Sweet peppers, commonly known as bell peppers are one of the easiest crops to grow in your home garden. This colourful and vibrant vegetable is the perfect addition to any garden. Did you know that bell peppers are technically fruits but are commonly used as vegetables due to their taste?
Even though bell peppers belong to the same family as jalapenos or habanero peppers, they lack capsaicin, the key chemical that creates heat in peppers.
Today I will share how to grow sweet peppers with all the tips for care and maintenance you need to do that. With the help of this comprehensive guide, the next time you plant sweet bell peppers in your garden, it will be absolutely effortless.
How To Grow Sweet Peppers?
Sweet peppers can be grown inside a heated or unheated greenhouse, and also in your backyard. It can be planted directly in the ground or in a pot. Whatever the case is, the process remains the same.
Step 1: Selecting A Type
When it comes to picking the plant, as sweet peppers come in a wide variety of sizes and colours, the planting place is extremely important.
If you are planning to grow peppers outside, then it is better to pick smaller varieties of the fruit. Because the growing season is shorter you don’t have much control over it. Generally, these fruits will be produced in summer and ripen up by autumn.
If you are planning on growing your sweet pepper plant indoors, on a pot, then go for smaller or dwarf fruits such as “Mohawk” or “Redskin” bell peppers. This will make sure it is not taking as much space inside.
All sweet bell peppers have one thing in common. Their initial colour is green. If you want your bell peppers to be comparatively sweet, then pick long or pointed bell peppers such as “Corno di Toro Rosso.”
Step 2: Soil Preparation
Sweet peppers are summer-loving crops, meaning they need full sun exposure and a warm spot to grow in. The soil should be moist to the touch. Many people make the rookie mistake of growing pepper in wet soil.
Use plenty of organic matter in the soil. The ideal soil for peppers is a mix of sandy and loamy soil. But if you don’t have it you can use plenty of compost in this soil.
Use around 10 lbs of aged manure per square yard of your garden.This will make sure the moisture retention is perfect. Peppers don’t grow well in wet soil. They need moist soil with plenty of hydration and warmth.
The soil should be slightly acidic. Use cloches to warm up the soil. Ideally, for sweet bell peppers, the soil should be an equal mix of loamy and sandy soils. But if you do not have that, then at least make sure you are using a spot that has good drainage and is fertile.
Step 3: Planting
As stated before pepper plants need plenty of warmth to grow properly, so both sowing the seed and planting the seedling are equally important.
- Sow the pepper seeds 1/4th of an inch deep in a potting mix.
- Sow the seeds indoors for 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost date. This will give the seeds a head start and allow them to germinate properly.
- Start sowing in early January to mid-February or mid-February to early March if you plan to grow the sweet pepper in a greenhouse. If you are planning to grow it outdoors, then you can start sowing in late March to early April.
- The ideal temperature for germinating pepper seeds is around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit or 18-21 degrees Celsius. Place the pot on a warm windowsill or in a warm spot. You can buy a seedling heat mat and use that until sprouts emerge.
- Ideally, with the proper temperature, the seedlings should emerge within the first two weeks. However, some varieties do take longer, around six weeks, to fully emerge. So, if your pepper seedling is taking longer, don’t lose hope yet.
- If the seedlings become too tall, too quick, or leggy, then don’t worry. Just re-plant them in a bigger pot so they can grow properly.
- Once the pepper seedlings emerge, provide them plenty of bright light, around 6 hours a day. A south-facing window is ideal. Don’t forget to water them regularly.
- Harden your pepper seedlings for at least 2 weeks before planting them outdoors.
- Once the temperature outside has reached at least 18 degrees Celsius, and 3 weeks have passed since frost, you can plant your seedlings outside.
- Select a spot where the sweet pepper plants will get direct sunlight exposure. The plants require a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. Make sure each plant is at least 20 to 24 inches apart from each other.
- If you are using containers to plant the seedlings inside a greenhouse with an additional heating system, then wait till the end of April. But if your greenhouse does not have heat then planting in mid-May is recommended.
Caring And Maintenance Of The Sweet Pepper Plants
Sweet bell peppers are comparatively low-maintenance plants. Once you plant the seedling into the ground, you will have to do very few things. Here are the most important maintenance tips for sweet peppers.
Tip 01: Temperature
Although sweet peppers are summer crops, one of the most common issues is that the seedling dies within a few days of planting it outside.
This problem may occur because the temperature of the ground was too low, the plant was not hardened properly, or because the temperature of the soil is lower than 12 degrees Celsius.
Sweet peppers grow the best inside greenhouses, whether heated or unheated. But for many beginner gardeners, maintaining a greenhouse is not an option.
This is why they prefer planting outside. Even I plant my sweet peppers in my garden, not inside a greenhouse. Planting outside does not necessarily hinder the growth of the fruit, but since the growing season is comparatively short, you may not get as many crops.
In addition, you may not get as many ripe peppers because of the short summer. However, both the quality and quantity might not vary as much if you take proper care of your sweet peppers.
Tip 02: Support
The stems of a pepper plant are quite brittle which makes them prone to breakage and damage.
If your pepper plant is taller than usual, then use canes to support it when you are planting it outside. Once the fruit comes, the cane or stake will ensure the plant can bear its weight without breaking.
You can use bamboo canes to create support for the plant. You can also use tomato cages to both protect and support the fruits.
Tip 03: Hydration And Watering Technique
Shallow watering does not work for sweet peppers. You need to water regularly to keep the plants hydrated. However, you also need to give sweet peppers a period of dryness to avoid overwatering. The ideal amount of water is 1 to 2 inches per week.
Always water in the roots. This will ensure good hydration and reduce the risk of wilting even if it is extremely hot outside. Using organic mulch around the pepper plant and compost in the soil ensures good moisture retention.
If you live in an extremely hot area, then water regularly.
Tip 04: Pest Control
Instead of using synthetic pesticides, try organic methods such as companion planting and organic pesticides.
Regular inspection is the key for pests like aphids, mites, and whiteflies. Always check the base of your pepper plants for these pests.
Beneficial insects such as ladybugs can deter aphids without harming the crops.
You should also spray water onto the foliage on a regular basis. This will protect the plant from red spider mites.
Plants like basil, garlic, and mint are natural bug repellents. You can surround your pepper plants with these. This method is called ‘companion planting.’
Tip 05: Fertilizer
Once you notice the first flower appearing on the plant, use a high potash fertilizer weekly. Pepper plants thrive in slightly acidic ground. If you are not sure of the pH levels in your garden, then get a soil test done. This will allow you to understand what kind of fertilizers you need.
However, if you are using nitrogen, be very careful. Overusing nitrogen may cause an extremely bushy pepper plant with decreased crops.
Tip 06: Pruning
Pruning is always a good practice for plants, ensuring healthier and stronger plant growth. You should prune the top leaves when your pepper plant reaches around 8 inches in height. This will ensure lateral branch growth which will give you a more potent pepper plant.
Tip 07: Harvesting the peppers
Did you know that red bell peppers and green bell peppers are the same fruit that was just harvested at different times? So, harvesting the fruit entirely depends on what you want.
If you want green bell peppers, then you can pick them when the peppers are big enough, and look swollen and shiny on the outside. Or you can leave it as it is and wait until it fully ripens. Once it changes from its initial green colour and reaches a vibrant hue such as red, you can pick it.
- Once the green bell peppers look big enough, picking it is recommended. This ensures more crops.
- You can leave a few green peppers in the plant and wait till it ripens to harvest. Generally, it takes about 8 weeks to 12 weeks to fully ripen. It might take longer than you think but the nutrition and taste are certainly worth the wait.
- If you live in an area where the growing season is short, meaning the temperature starts falling while your pepper plant is still producing or all the fruits are still green, then it is better to harvest all of it. Frost will kill the plants and the fruits in the plants so it is better to harvest instead.
- Use sharp shears or knives to cut the fruit off of the plant. Picking it by hand may result in damage or breakage in the plant.
Final Words
If you have read properly till this point, you know everything about how to grow sweet peppers and all the tips for care and maintenance, too! Whether you are growing it inside a greenhouse or in your backyard, just remember to sow the plants as early as possible.
And when the seedlings come, there is not much to do except to ensure proper hydration. This little amount of work will give you the most delicious and nutritious crop you have tasted in years!
