Home

Bell Peppers

PrintPrintEmailEmail
Leave a comment
Your rating: None Average: 4.2 of 5 (70 votes)

Botanical name: Capsicum annuum

Plant type: Vegetable

USDA Hardiness Zones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Sun exposure: Full Sun

Soil type: Loamy

Soil pH: Neutral


Peppers are a tender, warm-season crop. They resist most pests and offer something for everyone: spicy, sweet or hot, and a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. For this page, we will focus on sweet bell peppers.

Planting

  • Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last spring frost date.
  • The temperature must be at least 70 degrees F for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results.
  • Start pepper seeds three to a pot, and thin out the weakest seedling. Let the remaining two pepper plants spend their entire lives together as one plant. The leaves of two plants help protect peppers against sunscald, and the yield is often twice as good as two segregated plants.
  • Begin to harden off plants about 10 days before transplanting.
  • A week before transplanting, introduce fertilizer or aged compost in your garden soil.
  • After the danger of frost has passed, transplant seedlings outdoors, 18 to 24 inches apart (but keep paired plants close to touching.)
  • Soil should be at least 65 degrees F, peppers will not survive transplanting at temps any colder. Northern gardeners can warm up the soil by covering it with black plastic.
  • Put two or three match sticks in the hole with each plant, along with about a teaspoon of fertilizer. They give the plants a bit of sulfur, which they like.

Care

  • Soil should be well-drained, but maintain adequate moisture either with mulch or plastic covering.
  • Water one to two inches per week, but remember peppers are extremely heat sensitive. If you live in a warm or desert climate, watering everyday may be necessary.
  • Fertilize after the first fruit set.
  • Weed carefully around plants.
  • 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.
  • For larger fruit, spray the plants with a solution of one tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon of water, once when it begins to bloom, and once ten days later.

Pests

  • Aphids
  • Flea Beetles
  • Cucumber Mosaic Virus
  • Blossom End Rot
  • Pollination can be reduced in temperatures below 60F and above 90F.
  • Too much nitrogen will reduce fruit from setting.

Harvest/Storage

  • Harvest as soon as peppers reach desired size.
  • The longer bell peppers stay on the plant, the more sweet they become and the greater their Vitamin C content.
  • Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut peppers clean off the plant for the least damage.
  • Peppers can be refrigerated in plastic bags for up to 10 days after harvesting.
  • Bell peppers can be dried, and we would recommend a conventional oven for the task. Wash, core, and seed the peppers. Cut into one-half-inch strips. Steam for about ten minutes, then spread on a baking sheet. Dry in the oven at 140 degrees F (or the lowest possible temperature) until brittle, stirring occasionally and switching tray positions. When the peppers are cool, put them in bags or storage containers.

Recommended Varieties

Look for varieties that ripen to their full color quickly; fully mature peppers are the most nutritious—and tastier, too!

  • Green to Red: ‘Lady Bell’, 'Gypsy,' ‘Bell Boy,’ 'Lipstick'
  • Yellow: 'Golden California Wonder'

 

Recipes

Wit & Wisdom

The popular green and red bell peppers that we see in supermarkets are actually the same thing; the red peppers have just been allowed to mature on the plant longer, changing color and also gaining a higher content of Vitamin C.

Comments

I live in Montana in a colder

By maggi on June 7

I live in Montana in a colder climate. My pepper plants are not growing. They are about 8 inches tall and won't get bigger. It isn't super warm out. Is there something I can put around them to help retain heat? Thanks

I'm in SW GA. At first, our

By Melissa Whiddon on June 5

I'm in SW GA. At first, our peppers looked like they were growing great. Now, they are turning brown on the bottom as if they are rotting. Can you help?

This sounds like blossom-end

By Almanac Staff on June 7

This sounds like blossom-end rot--which is due to a lack of calcium in the soil or cold and wet weather. To help: Maintain the soil pH around 6.5. Adding lime will increase the calcium in soil. Water consistently; only water if they don't get the required one inch of rain per week. Use "nitrate nitrogen" as the fertilizer nitrogen source. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during early fruiting.

I am a novice gardner. my

By sharon woodruff on May 30

I am a novice gardner. my plants are large,but blooms are falling off? HELP!

According to Aggie

By Almanac Staff on June 3

According to Aggie Horticulture, "Temperature may be the reason for blossom drop. The temperature range for fruit set is quite narrow. When nighttime temperatures fall below 60 degrees F. or above 75 degrees F., blossoms are likely to drop and fruit will not set. Daytime temperatures above 90 degrees F. will also inhibit fruit set, but fruits will again begin to form when cooler daytime temperatures appear."

this is first time planting

By michael waldrop on May 22

this is first time planting bell pepper and i thought it was going great, the plant shot up big ang and tall. the first pepper has started nicely it is now about 3 inches around. my problem is now when the other buds, i had 5 more that flowered well and the little peppers started growing, but today 2 of them fell off the plant. is that normal? it seems like a healthy plant and like i said the first pepper is growing really well

Pepper plants are very

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Pepper plants are very sensitive to temperature and will drop buds if there is a sudden change in temperature. Poor pollination is another cause for flower drop. Plant some colorful flowers in the garden to attract more pollinators. Also make sure to water regularly.

The new, developing leaves on

By FredEric

The new, developing leaves on my pepper plants are misshapen, brittle, and crinkly--for lack of a better term. They are remaining green all the while, however, the margins of the older leaves are beginning to brown. Any thoughts? I am in the U.S. Midwest.

what soil does the peppers

By Anonymous

what soil does the peppers need to be planted in.

what kind of soil do I use to plant red peppers

By Anonymous

I am a beginner planter and I want to plant some red pepper. What should I put in the soil. I know they like sulfur. Can I plant red peppers in container planters.

thanks vjsmith

Peppers grow well in

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Peppers grow well in containers. Mix some compost into the potting soil and make sure the soil is not too heavy. Peppers grow best in light well-drained soil. Sprinkle sulfur or Epsom salts into the hole before planting the seedlings. Good luck!

What state

By Anonymous

I want to build a farm but I don't know what the best state would be. Can you tell me what the best state would be?

Please

By Almanac Staff on May 28

Please see
www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets.aspx#.UaS5Ruup3Eo
for some state agricultural information.

Tall young peppers

By Anonymous

Wandering if I can sink the stems of the peppers to make a sturdy plant.I know this world well with tomatoes,not sure about peppers?

I just read earlier on

By Anonymous

I just read earlier on another gardening site that unlike the tomato plant, the pepper plant will not grow an extended root if transplanted too deeply. I am interspersing pepper plants amongst my tomatoes this year, my first time cultivating peppers. Hopefully they will get along with each other.

Pinching blooms?

By Anonymous

I live in Canada. We have had phenomenal success with a sweet cherry pepper variety. They make little spherical peppers, good for salads and cooking. This will be the 5th year for planting them. But .... they produce 2 crops per plant: once in July (about 6 peppers per plant) and then again in September (about 30-40 peppers per plant! much bigger plants by then). The problem is: the 2nd crop is the BIG crop, but they dont have time to ripen in September and I usually must pick them green to save them from frost. What can I do to get the 2nd crop to come earlier? Should I pinch off the July blooms to speed it along? Is it driven by rhythm of climate or by the rest pperiod between crops? I buy the plants as seedlings, so I cant really control how early they get sprouted. I'd like to see the big crop come in August, when there's time for them to ripen.

i heard that if you hold back

By tx guy on May 22

i heard that if you hold back from watering you can induce the fruit to start blushing. once a pepper begins to chang color you can pick it and it will finish turning color off the plant.

Feed the Seed

By Anonymous

I bought concentrated seed starting mix to germinate my seeds. Will this be enough or do I need to add plant food/soil as well?

You can use the starting mix

By Almanac Staff

You can use the starting mix as is or you can mix it into soil or other soil mixes.

Fruit

By Anonymous

Hi - I just wanted to let you know that a bell pepper is a fruit, not a vegetable.

Yes, though a pepper, like a

By Almanac Staff

Yes, though a pepper, like a tomato, is botanically a fruit, it is commonly considered a vegetable and eaten as a vegetable, thus categorized that way for growing.

Starting seeds & planting

By Anonymous

In instructions on ur page it says to put 3 seeds in pot then thin out to 2 ok then when u plant them in garden do u separate them or plant as is in pot because in ( ) it says keep paired plants close to touching , it sounds like u have to separate? Please explain further. Thank u

Curious too for clarification

By Anonymous

I didn't see another post that addresses this question. I too and curious about transplanting seedlings outdoors 18"-24" a pair but keeping paired plants close to touching. How close is too close?

Ideally you should plant

By Almanac Staff

Ideally you should plant peppers at least 18" apart. If you have 2 seedlings in a starter pot separate them carefully before planting. Some readers have suggested that you can plant 2 peppers close together (the way they are in the pot) and you'll get a bigger "plant" that will do better in gardens with high winds that will bend small stems.

life time

By Anonymous

how long can they remain productive?

Bell pepper plants can live 3

By Almanac Staff

Bell pepper plants can live 3 to 5 years and produce fruits given right conditions, i.e., mild climates. Harvesting regularly will encourage the plant to keep blossoming and setting fruit, especially early in the growing season.

How many peppers per plant?

By Anonymous

Is there a certian number of peppers that a plant will produce to full maturity?

The number of fruits per

By Almanac Staff

The number of fruits per plant varies with the variety. Bell pepper plants may produce five to eight fruit per plant. However, do not be surprised if you get one or two. Peppers are sensitive to temperature and need consistent moisture, especially during dry periods.

netting

By Anonymous

I live in Southern Africa, and i would like to start a pepper mini-farm on a piece of land i own. do i need to cover it with net because of the heat?

Netting

By Anonymous

If its to hot (over 110 Degrees) yes, more shade the better. I get my best production here in the Mojave desert in the fall and Spring. Summer I just have to get my plants through it or sprout new plants so they are read to fruit in fall.

I agree with keeping 2 plants either in a container togother or close by. This ensures Bio diversity

Most people get to grow through summer, I have to plan for the hot months and grow mellons and Okra.

Post new comment

Before posting, please review all comments. Due to the volume of questions, Almanac editors can respond only occasionally, as time allows. We also welcome tips from our wonderful Almanac community!

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.