Summer Crops: How to Grow Peppers
Some like 'em hot; others like them sweet. With the incredible range of peppers available for home gardens, you can have your pick
You could fill your garden with peppers and it wouldn’t be boring. With sweet peppers and hot peppers; white, yellow, orange, red, green, purple and brown peppers; large peppers and small peppers; and round, ruffled, bell-shaped and long peppers, there’s enough variety to satisfy any pepper lover.
Peppers are generally divided into two broad categories: sweet peppers and hot peppers. The best-known sweet peppers are bell peppers, but there are plenty of others out there, many of which are surprisingly flavorful. Hot peppers live up to their name. They get their essential hotness from the capsaicin they contain, and the hotness can range from slightly above mild to sizzling. Some hot peppers resemble sweet peppers, so be sure to check exactly what you’re planting.
All peppers need the same growing conditions, although hot peppers take a little longer to mature and like it a bit hotter.
Note: While peppers love warm weather, nighttime temperatures consistently above 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) can result in a poor harvest.
Peppers are generally divided into two broad categories: sweet peppers and hot peppers. The best-known sweet peppers are bell peppers, but there are plenty of others out there, many of which are surprisingly flavorful. Hot peppers live up to their name. They get their essential hotness from the capsaicin they contain, and the hotness can range from slightly above mild to sizzling. Some hot peppers resemble sweet peppers, so be sure to check exactly what you’re planting.
All peppers need the same growing conditions, although hot peppers take a little longer to mature and like it a bit hotter.
Note: While peppers love warm weather, nighttime temperatures consistently above 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) can result in a poor harvest.
Planting and care: Choose a site with rich, well-draining soil in full sun that is sheltered from wind — hotter conditions mean hotter peppers. Wait until both soil temperatures and outdoor temperatures have risen. Sweet peppers like temperatures at least 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) during the day, while hot peppers like it even warmer, up to 85 (29) degrees.
Dig about 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep and add compost or another rich organic matter to the planting site. Place plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart, settling them in just slightly deeper than they were planted in their growing pots; space rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Taller peppers might require staking or caging; if you think you’ll need support, it’s best to put it in place at this time. If cutworms are a problem in your area, add collars around the young seedlings.
When growing space is limited, plant peppers with small fruits in containers. Choose a pot that is at least 18 to 20 inches in diameter and feed lightly throughout the growing season.
Whether in the garden or in pots, keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy throughout the growing season. Don’t despair if high temperatures cause a loss of fruit production; regular care, including watering, will help ensure that production will increase when the weather cools down. Once the soil is reliably warm, mulch to retain moisture and block weeds.
Feed plants with a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer as they set blossoms, but don’t overfeed. A fertilizer designed for tomatoes is a good choice. Many experts suggest spraying the leaves and blossoms with a diluted solution of magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salts, at this time to increase production.
Though peppers are generally hardy, armyworms, aphids, some beetles, caterpillars, corn borers, mites and whiteflies may cause occasional problems. If viruses are a problem in your area, look for varieties that are resistant and rotate plantings.
Harvest: Cut fruit from the plant with scissors or pruning shears. Harvest sweet peppers when they have reached full size or allow them to continue to color; they’re sweeter the longer they ripen. Pimientos are an exception; don’t harvest until they are completely red.
Harvest hot peppers anytime once they reach full size. You can pick them while they're still green or wait until they turn red or yellow for a more complex flavor. As a precaution, wear gloves when harvesting and keep both fingers and gloves away from your face, especially your eyes.
Best advice: After picking or using hot peppers, wash your hands thoroughly, rub them with vegetable oil, then wash them again.
Dig about 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep and add compost or another rich organic matter to the planting site. Place plants 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart, settling them in just slightly deeper than they were planted in their growing pots; space rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Taller peppers might require staking or caging; if you think you’ll need support, it’s best to put it in place at this time. If cutworms are a problem in your area, add collars around the young seedlings.
When growing space is limited, plant peppers with small fruits in containers. Choose a pot that is at least 18 to 20 inches in diameter and feed lightly throughout the growing season.
Whether in the garden or in pots, keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy throughout the growing season. Don’t despair if high temperatures cause a loss of fruit production; regular care, including watering, will help ensure that production will increase when the weather cools down. Once the soil is reliably warm, mulch to retain moisture and block weeds.
Feed plants with a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer as they set blossoms, but don’t overfeed. A fertilizer designed for tomatoes is a good choice. Many experts suggest spraying the leaves and blossoms with a diluted solution of magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salts, at this time to increase production.
Though peppers are generally hardy, armyworms, aphids, some beetles, caterpillars, corn borers, mites and whiteflies may cause occasional problems. If viruses are a problem in your area, look for varieties that are resistant and rotate plantings.
Harvest: Cut fruit from the plant with scissors or pruning shears. Harvest sweet peppers when they have reached full size or allow them to continue to color; they’re sweeter the longer they ripen. Pimientos are an exception; don’t harvest until they are completely red.
Harvest hot peppers anytime once they reach full size. You can pick them while they're still green or wait until they turn red or yellow for a more complex flavor. As a precaution, wear gloves when harvesting and keep both fingers and gloves away from your face, especially your eyes.
Best advice: After picking or using hot peppers, wash your hands thoroughly, rub them with vegetable oil, then wash them again.
Days to maturity: 60 to 120 after transplanting
Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Regular
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