Grow sweet, colorful bell peppers with ease—from planting to harvest!
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Planting
Grow peppers in a space with full sun and well-draining, moist (but not wet) soil. Plant peppers in a spot where they will get at least 6 hours of direct sunshine every day. A balance between sandy and loamy soil will ensure the soil drains well and warms quickly. Mix large amounts of organic matter (such as compost) into the soil, especially when working with heavy clay.
Avoid planting peppers in places where you’ve recently grown other nightshade family members—such as tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants—as this can expose peppers to disease.
When to Plant Peppers
- To start peppers indoors in pots, sow seeds 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date.
- Plant pepper starts or transplants outdoors about 2 to 3 weeks after the threat of frost has passed and the soil has reached 65°F (18°C).
How to Start Peppers Indoors
- To start indoors: Start pepper seeds 1/4-inch deep, three to a pot filled with potting mix. For faster germination, maintain soil at 70°F (21°C) or above. To achieve these sorts of temperatures, you’ll probably need a heated propagator or heat mat and some grow lights.
- Ideal conditions should see seedlings appear within about 2 weeks, but some varieties take as long as 5 weeks, so don’t give up on them too soon! Thin out the weakest seedling; let the remaining two pepper plants in each pot grow as one. The leaves of two plants help to protect the peppers.
- If seedlings become leggy or too tall before it’s time to plant outside, replant them in a bigger pot up to their lowest leaves, just like tomatoes, to help support them. Keep seedlings warm with plenty of light until you’re ready to plant. If the plants have around five to eight leaves and you can see roots at the drainage holes, it’s time to move them up a pot size.
- Be sure to harden off the seedlings about 10 days before transplanting outdoors, as peppers are very sensitive to cool temperatures. Before planting peppers outdoors, acclimatize plants to outdoor conditions by placing them in a sheltered spot outside for gradually increasing periods over 2 weeks. Take care to avoid frosts. Plant out only after your last expected frost date has passed.
How to Plant Peppers Outdoors
- If you’re buying pepper starts, choose ones with straight, sturdy stems, 4 to 6 leaves, and no blooms or fruit. To harden off pepper plants, set plants outdoors a week or more after the frost-free date or when the average daily temperature reaches 65°F (18°C).
- Before transplanting in the garden, mix aged manure and/or compost into the soil about 8 to 10 inches deep and rake it several times to break up the large clods.
- Put transplants into the ground once the soil temperature has reached 65°F (18°C). 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.
- It is best to transplant peppers in the evening or on a cloudy day. This will keep the plants from drying too much and wilting.
- Make the transplant holes 3 to 4 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches apart in the row. Space the rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Before planting, fill the holes with water and let it soak in. Into each planting hole, put two or three wooden matchsticks (for sulfur) and 1 teaspoon of low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer (too much nitrogen will reduce the fruit set).
- When pulling the transplant out of its tray or pot, be gentle and leave as much soil as possible around the roots. Set the transplants about 1 inch deeper than they were in their original container. Fill the hole with soil and pack it loosely around the plant. Leave a slightly sunken area around each plant to hold water.
- Water the plants after planting.
- Using liquid fertilizer material (manure tea, compost tea, or starter fertilizer) is usually beneficial at this time.
- Stake now to avoid disturbing the roots later. If necessary, support plants with cages or stakes to prevent bending. Try commercially available cone-shaped wire tomato cages. They may not be ideal for tomatoes, but they are just the thing for peppers. Or, build your own garden supports.
Check out this video to learn how to plant bell peppers:
Types
Look for varieties that ripen to their full color quickly; fully mature peppers are the most nutritious—and tastier, too!
- Green peppers that turn Red: ‘Lady Bell’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Bell Boy’, ‘Lipstick’
- Orange: ‘Milena’, ‘Orange Sun’
- Yellow: ‘Golden California Wonder’
Harvesting
- Once the plants begin producing fruit, pick them promptly: the moment they have reached their full size and color. Regular picking encourages plants to produce more flowers and, of course, more fruit.
- That said, the longer bell peppers stay on the plant, the sweeter they become and the greater their vitamin C content.
- Snip the stems of fruits with a sharp pair of clean pruners, scissors, or a sharp knife.
How to Store Peppers
- Peppers can be refrigerated in plastic bags for up to 10 days after harvesting.
- Bell peppers can be frozen for later use. See how to freeze peppers.
- Peppers can also be dried. Preheat oven to 140°F. Wash, core, and seed. Cut into 1/2-inch strips. Steam for about 10 minutes, then spread on a baking sheet. Dry in oven for 4 to 6 hours; turn occasionally and switch tray positions. Cool, then store in bags or containers in a refrigerator.
Gardening Products
Cooking Notes
Peppers are excellent with almost anything: sandwiches, scrambled eggs, pizza, salads, and dips.
We also enjoy cooking peppers, whether in a beef stir-fry, as smoky roasted peppers, or in meat- and rice-stuffed peppers.
Plus, peppers can be pickled! See how to make pickled peppers!
Comments
Yes, harvest them. When they get too ripe, they get overly soft.
They're ready! Green peppers can be harvested when they are 3 to 4 inches long, very firm, but still green. OR, let them ripen and they will turn red or another color depending on the cultivar. The less green you see, the sweeter they get. So it depends on your taste. When you harvest, don't pull on the pepper. Cut it off. Congrats on such a wonderful pepper harvest!
Bell peppers need to grow to a mature stage until they produce seeds. Maybe it's just a tad early.
The flowers are the way that the pepper plants develops fruit! While your peppers are this small, do not pick them! Let the plant put energy into fruit development.
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Small or aborted fruit usually happens at this stage because of periods of extreme heat or hot, dry winds, and/or warm nights (above 70°F). Try to cool the peppers down with moist soil, mulch, and shade covers.