Growing Bell Peppers

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Bell Peppers

Sweet bell peppers are a tender, warm-season crop. Here’s how to grow them in your garden!

Peppers resist most garden 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 growing sweet bell peppers.

Unlike their spicy brethren, bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, the compound that gives hot peppers their pungency and heat.

Planting

When to Plant Peppers

Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before your last spring frost date.
Bell peppers require a fairly long growing season (60 to 90 days), so it’s best to get them started indoors.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Pepper plants require full sun to produce the largest and healthiest fruit, so pick a site that won’t get shaded out by trees or other garden plants.
Soil should be well-draining and rich in organic matter.
A soil consistency somewhere between sandy and loamy will ensure that the soil drains well and warms quickly.
Soil pH should be on the acidic side—5.5 to 6.5, ideally.
A week before transplanting peppers into the garden, introduce fertilizer or aged compost into your garden soil.
Avoid planting peppers in places where you’ve recently grown other members of the nightshade family—such as tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants—as this can expose peppers to disease.

How to Plant Peppers

We recommend starting seeds indoors rather than in the garden.
The soil temperature must be at least 70°F for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results. Use a heat pad under the seed tray, if necessary.
Plant seeds about ¼-inch deep.

Transplanting Young Plants into the Garden

Begin to harden off plants about 10 days before transplanting outdoors.
Once nighttime temperatures reach at least 60°F (16°C), transplant seedlings outdoors, spacing them 18 to 24 inches apart.
Plant the transplants no deeper than they were already; otherwise, the stems may become susceptible to rot.
Soil temperature should be at least 65°F, as peppers will not survive transplanting at temps any colder. Northern gardeners can warm up the soil by covering it with black plastic.

Check out this video to learn how to plant bell peppers!

Care

How to Grow Peppers

Soil should be well drained, but be sure to maintain adequate moisture either with mulch or plastic covering.
Water one to two inches per week, but remember that 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 to avoid disturbing roots.
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. Or, build your own garden supports.

Green bell peppers on plant

Pests/Diseases

Pest/Disease	Type	Symptoms	Control/Prevention
Anthracnose	Fungus	Yellow/brown/purple/black spots on leaves; sunken, dark spots on stems and fruit; spots may develop a salmon-pink, gelatinous mass; eventually, plants rot	Destroy infected plants; choose resistent varieties; provide good drainage; avoid overhead watering; apply compost for nutrition; use mulch; practice crop rotation. Find images and more information about anthracnose here.
Aphids	Insect	Misshapen/yellow leaves; distorted flowers/fruit; sticky “honeydew” (excrement produced by aphids); sooty, black mold that forms on honeydew; large presence of ants on plants	Grow companion plants to either attract aphids away (nasturtiums) or repel them outright (basil, rosemary, strong-scented plants); knock aphids off plants with water spray, apply insecticidal soap; put banana or orange peel around plants; wipe leaves with a 1-2% solution of liquid dish soap and water every 2-3 days for 2 weeks; add native plants to attract aphid predators. Find images and more information about aphids here.
Blossom-end Rot	Nutrient Deficiency	Caused by lack of sufficient calcium uptake. Symptoms: dark, water-soaked spots on blossom end of fruit (the side opposite the stem) may enlarge and become sunken, leathery, rotted	Remove affected fruit; plant at proper soil temperature; water deeply and evenly; use mulch; maintain proper soil pH (6.5) and nutrient levels; avoid excessive nitrogen; provide good drainage; avoid damaging roots. Find more images and information about blossom-end rot here.
Colorado Potato Beetles	Insect	Yellow-orange eggs laid in clusters on leaf undersides; larvae and adults chew holes in foliage	Remove eggs/larvae/beetles by hand; use straw mulch; weed around plants; use row covers; destroy plant matter at end of season; practice crop rotation
Flea Beetles	Insect	Numerous tiny holes in leaves (as if they had been hit by a tiny shotgun)	Use row covers to physically block flea beetles; mulch heavily; add native plants to attract beneficial insect predators. Find more information and images of flea beetles here.
Mosaic Virus (Cucumber)	Virus	Symptoms vary, but may include: stunting; mottled green/yellow/white pattern or ringed spots on leaves/fruit; distorted leaf growth; warts on fruit	Often spread by aphids. Destroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties and certified virus-free seed; use row covers; disinfect gardening tools after each use; keep garden weed-free; use mulch. Find images and more information about mosaic viruses here.
Root-knot Nematodes	Insect	Roots become “knotted” or galled; plants stunted/yellow/wilted	Destroy affected plant matter (especially roots); choose resistant varieties; expose soil to sun (solarize); add aged manure/compost; disinfect gardening tools between uses; till soil in autumn; practice crop rotation
Tomato Hornworms	Insect	Chewed leaves (initially toward top of plant); rapid defoliation; black/green excrement; gouged fruit	Check undersides of leaves for hornworms, remove by hand and dispose of hornworms. (If you encounter hornworms that have white, ricelike cocoons on their backs, relocate them instead; the cocoons belong to beneficial parasitic wasps.) Till soil in autumn and spring; companion plant with dill/basil/marigolds to attract (and trap) or repel hornworms; spray plants with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). Find images and more information about hornworms here.

Pollination can be reduced in temperatures below 60°F (16°C) and above 90°F (32°C).
Too much nitrogen in the soil can produce healthy foliage growth but discourage fruit from setting.

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Peppers

Harvest as soon as peppers reach desired size or color.
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.

How to Store Peppers

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°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 peppers that turn Red: ‘Lady Bell’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Bell Boy’, ‘Lipstick’
…Orange: ‘Milena’, ‘Orange Sun’
…Yellow: ‘Golden California Wonder’

Wit & Wisdom

Common Pepper Questions

Are red and green peppers the same thing? Yes, the popular green and red bell peppers that we see in supermarkets are actually the same pepper; the red peppers have just been allowed to mature on the plant longer, changing color and also gaining a higher Vitamin C content. More mature peppers also tend to be sweeter than their greener counterparts.
Are there male and female peppers? There is a popular myth which states that pepper fruits can be either male or female—the difference between them being that male peppers have 3 bumps on the bottom and are better for cooking, while female peppers have 4 bumps, have more seeds, are sweeter, and are better for eating raw. This is not true! Pepper fruits do not have a gender and any obvious difference between fruits is simply the result of growing conditions or variety.

Recipes

Cooking Notes

To learn how to make pickled bell peppers, watch this video!
Get more tips on cooking with peppers.

Reader Comments

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Pepper growing? Is it too cold?

I live in New Hampshire and I used to help out with a garden that had both hot peppers, bell peppers, and banana peppers. However I am now starting a garden of my own. I do not know what peppers I should avoid and which I can grow. I am hesitant to grow any of the peppers that I have some experience with because they say they need warmer climates and the climate here is usually between 20 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Could you shed some light on this. I am also wondering about protecting peppers during the winter if I grow them in a raised garden or garden box.

peppers in NH?

You should be able to grow a number of pepper varieties in most parts of New Hampshire during the summer growing season, which is any time now until around Labor Day or possibly September 24, potentially the date of the first fall frost, for a growing season of about 127 days. Check you plants for the growing days to maturity. 20°F is not a summer temp anywhere outdoors in the state that we know of. Peppers would not likely survive in winter as you describe in a raised bed or box.

green peppers

Store in paper bags not plastic. Not only are they more environmentally friendly but the peppers will not go bad for much longer than they do in the plastic. True story.

Sweet Peppers

How do you protect your sweet pepper plants from the extreme heat during the summer months in NW Kansas?

I used to live in NW Kansas

The 2 things I remember about living there is the lack of rain during July and August and the very hot winds. The hot winds in my opinion are the biggest problem. Growing in the country was a bigger challenge than in the city. There are many wind blocks in the city. Also you can find shade. These two items can be at a premium in the country. I would first mulch the soil well to help keep the soil moist and cool. Second I would look for a partially shaded site. What you want is a good SE facing spot for the peppers. Measure the sunlight to be sure you are getting 4-6 hrs of sunlight. The SE sun is much gentler on the plants than the SW sun. Hopefully you also have a good wind break out in the country so those plants can survive the dry, hot winds that as I remember were averaging 20-30 mi/hr. Our winds came mostly from the SW to W direction. So finding a way to break the wind on that side would be very helpful. Buildings and cedar fences are great for this.

Mixed up pepper plants

I planted one green, one red, and Longfellow bell pepper. Apparently the markers in the plants I purchased were wrong as I have one plant producing long sweet peppers of some sort, and now I'm unsure what the other two plants are. I don't k,ow if one is red and we are picking them too soon thinking they are green bells? I read in another comment here that they are the same plant and you just leave the green ones on longer to get red? Is that correct? So these peppers can be picked green if you want green peppers, and if you want red you just leave them on the vine longer? I guess I thought I needed one of each to get the different colors/flavors

Typo

This should read one red, one green, and one yellow....not Longfellow

planting calendar

Will I get this information for all vegetables or only peppers?

Thank you.

Skinny bell peppers

This is my first time growing bell peppers and all of mine are long and skinny. I started with plants and have each one in a 15 inch diameter pot. I also live in west central Indiana. I did not know about the match sticks. Can this be the problem?

skinny peppers

This is a tough one. Match sticks may not exactly be the problem but it may be a hint: we are thinking that something about the soil is inadequate, is not providing the nutrients the plant needs or allowing it to absorb them. Did you check the pH of the soil? Do you fertilize? Something with not too much nitrogen (the first number in the set of three, e.g. 5-10-5)? Is the plant getting enough water? Containers famously dry out before/quicker than the ground. Is the pot outdoors in the sun?

Still and all, it might be the soil. Don’t want to snow you with info but here’s a list of the “invisible” but so-important nutrients plants need and are often evaluated in soil tests: http://hortipm.tamu.edu/ipmguide/nutrient/diagnosi.html “Fruit” is not mentioned but once, but as the ultimate product, it could be affected.

Weird growth

My peppers are growing pointing up instead of down. It is strange and they are growing large and strong. Does anyone know the reason for this? Just have never seen it before.

Peppers

What kind of peppers are they? Thai chilie peppers grow upward and Serreno peppers look like Thai chilies but are round at the bottom and grow down. Usually bigger.

Why can't my peepers plants

Why can't my peepers plants grow,dang it
They flower and start but don't grow,
I'm just north of Toronto 73-86f average
This will be the second year they didn't do well, but three years ago did very well

bell peppers

after a couple weeks in the ground I trimmed my peppers back to four leaves .the stalks quadroupled in size and tons of new foliage.Plants are about 18 inch now ,,flowers forming at top.Should I be pinching them off for bigger crop later?

pinch the peppers?

That’s the theory, Chuck: that pinching off the early flowers (and small fruit) encourages more fruit production.

match sticks

instead of match sticks at the bottom of plants, I bought chemical grade flower of sulfur, which seems to float and not mix with water. will this work just the same? thanks

flower of sulphur

We have no experience with this product so can not comment but a little searching (of .edu’s) turn up this page that may or may not be helpful to you: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/080818.html

Huge leaves?

My pepper plants have very large leaves on them mainly the bottom leaves. Will these large leaves take away any energy from the fruit? Heard of trimming them, Just don't really know? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Large Leaves

No, large leaves won’t take away from the fruit. Provided the plant is adequately fed and watered, the large leaves should be beneficial (more surface area for photosynthesis = more energy).

Once the plant is established in the ground, it’s important not to use a fertilizer with too much nitrogen, which promotes foliage growth rather than flower and fruit production.

1st timer w/Bell Peppers

So i grew out some bell peppers which I transplanted in to 1 gallon pots.
Situation is this: I live in an apt, & I only had a couple gallons so I transplanted the best 16 plants into 4 pots of a gallon thinking I could transplant when they got bigger BUT the started to bloom flowers now.
I never thought they would get so tall & have such big leaves (sorry 1st timer on this). So the thing is they started blooming flowers but the flowers are drying up after 2 days or so.
They are getting at least 4hrs of direct sunlight, they are watered & well drained, also I helped with pollination process since they are kept inside, so I have no idea whats going on. could it that they are crowded? , Could you shed some light?

early blossoms

Early flowering in peppers sometimes happens. Some gardeners leave the flowers alone, but others prefer to pinch the early blossoms so that the plant can focus on developing a good root system before focusing on fruit production. Blossoms may drop if the plant is stressed, such as too hot (above 85F or 90F day) or cold (below 60F night), or not enough or too little water. Peppers are particularly sensitive to temperature, and like daytime temps of around 70 to 80F. Transplanting may also stress the plant for a little while, but they should recover. Petals of a successfully pollinated flower will drop after a few days–look just near the area of the petals to see if a little fruit is forming. Hope this helps!

Aliminum foil

Is using strips of aliminul foil as a ground cover under pepper plants really beneficial to the plant? Does it really help in any way?

Leaves on pepper plant shrivel and die

What to do?

pepper problems

There are so many reasons why a pepper plant’s leaves shrivel up. Is it getting enough water? The topsoil should be moist a few inches deep (use your finger to reach down). Are you overwatering? Soil should never be soggy. Is it too hot? Peppers like heat but if it’s consistently super hot, you may need to give them shade cloth at the peak of the day. Finally, there are pests and diseases. Aphids and thrips are especially bothersome. You need to spray soapy water in the morning or Neem oil or speak to your local garden center about another solution.

Aluminum Foil

I have seen peppers totally covering potted plant tops. I really also want to know about its success profile. Do you set more peppers. Do you get stronger plant Do they grow more peppers per plant the go on to maturity?

Re: Peppers light

Peppers need lots of water and strong sunlight for 14-18 hours a day. I have my peppers growing indoors and they are great. I use miracle grow for soil with added bone meal and perlite. I am now using a general fertilizer for vegetables for it and it’s producing great peppers. During the seedling stage, I cut the main stem off above 4 leafs. The plant will then double strengthen its stock and double its quantity of peppers and will have thicker branches. This is growing under a 1000 watt equivalent multi spectrum led grow light. Paid 130$ bucks on amazon for it. Most of my plants are amazing and fast growing. I just started this a couple months ago and I’m addicted to growing anything and everything. It’s all about your light and time of light and not overwatering. Always touch soil to feel it and you will know if it needs water or not. I hope this advice can help you in your overall success. Cheers from Canada!

Pepper Degree Days

Hello, I have a small farm in the Fresno area. I have been looking for information on growing growing degree days for Bell Peppers and how they coincide with phenological growth stages. Does anybody know the answer to this?

Nutrient requirment for coloured bell pepper

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I'm a small grower of coloured bell pepper. I'm very keen to learn about different growing stages of bell pepper. I want to know that, Which nutrients elements required for different different stages of bell pepper?
Thanks,
Dilip Gehlot

Peppers with thin walls

I grew Peppers last summer and they did very well. They produced pretty well but they don't have as thick of a wall as the ones I get at the store. I live in Wyoming - high elevation (over 5,ooo ft). Is there anything I can do to get thicker walled peppers?

How to Grow Thick-Walled Peppers

Hi Megan,

The two most important factors that can affect growing peppers with thick walls are the days to maturity and the amount of water given. If peppers are not given adequate time to reach full maturity, they will have thin walls: this is especially noticeable in hot regions. Try not to be impatient when waiting to harvest your peppers and it will pay off. As for water, the growth of peppers can be drastically influenced by an inconsistent watering schedule. Peppers like well-draining moist (not wet) soil, so be sure to water pepper plants evenly and consistently, and to water more or less only when temperatures or humidity change drastically, as they will affect the amount of water evaporating into the air. Good luck with your crop of peppers this coming growing season!