Are you going to grow peppers this year? Great! Peppers have a lot of taste and are high in nutrients. Raw or cooked, they’re wonderful in a number of dishes. They can be frozen at the end of the season and used in dishes all winter.
Here’s a step-by-step method to getting the best pepper crop you’ve ever had.
Are Peppers easy to grow?
Growing peppers isn’t difficult, but the right temperature is crucial. While pepper plants are generally simple to care for, they do require extra attention when they are young. If you’re just getting started, you might be wondering which peppers are the easiest to grow at home.
Here are some pepper types with low maintenance, high yields, and delicious flavor and/or heat:
- Jalapeño – Though yields can be hit or miss depending on variety, the jalapeño’s low maintenance and wonderful flavor can’t be surpassed.
- Serrano Pepper – Serranos have a bit more spice than jalapenos but are smaller. When completely ripe, serrano peppers are slender and long, going from green to vivid red. They’re best harvested when they’re bright green, and they’re really simple to grow at home!
- Habanero Pepper – This is a low-maintenance pepper that can be grown at home. They produce a lot of chili and have enough heat to please most chili connoisseurs.
- Shishito Pepper – This Japanese frying pepper is one of our garden’s most producing peppers year after year.
- Bell Pepper – While bell peppers are commonly found in supermarkets, they are also easy to grow in your own backyard. You can pick and choose the ideal variation for your tastes from a seemingly unlimited number of bell pepper types.
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What is the best month to plant peppers?
The best month to plant peppers depends on your location. If you live in a climate with long, hot summers, you can plant peppers as early as March or April. However, if you live in an area with shorter growing seasons, you should wait until May or June to plant your peppers.
Peppers are a warm-weather crop, so it’s best to start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost of spring. That way, they’ll be ready to transplant into the garden as soon as the soil is warmed and daytime temperatures are regularly over 75º F. Peppers grow best in full sun and well-drained soil.
To ensure that your peppers have enough room to grow, plant them 18 to 24 inches apart. Once they start to produce fruit, you’ll need to provide support for the plants by tying them to stakes or cages.
How long does it take to get peppers to grow?
Sweet peppers take 60-90 days to mature, while hot peppers can take up to 150 days. Keep in mind that the number of days to maturity listed on the seed packet refers to the number of days from the time the plant is transplanted until it produces a full-sized fruit.
How do you start growing peppers?
You may have mild, meaty peppers for salads or stir-fries, mildly spicy peppers for fresh salsas, and hot peppers for powerful jolts of taste by planting a variety of peppers.
After the last spring frost, start planting pepper plant seedlings outside. Raised beds, pots, and in-ground gardens are all good places to plant them.
Space them 18 to 24 inches apart in a sunny, well-drained location. Pepper plants require at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day to thrive.
When planting, add compost or other organic materials into the soil.
Water your plants right after they’re planted, and then on a regular basis throughout the season. Aim for 1-2 inches of rain per week (more if it’s hotter).
At the time of planting, put a slow-release fertilizer into the soil and replace as needed during the growing season.
Spread mulch around the plants (such as chopped leaves or straw) to help keep the soil cool and moist.
To help carry the weight of the fruit once it begins to produce, support each pepper plant with a stake or tiny tomato cage.
What do pepper plants need to grow?
To thrive at their best, your peppers require full sun and hours of sunlight and proper spacing between plants. Pepper plants, like tomatoes, require good drainage and thrive in raised beds.
