshly picked fruit. It may seem intimidating for the beginner gardener but, as long as you know a few key pieces of information before getting started, bell peppers are fairly easy to grow — as long as the weather plays along, that is. This article will walk you through it all, from starting seeds to transplanting seedlings to plant care and maintenance, so that you can grow and enjoy these beauties in your own garden.
Bell peppers are a perennial in tropical areas. But in colder climates, they are grown as annuals and they really have no tolerance for cold weather. They require a fairly long growing season, often up to 90 or even days, so the shorter your summer, the sooner you need to start seeds indoors. It is possible to save seeds from organic store bought bell peppers.
Collect seeds from red peppers, since they are more mature then green ones, and set them out to dry for a few days. Then sow them or store them in a paper envelope and place them in a dry location for safekeeping.
Definitely consider buying seeds as well, since one of the benefits to growing your own bell peppers is choosing from a number of otherwise unavailable varieties. The rule of thumb is to start seeds 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost date in spring.
However, if you keep plants healthy and thriving, you can sow them even earlier. Start seeds using a seed starting mix and place them in a warm, sunny spot. Covering flats or cell packs with plastic can help speed germination rates. If soil is warm enough, germination should occur within ten days. Add organic fertilizer according to label recommendations as well, to encourage strong growth. There are many different types of sweet bell peppers available on the market today, and they can be grown from seeds or started as seedlings.
Slow and steady wins the race, when it comes to the yellow Canary bell. Big Red takes about 75 days to harvest, turning from green to red as it ripens. This sweet pepper has very thick flesh with a mixture of 3- and 4-lobed blocky fruits.
A veggie patch favorite, seeds are available in a variety of package sizes from True Leaf Market. Expect days to harvest. California Wonder TMR is delicious when picked green, or can be left on the plant to ripen to a sweeter red pepper. Purple Beauty is a striking heirloom pepper with a deep purple color, thick-walled flesh, and 4-byinch fruit.
These will take about 70 days to reach maturity. Packages of seeds are available from True Leaf Market. Live plants are also available via Amazon.
For something a little different, the Chocolate Beauty offers a luscious, deep brown color with super sweet flesh. It grows quickly, with about days to maturity, and is Tobacco Mosaic Virus resistant. Seeds are available from True Leaf. And live plants are available via Amazon. Although you may be tempted to do it sooner, wait to transplant peppers to the garden until a couple of weeks past the last frost date. Make sure to harden them off first though, or your plants may not make it at all.
Hardening off simply refers to the process of getting plants acclimated to a new environment. Plants that have been grown indoors for months will likely become severely stressed or even die if placed directly in the garden, and we want to avoid this. Instead, slowly introduce plants to outdoor weather. Over the course of several days, set them outside for longer periods of time. Start in the morning and bring them in later and later each day until you are confident they have adapted.
Water newly planted bell peppers really well and add an inch or two of organic mulch. Their roots are shallow and mulch will help to maintain moisture and protect roots from moisture related stress. To encourage faster growth in cooler areas, consider laying black plastic over the soil.
Just be careful not to let the soil get so hot that beneficial soil bacteria are killed. Set out six- to eight-week old plants as soon as the conditions are right. If you wait too long, high daytime temperatures will interfere with fruit set. At temperatures above 90 degrees, the flowers drop without setting fruit. Temperature problems delay fruit set, but once the temperatures moderate the plant produces fresh blooms.
Pepper plants that don't receive enough fertilizer produce a poor crop, and those that receive too much fertilizer produce an abundance of dark green foliage at the expense of fruit. The best way to make sure your pepper plants get the right amount of fertilizer is to get your soil tested. Purchase a test kit at a garden center or contact a local extension office, which may do it for you.
In the absence of test results, use three pounds of fertilizer per square feet. Match sticks may not exactly be the problem but it may be a hint: we are thinking that something about the soil is inadequate, is not providing the nutrients the plant needs or allowing it to absorb them. Did you check the pH of the soil? Do you fertilize? Something with not too much nitrogen the first number in the set of three, e.
Is the plant getting enough water? Is the pot outdoors in the sun? Still and all, it might be the soil. My peppers are growing pointing up instead of down.
It is strange and they are growing large and strong. Does anyone know the reason for this? Just have never seen it before. What kind of peppers are they? Thai chilie peppers grow upward and Serreno peppers look like Thai chilies but are round at the bottom and grow down. Usually bigger.
Why can't my peepers plants grow,dang it They flower and start but don't grow, I'm just north of Toronto f average This will be the second year they didn't do well, but three years ago did very well. Plants are about 18 inch now ,,flowers forming at top. Should I be pinching them off for bigger crop later? We have no experience with this product so can not comment but a little searching of.
Skip to main content. You are here Gardening » Growing Guides. Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Bell Peppers. By The Editors. Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date.
Germination is quickest at 77 to 90 Fahrenheit. You can start seeds off at lower room temperatures but expect germination to be slower and potentially erratic. If growing from nursery-bought transplants, plant them outdoors 2 to 3 weeks after the threat of frost has passed.
Be sure to harden young plants off prior to planting outdoors, as peppers are very sensitive to cool temperatures. Start Peppers Indooors Choose a potting mix that easily drains through after each watering. A quality, free-draining potting mix can be opened up a bit more by just mixing in some perlite like this. Use a heat pad under the seed tray, if necessary. Separate seedlings out and move them into their own pots before they become drawn and leggy. If seedlings do get a bit too tall, replant them up to their lowest leaves, just like tomatoes, to help support them.
Pot young plants on as the roots fill their pots. The final container size for most pepper plants is around 9 to 12 inches. It also means less wasted potting mix should plants fail at a stage of growth. You can keep the peppers in pots or transplant them outside into the garden. Soil should be well-draining and rich in organic matter.
A soil consistency somewhere between sandy and loamy will ensure that the soil drains well and warms quickly. Soil pH should be on the slightly acidic side—6. A week before transplanting peppers into the garden, introduce fertilizer or aged compost into your garden soil. Alternatively, mix in a slow-release fertilizer. Speed up the warming of the soil by covering it with black plastic or a dark mulch about a week before you intend to plant.
When you transplant seedlings outdoors, space them 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant the transplants no deeper than they were already planted in their pots; otherwise, the stems may become more susceptible to rot. Check out this video to learn how to plant bell peppers:. Watering Peppers Peppers should never be allowed to struggle and soil moisture is especially important in this regard.
Peppers like a good dousing but should be left to almost dry out between waterings — they need that period of relative dry. Once a week is typical. If you live in a warm or desert climate, or are simply experiencing a hot, dry summer, watering everyday may be necessary. Peppers are susceptible to blossom-end rot if watering is not adequate.
A liquid seaweed with a good range of trace minerals works well, too. If you have any tiny peppers growing too early in the season, pick those off too!
When peppers are growing, the plant is focusing all of its energy on growing the fruits and seeds rather than leaves and branches. So we have established that it is generally a good idea to pick off early pepper flowers. However, when should you stop picking them? Simply put, stop picking pepper flowers when your plants have been in their final planting location for weeks. This allows the plants enough time to grow a healthy root system and get acclimated to the weather.
In the Northern hemisphere, we stop pruning flowers around mid June Zone 6a. After weeks of being in their final location, the pepper plants should be maturing to a healthy size. The plants will then be ready to set fruit and begin producing peppers. Give your plants enough time to produce fully ripened peppers by the end of the season! Note: Nutrients will help dictate when your peppers will stop growing foliage and start growing more flowers and fruits.
Switching to a lower-nitrogen fertilizer halfway through the year is key! During late-stage growth, you want your pepper plants to have lots of flower buds. The more flowers, the more potential peppers. So why are your pepper flowers dropping off instead of growing into peppers? There are a few possible reasons this could be happening. Learn more about pepper flowers dropping here.
After your plants produce flower buds, it is time to change up your fertilizing regimen. We switch from a high nitrogen fertilizer to a lower nitrogen blend. If you continue to use a fertilizer high in nitrogen, your plant may continue to expand and produce more leaves rather than buds.
By reducing your fertilizer amount or nitrogen content, you help encourage the plant to begin producing flowers. Providing too much nitrogen is a leading cause of pepper flowers dropping off. The 3-stage regimen keeps things simple for fertilizing peppers with confidence.
Some pepper growers even stop fertilizing all together in early August. We have yet to experiment with this, but anything is better than providing too much nitrogen. It is easy to over-care for your peppers, and providing too much water is not good! Pepper plants are happier when slightly dry as opposed to soaking wet. They need to have moist roots, but they require good drainage. That is why growing in pots is recommended, especially for first-time pepper growers. Whether you have pepper plants in pots or in a garden bed, make sure that water can escape from the root system of your plants.
Too much water will suffocate the roots and can cause yellowing leaves, leaves and flowers dropping off, and even root death. Peppers like warm weather during the day. Having temperatures above or below these can cause stress for the plants.
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