Growing Bell Peppers

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Bell Peppers

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What’s the best way to boost the productivity of your pepper plants? See our guide to growing and harvesting strong, healthy plants that will produce peppers to be proud of!

Sweet bell peppers are a tender, warm-season crop with a long growing season (60 to 90 days).

Many gardeners need to start peppers indoors to give them a head start! However, if you don’t have the means to sow peppers or have simply run out of time, remember you can find a fantastic range of ready-to-go seedlings and young plants online, while some garden centers and nurseries stock plants on the cusp of fruiting.

Peppers resist most garden pests and offer something for everyone: spicy, sweet, or hot; and a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. On this page, we focus on growing sweet bell peppers but much of the advice for growing peppers is the same.

We also have a growing guide for jalapeño peppers for those who like it spicy! (Bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, which is the compound that gives hot peppers such as heir pungency and heat.)

Common Bell Pepper Questions

Do different-colored peppers come from different plants?

Surprisingly enough, the green and red bell peppers that we commonly see in supermarkets are actually the same pepper; the red bell peppers have just been allowed to mature on the plant longer, which changes their color and lets them develop a higher Vitamin C content. More mature peppers also tend to be sweeter than their greener counterparts.

However, there are quite a few varieties of bell peppers out there, including purple, yellow, orange, white, and brown ones.

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.

Planting Dates for BELL PEPPERS

Planting Calendar for all Plants

Planting

When to Plant Peppers

If you’re sowing peppers indoors, wtart them off early in spring to give them more time to crop throughout the summer! Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date. Germination is quickest at 77 to 90 Fahrenheit. If you’re planning to plant peppers outide, this should be done 2 to 3 weeks after the threat of frost has passed in the spring.
To achieve these sorts of temperatures you’ll need a heated propagator or heat mat. You can start seeds off at lower room temperatures but expect germination to be slower and potentially erratic. Ideal conditions should see seedlings appear within about two weeks, but some varieties take as long as five, so don’t give up on them too soon!
If growing from nursery-bought transplants, plant them outdoors 2 to 3 weeks after the threat of frost has passed. Be sure to harden young plants off prior to planting outdoors, as peppers are very sensitive to cool temperatures.

Start Peppers Indooors

Choose a potting mix that easily drains through after each watering. A quality, free-draining potting mix can be opened up a bit more by just mixing in some perlite like this. If your peppers are destined to go outside for the summer consider using a soil-based potting mix, which will add extra weight so that containers don’t topple over in the wind.
The soil temperature should be at least 70°F (21°C) for optimal 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 (or refer to the seed packet).
Separate seedlings out and move them into their own pots before they become drawn and leggy. If seedlings do get a bit too tall, replant them up to their lowest leaves, just like tomatoes, to help support them. Keep seedlings warm until you’re ready to plant.
Peppers need plenty of light to encourage healthy, stocky plants that will be less prone to growing top-heavy and flopping over, so grow them on somewhere that is both warm and bright – a greenhouse or conservatory, or the sunniest windowsill you can muster until it’s time to move them outside.
Pot young plants on as the roots fill their pots. Transplanted seedlings begin at a pot size of around 3 inches, but it won’t take long for them to outgrow this. Once plants have around five to eight leaves and you can see roots at the drainage holes, it’s time to move them up a pot size – something like a 5-inch pot. Then once they’ve filled this, pot them on again, this time into a pot of about 8 inches. The final container size for most pepper plants is around 9 to 12 inches. Potting on in stages like this ensures plants aren’t ‘lost’ in containers significantly larger than their root balls. It also means less wasted potting mix should plants fail at a stage of growth.
You can keep the peppers in pots or transplant them outside into the garden.

Preparing the Outdoor 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. Peppers don’t like to have “wet feet,” so avoid planting them in locations that get too wet.
A soil consistency somewhere between sandy and loamy will ensure that the soil drains well and warms quickly.
Soil pH should be on the slightly acidic side—6.0 to 7.0, ideally.
A week before transplanting peppers into the garden, introduce fertilizer or aged compost into your garden soil. Alternatively, mix in a slow-release fertilizer.
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.

Planting Peppers Outdoors

Begin to harden off plants about 10 days before transplanting outdoors, which should be done
The soil temperature should be at least 60°F (16°C) at the time of planting (though warmer is better), as peppers are very sensitive to cool temperatures. Speed up the warming of the soil by covering it with black plastic or a dark mulch about a week before you intend to plant.
When you transplant seedlings outdoors, space them 18 to 24 inches apart.
Plant the transplants no deeper than they were already planted in their pots; otherwise, the stems may become more susceptible to rot.

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

Care

Watering Peppers

Peppers should never be allowed to struggle and soil moisture is especially important in this regard. Peppers like a good dousing but should be left to almost dry out between waterings – they need that period of relative dry. Once a week is typical. If the leaves have gone a bit limp, you’ve probably left it a little too long, but a thorough watering should sort things out.
If you’re growing in pots you can gauge whether the potting mix is dry enough by lifting the container to check its weight – it should be noticeably lighter, by pushing a finger into the soil to feel for moisture about an inch down.
If you live in a warm or desert climate, or are simply experiencing a hot, dry summer, watering everyday may be necessary. Peppers are susceptible to blossom-end rot if watering is not adequate.

Fertilizing Peppers

Peppers will need regular feeding using a liquid feed that’s high in potassium to promote flower production and fruit set – a tomato fertilizer works well. A liquid seaweed with a good range of trace minerals works well, too. A lack of these minerals, together with over watering, is a common cause of yellowing leaves.
After the first fruit set, fertilize with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. (Too much nitrogen can cause the plant to produce foliage instead of flowers and fruit!)

More Plant Care Tips

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.
In cooler, temperate climates or it gets windy where you live, consider growing your peppers under some form of protection. Peppers love this extra warmth. However, if it gets very hot, this can cause flowers to abort and drop, so move plants back outside when temperatures soar.

Here’s another great video on growing boosting the productivity of your peppers!

Pests/Diseases

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. Flower drop is caused by high heat OR very low humidity. If the air is very dry, douse the soil with water and thoroughly mist plants.

Spider mites and aphids are two common pests of peppers, especially plants grown under cover. Spider mites – identified by the fine webbing on the underside of leaves – thrive in hot, dry weather. Mist-spray these areas regularly at the first sign of an attack to make conditions as hostile as possible for the mites.

Aphids also prefer the undersides of leaves but are found on other parts of the plant too. Squish isolated clusters, or for more serious infestations, take plants out into the open, away from other peppers, then carefully turn the plants upside down so you can brush Spider mites and aphids are two common pests of peppers, especially plants grown under cover. Spider mites – identified by the fine webbing on the underside of leaves – thrive in hot, dry weather. Mist-spray these areas regularly at the first sign of an attack to make conditions as hostile as possible for the mites

See more pest and disease information in the below chart:

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.

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Peppers

Once the plants begin producing fruits, pick them promptly, the moment they have reached their full size and color. Regular picking encourages plants to produce more flowers and, of course, more fruits.
That said, 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.

How to Store Peppers

Peppers can be refrigerated in plastic bags for up to 10 days after harvesting.
Gluts of bell peppers can be dried whole in a dehydrator or any warm place with good airflow. If you just have a conventional, here are directions on how to dry peppers for storage:
- 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 or airtight jars. Or, chop peppers up for packing into ice-cube trays. Freeze them then pop them out into freezer bags ready for dropping into recipes as needed.

Green bell peppers on plant

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

Recipes

Cooking Notes

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

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Reader Comments

Pepper Spacing

Hi Bella,

The 18 to 24 inches of space is a recommendation. 12 inches between each plant should be plenty, so don’t remove any plants. As long as the area where your pepper plants are growing is in full sun, you should be fine. Thanks for writing!

A beginner who lives in Las Vegas!

Any tips on how to deal with the desert sun?

growing peppers in the desert

Peppers are heat-seeking vegetables which are well suited for desert climates. That said, some pepper varieties do better than others. Jalapeños do the best, especially when grown in full Sun. Ancho and sweet banana peppers do very well, but produce even more yield when grown under shade cloth. In desert regions at around 4,000 feet of elevation, sweet bell peppers often fail to develop a thick fleshy wall, especially upon ripening, and their quality can be poorer than store-bought bells.

Yellow pepper info

yellow pepper

I bought yellow and red pepper plants from my local nursery. The yellow pepper plant has a big pepper, but it is green. Will it turn, or did the nursery have it labeled wrong. Other plants are fair size, but no peppers yet.

Thanks

Green Pepper Changing Color

As peppers mature, they turn from green to red, yellow, or one of several other colors, depending on the variety. There are bell peppers that stay green, but it’s more likely that your pepper just hasn’t fully matured yet. Give it a little while longer to see if it changes to yellow or red!

Fertilizing

Other than the Epsom salt formula, what do I use to fertilize? Also, can the plants go into plain loose dirt, or is it important to buy potting soil?

fertilizers and soil

Fertilizers, both organic and synthetic, can be found at garden centers. The package may tell you what plants they are good for, such as vegetables. Peppers do better in a fertilizer lower in nitrogen, such as 5-10-10, before they set fruit; after that, it is OK to use a more balanced formula. Or, you can add aged manure or compost. They also like fish emulsion, if you want to go that route. To learn more about the various types of fertilizers, you may be interested in this page: https://www.almanac.com/content/npk-ratio-what-do-numbers-fertilizer-mean

As to planting directly in the ground, you can certainly do that, but depending on your soil, you might have better success by using potting soil if planting in a container, or if planting in the ground, by first preparing the plot to improve soil structure, adjust pH if needed, add any nutrients that are deficient, improve drainage if needed, etc. Peppers like loose soil, and a pH around 5.8 to 6.5. For more information about preparing soil for planting, you might like:

https://www.almanac.com/content/preparing-soil-planting
https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/organic-soil-amendments-explained
Also, here is a video on preparing soil in spring:
https://www.almanac.com/video/how-enrich-your-garden-soil-minerals

Hope this helps!

Fertilizing Bell Peppers

Mixed results with growing peppers in the past.

Starting seeds

Does it matter if I dry out the seeds before I plant them or can I take them right out of the sweet pepper to start in peat pots? They're very slow growing

Starting Seeds

It is best to not let the seeds dry out as they germinate in a warm wet location. I germinated mine in a wet paper towel in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Overcrowded?

This would be my first year growing bell peppers in my garden. I bought a ready to transplant starter in a 4in. container at my local Home Depot. I waited about a month until I finally transplanted my pepper to a 12in. pot. It gave me many blooms however they are all nowgrowing very close and are being smothered by one that is 4x bigger than the rest. I did add fertilizer to encourage it to grow taller but so far nothing. Is this normal? Will it affect the quality of the peppers?

pepper troubles

I’m not sure that I understand the setup–are there several pepper plants in one container, one plant being far more advanced than the others? Or, are they all now planted out in a garden? As the above article suggests, two seedlings grown together seems to work well, but otherwise it is best to space plants 18 to 24 inches apart; you might want to thin them out a little, by snipping at the base (don’t pull plants up, to avoid disturbing roots of plants you’d like to keep). Fertilize when transplanting, and then after first fruit set. Be careful not to give too much nitrogen, which encourages leaf growth over flowering, until the peppers are developing. If you have lots of flowers but no fruit, you might try hand pollinating to help things along,

large brown areas on my bellpeppers

last growing season, I had some bell peppers in the beginning of the season start off great but then get to a certain size and suddenly a large brown "spot" started growing on them. I thought maybe they were getting too much water, so I changed the water pattern but it was still happening. The spots were more of a rot look than a blemish. I didn't eat them because they were ugly-which scared me! What happened to my bellpeppers?

pepper problems

It’s hard to know what it might be, as there are several things that can cause large brown spots on fruit. However, I’m wondering if it might have been anthracnose; for more information about this disease, see: http://www.almanac.com/pest/anthracnose and this article from the Ohio Cooperative Extension:
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/sallymiller/Extension%20Outreach/informa...
which shows you a picture of it on bell pepper fruit.

Some other possibilities might include:
blossom end rot: http://www.almanac.com/pest/blossom-end-rot
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C938
sunscald: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/hot_and_sunny_days_promote_sunscald_in_pepp...

Hope this helps!

Capsicum seedlings

I am growing seedlings from the actual Capsicum, and have them near a window in the kitchen, they are in a seedling tray, there are about 26, and are 6cm tall, my question is:- Should I put them into a large pot or let them grow a lot bigger?
Regards,
Loretta

Capsicum seedlings

Good morning,
I submitted a question to you on 26 February 2017, but have just realised that you are in England, and I am in Sydney, Australia, our climates are very different!! My apologies, I will try one of our sites.
Regards,
Loretta

Transplanting Pepper Plants

I recently started pepper plants from seeds using peat moss pellets and a windowsill "greenhouse"/tray. Most of the seeds have sprouted and I am leaving them on the windowsill for the day and under a desk lamp at night. My question are: is the desk lamp sufficient for supplying light and to a lesser extent heat? Do I need to transplant the peppers from the peat pellets to a pot before hardening off and planting in my elevated bed, or can I keep them in the pellets until transferring to the bed? (P.S. I put casters on the garden bed so that I can roll it into the garage at night in order to avoid frost and major temperature drops. I assume this will allow me to transplant sooner assuming the soil temp remains above 65--I live in the deep south, MS). Thanks for any help you can give.

starting peppers indoors

You can keep your pepper seedlings in the peat pellets, to help minimize transplant shock (they are especially good for that, since you can plant them pellet and roots together in the ground). If you do not plan to transplant them out directly in the garden for several weeks, you might consider at some midway point between now and then, transplanting the seedling (including its peat pellet) into a larger pot. Otherwise, wait and plant outside directly, after hardening off. As to the lighting, seedlings usually need about 12 to 16 hours of light. Make sure that your desk light is not on constantly overnight–use a timer. It would be better to use a grow light that offers the spectrum needed by plants, or a fluorescent shop light. The windowsill and desk lamp (if using a regular light bulb) may lead to thin, elongated stems. If there is no other option, though, adjust the lamp so that it is close to the seedlings, but not too close to cause any heat damage. Keep rotating your plants every day, even twice a day, so that the stems do not grow in one direction (toward the source of light). Good luck!

A hard freeze is coming,

A hard freeze is coming, should I pull my bell pepper plants as I do tomatoes, or pick them individually?

It’s up to you. Some

It’s up to you. Some gardeners pull the whole plant and hang it upside down in a basement or garage, while others just harvest the ripening peppers. The fruit can be placed in a paper bag with an apple to help hasten ripening, if you prefer. If you have lots of peppers that are not up to full size yet, you might try pulling the whole plant in case the plant can still give the fruit a tiny bit more nutrients before the plant dries. But if your peppers are mostly of a mature size, then just harvesting the peppers themselves should work fine.

peppers and approaching freeze

last year (about the time the original question was asked) I had a bunch of peppers that I did not want to loose. I dug up the plant, root ball and all, and put them in large nursery pots I had saved. they were in shock about two days because it had been cool, but the fruit all ripened. some of the plants were still (sort of) alive at the end of the winter but did not appear to try regrowing. this year I am going to plant some in pots a little later in the season but keep them in the garden so they can be pollinated before winter- that late in the year the bees and other pollinators are trying to build up their food stores for the winter with whatever is around and will be glad for the food. plus can be brought into a garage or other unheated space overnight if there is a frost coming and put back out the next morning

By the way I also dug up the marigolds and geraniums in the garden because they were still blooming, and put them in clean cat litter boxes, saved aluminum buffet pans (the ones that go over the burner- double up for strength), and saved plastic trays from hamburger. at the holidays I put cloth around them and had nice arrangements on display

Two genders of bell peppers?

Online friends claim both peppers and the individual plants which bore them come in two genders which can be identified by the number of lobes on the peppers and the appearance of the seeds inside them. This seems botanically questionable and not provable except by chromosomal studies. Does anyone know about this for sure?

Pepper Gender

A hot topic, it appears, on the Web. No. It’s a hoax. Pepper plant flowers contain both mail and female reproductive parts, and so the developing fruit is neither male nor femaile. The number of lobes does not affect flavor. Don’t believe everything you read on the Web…but you can believe this.

Bell peppers

I have grown some in pots. Strangely some of the fruit has the colour of the aubergine. Why is this?? Please!!

Purple peppers

They may be purple, Ken, because they ARE purple peppers! If you started them from seeds, we can not explain the confusion; the packet should have been marked…or it was and you did not know. If you bought them as seedlings, it’s possible that the plant stick was moved from other peppers inadvertently; it happens occasionally.

They are different from other bells in so far as the contain a pigment called anthocyanin, which give them their inky color. They may be slightly more bitter than red, yellow, or orange bell peppers…or that may be a matter of taste.

Harvest, eat, and enjoy!

Green pepper

Mid October the first part of October we had 2.5 inches of rain. Now mid October I'm picking my peppers they have water in side and they have black spots and areas in side, they are solid are they OK to use?

spotted peppers

It sounds likely that they are diseased. In that case, it may be best not to eat them since it is not known what exactly is infecting the fruit. Even if the spotted areas are removed (cut at least 1 inch further out from the affected area), unblemished areas may still harbor fungus, bacteria, or viruses that may cause trouble, depending on the pathogen. Quality will likely not be as good either, perhaps affecting taste etc. Unfortunately, when in doubt, throw it out.

Possible 2nd Harvest

I have 3 plants. Each produced about 6 peppers each. They stopped yielding about 3 weeks ago, but now all 3 have some flowers and more baby peppers. Is it common to get a 2nd harvest?

pepper fruiting

Had you experienced cool or hot temperatures earlier and now temperatures have moderated? Nighttime temperatures below 60F or above 75F can hamper fruiting. Also, if you had very hot daytime temperatures, such as 90F or above, that can cause blossoms to drop or pollen to become sterile, reducing fruit production until plants recover. Ideal daytime temps are between 70 and 80 (hot peppers can take about 5 degrees higher). Drought or other stress, too much nitrogen, or other factors can also discourage fruiting.