Deep tilling will cut the pepper roots and slow growth. A generous amount of organic matter helps the soil retain moisture, and moist soil is crucial for good pepper production. Peppers grow best in a soil with a pH between 6.2 and 7.0, although they can tolerate slightly alkaline conditions. Colorful peppers also make great additions to beds planted with flowers and other edible ornamentals, where they can easily serve as specimen plants. Peppers have a naturally upright growth habit, so they often benefit from staking, which keeps brittle branches from breaking when they become heavy with fruit. Growing peppers is easy in any sunny, well-drained spot, and they are good candidates for roomy containers, too. Be sure to pick all peppers before the first fall frost comes. Harvest peppers with shears or a knife, then store in the fridge.
Support each pepper plant with a stake or small tomato cage, to help bear the weight of the fruit once it begins to produce. Spread mulch (such as chopped leaves or straw) around the plants to help keep the soil cool and moist. Mix a fertilizer into the soil at planting and replenish as directed during the growing season. Aim for a total of 1-2 inches per week (more when it’s hotter). Water immediately after planting, then regularly throughout the season.
Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil when planting. Pepper plants need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Plant them 30-40cm apart in a sunny, well-drained spot. They grow well in raised beds, containers, and in-ground gardens. Set pepper plant seedlings out after the last spring frost. Quick Guide to Growing Peppers in the garden For many hot peppers, the ripest fruits (the ones that have turned red) pack the most heat. People who think they don’t like peppers often change their minds once they have tasted fully ripened, garden-grown peppers. Small-fruited peppers also ripen faster, which is important in cool climates where summers are short.Īs peppers change from green to yellow, orange, or red, both their vitamin content and flavour improve dramatically. Under hot summer conditions, varieties that bear huge fruits may shed their blossoms, but small, thin-walled peppers often keep going strong. While cool weather reigns, keep seedlings indoors at night, and move them to a protected sunny spot outdoors during the day.īy growing an assortment of varieties of peppers, you can have mild, meaty peppers for salads or stir-fries, slightly spicy peppers for fresh salsas, and hot peppers for bold jolts of flavor. Set out plants a week or two after your last frost, when the weather is settled and warm. From sweet, crisp peppers in rainbow shades to habañeros hot enough to bring tears to your eyes, all peppers share a preference for a long, warm growing season.
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