Easy Guide to Growing Pepper Plants (Our Top Tips)
Pepper. Peppers. Peppers. These are another one of our favorite corps, we grow red and yellow bell peppers, jalapeno, habanero, and sweet peppers. Growing pepper plants can be easy and it's fun for the whole family.
We make a simply fantastic habanero jelly.
Now you may ask yourself, "Why don’t you grow green bells?"
And, really the answer is simple... The Army made us hate them in just about anything.
The cooks overseas would put an exorbitant amount of green bell peppers in everything. I’m sure if we let them, they would put it in banana pudding.
The beautiful thing about peppers is that they are incredibly resistant to pests, fungus, and drought.
They require minimal water and are natural growers. Peppers only require about 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Peppers also grow very well in pots. In the last few years, we have grown huge habaneros out of a pot with minimal effort.
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4 Easy Steps to Growing Pepper Plants
To keep things simple, because we like simple, we're going to share our four steps to easily growing these amazing pepper plants.
1st Soil and Planting
Young peppers need warm soil, anything below 60, they start to suffer. They strive in warm climates, but not above 90. Wait until after the last frost before planting.
Starting them as transplants is the best method, in our opinion. Transplanting gives the young plants a head start. We like our dirt to be around 65-70 degrees.
When prepping your planting hole, add some compost and loose dirt in the hole. The loose soil will help the roots grow broad and strong.
You should couple plants together—jalapenos with Jalapenos, habaneros with habaneros, bells with bells. Add 18-24 inches between each type of pepper.
We like to do one row of each. We prefer wider rows; it is easier to pick vegetables and wide enough for the kids and dogs to walk through.
You will need supports for your plants, stake, cattle fence panels, anything for support.
2nd Sunlight
Peppers like 8-10 hours worth of sun they much like cucumbers need it to dry off and photosynthesis.
We prefer morning sun vs. afternoon sun. Most of the time, we harvest late in the afternoon. The afternoon sun is rough when you are trying to pick.
3rd Watering
Peppers require minimum water, only one to two inches a week. At the end of the row where the garden hose doesn’t reach is where ours sit.
Try not to overwater and plant them in rows. It would be best if you typically had 18 inches wide 4-5 inches tall rows. These wide tall rows will help water drain.
Chopped leaves or mulch will add some ground cover to keep the dirt from drying out, blowing away, and getting too hot.
4th Harvest Frequency
You can harvest peppers starting at 60 days, but some plants will not be ready until 100 days after maturity.
You can pick green bells and jalapenos for stuffed peppers. Orange, and Red habaneros for jelly or soup or sweet peppers for a quick garden snack.
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Other Questions About Growing Pepper Plants
In an effort to help you as much as possible we hope to update this post regularly to address questions we receive via email or on social media :)
How long does it take for a pepper plant to grow?
It takes approximately 60-90 days for most pepper plants to mature. Some hot peppers can take up to around 150 days. Also, keep in mind, that most growing lengths are stated on the seed packet and that refers to the days after you've transplanted it in the ground and until the plant produces a pickable fruit size.
How do pepper plants grow best?
The soil should be well-drained. But, you want to be sure to maintain enough moisture either with mulch or plastic covering that it's not drying out.
Attempt to water one to two inches per week. Peppers are heat sensitive so be mindful when you are watering too.
Make sure you're Fertilizing after the first fruit is seen.
Be sure to be careful when weeding around your pepper plants so you're not disturbing the root system.
Why are my pepper plants not growing?
Pepper plants can be pesky plants... here are a few reasons you might be having issues:
Is it too hot outside?
Are you overwatering?
Do you have a pest problem?
Are you having pollination issues?
How do you grow peppers at home?
You can start your pepper seeds inside and then transplant once the last sign of frost is over and spring has arrived. You'll want to fill a planting tray with soil and plant your pepper seeds 1⁄4 inch under the soil. Then, spread the seeds apart so they're at least 3 inches away from each other. Make sure you water your seeds immediately after planting them and then watch them for signs of growth.
How many peppers will one plant produce?
Generally speaking, standard bell pepper plants will yield 6-8 peppers per plant.
Can you grow bell peppers from store-bought peppers?
Sadly, most seeds you would from a grocery store bell pepper aren't likely to sprout. If, by some chance, they did sprout they probably wouldn't produce anything like the one you collected the seeds from. You'll need to source your pepper seeds from a seed bank or company like Seeds Now.
Will bell pepper plants keep producing?
Yep! They sure will. Pepper plants (hot and sweet) are perennial plants meaning they will live for many, many years if protected from frost.