Capsicum annuum
From sweet bells to spicy jalapeños, peppers add color, flavor, and nutrition to your garden and kitchen.
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Warm the soil with black plastic or a low tunnel two weeks before transplanting. Work in composted poultry manure and a handful of bone meal to support heavy flowering and fruiting.
Peppers prefer consistent moisture but resent waterlogged soil. Provide one inch of water weekly in spring, increasing to twice weekly during fruit set. Always water at the base to avoid foliar disease.
Side-dress with a balanced organic fertilizer three weeks after transplanting and again when fruit begins to size. Incorporate epsom salt (one tablespoon per gallon of water) monthly if magnesium deficiency shows up as interveinal chlorosis.
Remove early blossoms to encourage vegetative growth. Stake plants with a single tomato cage or bamboo tripod and tie stems loosely to prevent storm damage. Lightly prune crowded interior leaves to boost airflow in humid climates.
Harvest green peppers as soon as they reach full size to keep plants producing. Leave fruit to ripen fully for sweeter flavor and higher vitamin content. Store harvested peppers in a perforated bag in the crisper for up to 10 days or roast and freeze for long-term use.
These plants grow well together and can provide mutual benefits like pest control, improved soil health, and efficient space usage.
Watch out for these common pests and diseases. Early detection and prevention are key to maintaining healthy plants.
| Issue | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Flowers dropping without setting fruit | Ensure nighttime temperatures are above 60 F, provide light afternoon shade, and maintain even soil moisture. |
| Sunscald on ripening peppers | Leave a few interior leaves in place for shade or install a 30 percent shade cloth during the hottest weeks. |
| Pepper weevil damage | Remove and destroy infested fruit, rotate crops annually, and deploy yellow sticky traps at canopy height. |
Reliable bell pepper that sets fruit in cooler climates and ripens early.
Sweet Italian frying pepper with thin skin and prolific yields.
Wrinkled Japanese pepper best harvested green and blistered in a skillet.
Check out our companion planting guides and learn about creating productive plant guilds for your garden.
