Peppers are a warm-season crop in various hues, forms, and sizes. Good news: Most types are resistant to typical garden diseases and pests!
Most home gardeners buy starter pepper plants at the garden nursery rather than starting them from seed since peppers have a long growing season (60 to 90 days). However, if you wish to cultivate your peppers, you can start the seeds indoors.
Planting Bell Peppers
Peppers should be grown in a location with full sun and moist soil but not soggy. The soil will drain efficiently and warm up fast if there is a good mix of sandy and loamy soil.
If you’re working with dense clay, incorporate a lot of organic matter (like compost) into the soil.
It is best to avoid growing peppers where you have recently produced other nightshades, such as tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants, as this may expose the peppers to illness.
Pepper Planting Season
8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date, sow pepper seeds in pots.
About two to three weeks after the fear of frost has passed and the soil has reached 65°F, plant pepper seedlings or transplants outside.
Also Read: Why Are Eggshells Good for Pepper Plants?
How to Begin Peppers Inside?
To begin inside: Three pepper seeds should be planted in a pot of potting mix at a depth of 1/4 inch.
Keep the soil at 70°F (21°C) or higher for quicker germination. You’ll likely need a heated propagator or heat pad and some grow lights to reach these temperatures.
Although seedlings should appear under ideal circumstances in around two weeks, some types can take up to five weeks, so keep going!
Remove the seedling that is the weakest and allow the remaining two pepper plants to develop as a single plant. The leaves of two plants, which are frequently more protective than those from two independent plants, help to shield the peppers.
Replanting seedlings in a larger container up to their lowest leaves, like tomatoes, will help support them if they grow skinny or too tall before it’s time to plant them outdoors up until the time to plant, keeping seedlings warm and well-lit.
Moving the plants up a container size is necessary if they have between five and eight leaves, and you can see roots in the drainage holes.
Because peppers are susceptible to chilly temperatures, hardening off seedlings for about ten days before transplanting them outdoors is essential.
How to Outdoor Plant Peppers?
Choose pepper that starts with straight, firm stems, 4 to 6 leaves, and no blossoms or fruit if you’re buying them.
Set pepper plants outside a week or longer after the last frost date or when the average daily temperature reaches 65°F (18°C) to harden them off.
Mix aged manure or compost into the soil 8 to 10 inches deep before transplanting in the garden. Then, rake the soil several times to break up any large clouds.
Plant transplants after the soil reach a temperature of 65°F (18°C). About a week before planting, cover the soil with black plastic or a dark mulch to hasten the soil’s warming.
Peppers should be transplanted in the late afternoon or on a gloomy day. By doing this, the plants won’t dry out too much and wilt.
Create a row of transplant holes 12 to 18 inches apart and 3 to 4 inches deep. Space your rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Before planting, fill the gaps with liquid and let it soak in. Put two to three wooden matchsticks (for sulfur) and one teaspoon of low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer into each planting hole (too much nitrogen will reduce the fruit set).
Be cautious when removing the transplant from its tray or pot, leaving as much dirt around the roots. The transplants should be placed about an inch deeper than in their original container.
Soil should be poured into the hole and lightly surrounded by the plant. Each plant should have a slightly recessed area for water storage.
After planting, water the plants. This is an excellent time to use liquid fertilizer, such as starting fertilizer or manure tea.
To prevent upsetting the roots later, stake now. Plants should be supported, if necessary, with cages or stakes to avoid bending.
Try purchasing professional wire tomato cages in the shape of a cone. They might not be the best choice for tomatoes, but they are perfect for peppers. Or construct your garden stakes.
Check this out: Why My Pepper Plants Leaves are Wrinkled?
Growing Bell Peppers
1 to 2 inches of water per week should be used to water regularly. This does not imply sparing watering; peppers enjoy a thorough soaking, but they require a time of relative dryness in between watering.
Watering slowly and profoundly promotes strong root development. Avoid allowing pepper plants to wilt, lowering fruit yield and quality. In addition, pepper is more prone to blossom-end rot when it receives inconsistent irrigation.
You should water your plants every day if you live in a warm, arid region or it’s the height of summer.
Be aware that sweet bell peppers frequently fail to produce a thick, meaty wall in desert regions at roughly 4,000 feet.
Peppers are pretty sensitive to heat. When plants are stressed, such as when it’s too hot (above 85° to 90°F during the day), too cold (below 60°F at night), or when there isn’t enough water, blossoms may fall off. To prevent sunburn or heat exhaustion, use row coverings or shade cloth.
Mulch helps keep the soil wet and keeps weeds away. To prevent upsetting plant roots, weed carefully around the plants. Contrary to common opinion, spraying Epsom salts on pepper plants is not advantageous.
Recommended Bell Pepper Varieties
The most nutrient-dense peppers are fully mature and taste better, so look for kinds that soon ripen to their full color.
- Green peppers named “Lady Bell,” “Gypsy,” “Bell Boy,” and “Lipstick” become red when ripe.
- Citrus: “Milena” and “Orange Sun”
- Golden California Wonder in yellow
Check this out: Is Cow Manure Good For Chili Plants?
Harvesting Bell Peppers
Pick the fruits as soon as they reach their full size and color as the plants start to produce them.
Picking regularly stimulates plants to produce more fruits and blossoms naturally. However, bell peppers are sweeter and contain more vitamin C the longer they are left on the plant.
Use a sharp knife or scissors to obliterate peppers off the plant.
How to Keep Peppers Safe
- After harvest, peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to ten days in plastic bags.
- For later use, bell peppers can be frozen.
- Examine the freezing of peppers.
- You can also dry peppers: Set the oven temperature to 140 °F. Wash, seed, and core. Make 1/2-inch wide strips.
- Spread on a baking sheet after a ten-minute steaming. Dry in the oven for 4 to 6 hours, rotating the trays occasionally.
- Cool, then put them in bags or containers in the fridge.
Pests/Diseases
Temperatures below 60°F (16°C) and over 90°F (32°C) can inhibit pollination. Although it can result in good foliage development, too much nitrogen in the soil can prevent fruit from ripening.
High heat OR very low humidity both contribute to flower decline. If the air is too dry, moisten the soil and spritz the plants liberally.
Two typical pests of peppers, particularly plants cultivated under cover, are spider mites and aphids. In hot, dry weather, spider mites thrive. The fine webbing can recognize them on the underside of leaves.
At the first indication of an assault, mist sprays these regions often to create an unfavorable environment for the mites.
Although they can be found in other areas of the plant, aphids also favor the undersides of leaves.
Squish lone clusters, or if the infestation is severe, move the plants outside and away from other pepper plants. Carefully turn the plant’s upside down so you can brush them clean.
Two typical pests of peppers, particularly plants cultivated under cover, are spider mites and aphids. The fine webbing on the underside of leaves, which identifies spider mites, is a sign of hot, dry weather.
Therefore, at the first indication of an assault, mist sprays these regions often to create an unfavorable environment for the mites.
Although they can be found in other areas of the plant, aphids also favor the undersides of leaves.
Squish individual clusters of aphids, or for more severe infestations, move the plants outside and away from other pepper plants. Carefully turn the plant upside down so you can brush or rinse the aphids.
Final Words
Vitamin C, some vitamin A, and trace levels of numerous minerals are all in reasonable amounts in red and green peppers. They taste fantastic when raw in salads or as a snack with hummus or dip.
Additionally, you can bake peppers stuffed with meat or seasoned bread crumbs. The real fun is doing everything from the goodness of your backyard or kitchen garden. Follow us for more gardening tips!