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Planting and Growing Bell Peppers

green bell peppers and red bell peppers on a plant in the garden
Image Credit:
D. Leonis/Getty Images
Sponsored Article:
Cummins
Botanical Name
Capsicum annuum
Grown as
Tender Perennial
USDA Zones
10a
10b
11a
11b
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Long Blooming
Attracts Pollinators
Resilience
Heat-Tolerant
Plant Type
Vegetables
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Whether you’re stuffing them, slicing them raw, or grilling them to perfection, growing your own bell peppers is an easy way to add color to your garden — and your dinner plate. 

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to grow your own bell peppers from seed or starter plants and how to help these sunshine-loving veggies produce their very best!

Planting

When to Plant Peppers

Peppers are slow-to-grow plants that take about 60 to 90 days to mature when grown from seed. To work around this long growing season, many gardeners purchase starter pepper plants from nurseries, which can be planted outside 2 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost or when soil temperatures have warmed to around 65°F (18°C). That said, if you have the patience, you can also start pepper seeds indoors in pots about 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost date and then move the transplants outside when the weather warms.

Where to Plant Peppers

Peppers are full sun plants that should be planted in a well-draining spot that receives at least 6 hours of light per day and has rich and moist (but not wet) soil. Mixing some compost into the soil before planting will help peppers grow better, while northern gardeners may want to warm the soil with black plastic for a few weeks before planting to speed up planting times. You can also grow peppers in a well-draining pot that’s at least 3 to 5-gallons in size.

Due to the risk of disease transmission, it’s best to avoid planting peppers in an area where you’ve recently grown other nightshade family members—such as tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants.

How to Plant Peppers

  • To start peppers indoors: Plant 2 pepper seeds per seedling cell or 3 per pot by burying the seeds 1/4-inch deep in seed starting mix. For faster germination, maintain soil at 70°F (21°C) or above with a heat mat. Move the seeds under bright grow lights, keep them well-watered until they sprout, thin out the weakest seedlings with fingernail scissors leaving just 1 plant per cell or 2 per pot, and repot the seedlings into bigger containers as needed until it’s time to move them outdoors.
  • To plant peppers outside: Wait until the weather warms and then harden indoor started plants or nusery starts off over the course of 1 to 2 weeks. Plant the seedlings in prepared soil at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots or slightly deeper if their stems are leggy by burying the stems to the lowest set of leaves. If possible, transplant peppers on a cloudy day to reduce the risk of planting shock, plant peppers in their own pots or 12 to 18-inches apart in rows spaced 2 to 3-feet from each other, water well, and consider adding stakes or tomato cages to avoid disturbing plants later on.

Growing

Watering

Peppers should be watered regularly with about 1 to 2-inches of water per week. For best results, allow peppers to nearly dry out between waterings, then water them deeply, low and slow, and add a layer of mulch to lock in soil moisture levels. Make sure to keep up with a regular watering practice as irregular watering can lead to plant stress and issues like blossom end rot.

Fertilizing

Adding compost to the soil at planting time makes pepper plants more productive. After that, feed peppers regularly with an organic tomato fertilizer or other high potatssium fertilizer from the time the plants begin to produce flower buds. Bell peppers also do well with organic, balanced or low nitrogen, slow-release granular fertilizers.

Pruning or Maintenance

Bell peppers don’t need major pruning but they will grow bushier and produce more fruits if you pinch out the growing points at the top of the plant once the plants are about 8-inches tall.

Seasonal Care

Peppers are extremely heat-sensitive and may drop their blossoms if it’s too hot (above 85° to 90°F in daytime) or cold (below 60°F at night) or if water is inadequate. To avoid this fate, use shade cloth or row covers to protect bell peppers from heat stress or sunscald and cover plants with cloches or frost blankets if a cold snap passes through. Make sure to weed regularly to keep weeds from competing with bell peppers too!

 

Harvesting

When to Harvest

Begin harvesting bell peppers as soon as the plants begin fruiting and the peppers reach a usable size. You can harvest bell peppers when they’re green or when they reach their mature color, which may be red, orange, yellow, or even purple depending on the variety. Harvesting regularly prompts pepper plants to produce more fruit and safeguards harvests from pest damage; however, bell peppers get sweeter the longer they stay on the plant.

How to Harvest

To harvest bell peppers, hold the pepper stem and snip the stem off the plant with a clean pair of pruners, scissors, or a sharp knife. Don’t pull bell peppers off the plant as this can cause significant damage and make peppers less productive.

Storage

After harvesting, bell peppers should stay fresh in the cripsper drawer of your fridge for up to 10 days. For longer storage, you can also chop and freeze bell peppers, or wash, de-seed, chop and dry them in an oven or dehydrator set at 140°F for 4 to 6 hours.

Green and red bell peppers on plant

Pests and Problems

Just like other veggies, peppers can develop problems due to environmental stress, pests, or disease. Here are some of the most common complications you may encounter when growing bell peppers and what to do about it!

Common Problems

  • Flower drop and poor fruiting. Pollination can be reduced if temperatures fall below 60°F (16°C) or rise above 90°F (32°C), which can result in flower drop. Low humidity, lack of pollinators, and watering stress can also cause this issue, so it’s important to provide the care pepper plants need and encourage pollinators with companion planting.
  • Blossom end rot. Peppers may develop soft mushy sections on their ends if they don’t receive enough calcium or are watered irregularly. This is known as blossom end rot and can be corrected by adjusting watering schedules.
  • Sunscald. Sun damaged peppers may turn yellow or white on their upper margins and they can get mushy too. This usually results from overpruning plants and can be remedied with shade cloth and reduced pruning.
  • Yellowing leaves. Overwatering is the leading cause of yellow leaves in pepper plants, but leaf yellowing can also result from certain plant diseases and underwatering.

Common Pests

  • Aphids may leave a sticky coating on pepper plant leaves and cause leaf deformation. Usually aphids can be dislodged with a strong blast from your hose, but you can also treat them with weekly applications of organic soap spray.
  • Slugs and snails often chew ragged holes in developing peppers. Slug traps are the best way to manage these pests, but you can also remove them with hand-picking.
  • Spider mites also feed on plant sap and can leave peppers feeling sticky or cover them with tiny spider-like webs. Increasing watering and treating plants with organic soap spray should reduce mite issues quickly.
  • Deer typically leave peppers alone, but they may take big bites out of bell peppers if they get hungry enough. Growing deterrent plants and using motion-activated sprinklers or flood lights should keep these garden mauraders at bay,

Plant Diseases

  • Blight. A fungal issue, blight can leave lesions on plant stems and lead to rapid wilt. If this occurs, your best bet is to destroy infected plant parts, add mulch to reduce water splashing, and move peppers into a new section of your garden next season.
  • Mosaic virus. Commonly transmitted by aphids, mosaic virus can leave pepper leaves with a mottled yellow and green patterning, reduce fruit yields, and stunt plants too. There is no remedy for this disease, just destroy infected plants, sanitize the area, and grow peppers in a new part of your garden next time.

Types

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’

Group of green bell peppers

Wit and Wisdom

  • Sweet bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, which is the compound that gives hot peppers their pungency and heat.
  • The green and red bell peppers we commonly see in supermarkets are the same pepper — the red bell peppers have just been allowed to mature on the plant longer, which gives them more color, a sweeter taste, and a higher vitamin C content.
  • A popular myth 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, a sweeter taste, and more seeds. However, this is not true! Pepper fruits do not have a gender and differences between them are simply the result of growing conditions or variety.

Vegetables

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/15/2014 - 09:37

Holes in peppers could be anything from worms to flee beetles to weevils. However, pest holes are not usually surrounded by black. Bacterial spot is a disease that causes small black spots; the spots are lesions, not holes. Most outbreaks are tied to the original seed or transplant which was infected. If this is the case, there is little you can do except buy sterile seed and avoid replanting in this area next year. Also, overhead irrigation and splashing of water on the plant can spread infection. (Watering should happen at base of plant and never overhead.) This is a difficult disease to control. There are sprays that can be used at an early stage. We would suggest you bring a sample to your local cooperative extension office or garden nursery to get a confirmed diagnosis.

 <span>Clobsmom</span> Wed, 07/09/2014 - 10:34
My peppers are about fist sized on plants about 12-18" tall. I cut one pepper off to put in a salad, but when I tasted the pepper it was very bitter and just over-all yucky. Is this normal? Are they just not ready to be picked?
<span>Ashpoke</span> Tue, 07/01/2014 - 21:15
I live in Michigan and I started my first garden this May. I bought a California Wonder bell pepper plant and transplanted it into the garden. It had a little pepper bud with a bit of the flower around it when I purchased it. In that same place (the lower third of the pepper) there is a black patch. The pepper itself is growing just fine. However, the plant has not developed any more flowers or little peppers. Can you please tell me what is wrong and if it is fixable? THANKS!!
<span>Holden</span> Mon, 06/30/2014 - 14:53
How big are they sapost to get my bellpepers
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/30/2014 - 16:55

It will depend on the variety. Check the name on the plant tag or seed packet. Depending on the type, and growing conditions, the fruits can range from between 1.5 and 7 inches long. Plant heights can range from 6 inches to 5 feet tall, again depending on the type and your local growing conditions. 'Big Bertha', for example, can grow up to 5 feet tall and bear fruit that is up to 7 inches long and 4 inches wide. 'Red Mini Bell', on the other hand, grows about 16 inches tall and bears fruit just 1.5 inches long and wide. A standard type, such as 'Sweet California Wonder', grows up to 2 feet tall and bears fruit about 4 inches long by 3.5 inches wide.

 <span>Alexalvarez</span> Tue, 06/24/2014 - 20:01
I love planting plants that give you food instead of just looking at flowers. But I am just 16 years old and I all ready have grown and bought almost the whole store full of fruits and vegetables in my gardens. Like bell peppers, Cherry trees, Fig trees, Apple trees, Peach trees, avocados, pineapples, watermelons, canolops, plus iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, Zucchini, beets, and pinto beans, carrots, potatoes, Sweet potatos. But most have trouble growing because of temperature changes of hot and cold weather. 95high and 20 degrees low. With weather of thunderstorms high winds mostly in the summer time. Winter snow storms possible sometimes not somestimes with slow lightning with freezing high winds.
<span>Mini</span> Sat, 06/14/2014 - 15:26
Hi, I sowed some pepper seeds in may. It is almost one month. The seeds sprouted but theya re not growing... The true leaves did not emerged till now. Can anyone help me what to do? May be the seeds are not good? If I sow some seeds now, can I get harvest in september or october? And also my spinach and cilantro also growing very slow. I think these leafy veggies are fast growing, but They are also not growing fast. Thanks.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/16/2014 - 14:17

Depending on what weather you have had, it could be that cold temperatures are delaying sprouting, since pepper seeds like a warm soil temperature to germinate. Keep the soil moist (not soggy) to help penetrate the hard seed coat and help the seed germinate. The variety of pepper also affects how fast it will germinate: some hot peppers can take almost a month.

 

Cold temperatures can also slow plant growth (Look through the questions/answers below for similar problems.) If temperatures are still cool, you might place row covers over the plants to help keep them warm at night. Black plastic mulch helps to keep the soil warm.

 

As to whether sowing seeds now will give the plants enough time to produce, check this page and put in your zip code to determine best times for your area:

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/

In some areas, sowing now through end of June should be fine for a Setember/October harvest.

 

 <span>Cheryl Burq</span> Sat, 06/14/2014 - 12:34
I live in Eastern WA. My Red Pepper plants look great, very dark green leaves, but are only about 10 inches tall. They've started producing lots of fruit. I planted them in early May and kept them under cover to keep them warm. My question is...should I pick the fruit and allow the plants to get taller since it's still early in the season?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/16/2014 - 14:02

It seems that several gardeners are having the same problem (see questions/answer below), probably because of cooler temperatures (or the temperature fluctuations). You might want to pick the fruit and allow the plants to get taller; side dress the area with a bit of balanced fertilizer to encourage more plant growth.