Are You Ready to Tackle Growing Your Own Bell Peppers?

Bell peppers are super popular, delicious, and of course, much easier to stomach than hot peppers. That's why a lot of kitchen gardeners want to jump straight to growing them.

I do think bell peppers should come with a little grower beware, though. I'd rate them one of the harder peppers to grow. The fruit has to reach a much larger size, which means they're slower to produce and there are more chances for things to go wrong.

If you're a beginner gardener, I recommend growing a smaller pepper like a jalapeño or my favorite, a shishito. Or grow another type alongside your bell peppers so you'll get a pepper harvest no matter what.

If you're ready to grow your own bell peppers, then your reward for seeing them all the way through to the end will be getting to watch the fruits change color over time. (They'll taste pretty good, too.)

Here's your step-by-step guide to growing organic bell pepper plants.

Is a Bell Pepper a Fruit or Vegetable?

Peppers, along with tomatoes and cucumbers, are one of those It depends on who you ask types of produce.

If you ask a botanist, then peppers are fruit, even if you wouldn't toss them into your fruit salad. Bell peppers grow from the flowers of the plant and contain seeds all along the pith.

If you ask a chef, then peppers are vegetables.

We're gardeners, so we're going to treat peppers like every other fruiting plant, which means we go in knowing that peppers will need lots of sun, more room to themselves, and more time to produce than our other plants. Let's look more at the preferred growing conditions of a bell pepper plant.

Where to Grow Bell Peppers

A full-sun raised garden bed filled with great soil will create the ideal environment for your bell peppers to thrive.

SUN

Bell peppers need a lot of sunlight to help them form and mature their large fruits, so make sure your plants receive a good 8 to 10 hours of sunlight each day.

SPACE

Peppers are considered medium-size plants, so they'll need some garden space to spread out. Ideally, your raised bed should be at least 12 inches deep so that the roots of your pepper plant have plenty of room to dig down deep.

SOIL

Peppers like a well-draining soil rich in organic matter. In my experience, a sandy loam mix like my 103 blend (equal parts topsoil, compost, and coarse sand) keeps all the fruiting plants in my kitchen garden healthy and productive. The sand is really important to add drainage, and the compost helps with moisture retention and improves soil fertility.

SUPPORT

Bell peppers sometimes grow too tall to hold themselves up. To prevent your plants falling over during a storm or heavy winds, grow your peppers near an obelisk trellis or use garden stakes and twine to hold your plants upright. The last thing you want is for a branch to break and put a halt to your pepper production.

When to Grow Bell Peppers

Bell peppers grow best in warm weather and have zero frost tolerance. Don't even think about planting peppers outdoors until all threat of frost has passed. I err on the side of caution and wait at least a week after my last frost date in the spring to move transplants out to the garden. If you're sowing pepper seeds outdoors, they'll germinate best if the soil temps are at least 65°F and nighttime temps are above 60°F.

If you live in a colder climate, the best time to grow bell peppers will be over the summer. Consider starting your plants indoors or buying a plant from a nursery to make the most of your short window between your frost dates.

For those of you in a warmer climate, your pepper plants will be most productive in the late spring and fall. Bell peppers struggle to form fruits when temps are regularly in the 90s (hot peppers tend to do better in hot weather). You may notice the flowers drop before forming a fruit or, if you do get a fruit, it's small and stunted.

If you want to keep your plants in the garden over a really hot summer, use a shade cloth over your pepper plants to protect them from the heat. They'll still get enough sunlight to grow, but not enough to be scalded by the sun.

What Are the Best Bell Pepper Companion Plants?

Peppers grow nicely with lots of other plants. You'll definitely want to surround your peppers with aromatic herbs and flowers to repel pests and promote healthier growth.

Some of my favorite herbs to grow with peppers are basil and parsley (especially when they flower!). My favorite flowers are angelonia, marigolds, nasturtiums, and petunias. These flowers will attract tons of beneficial insects (think ladybugs to take care of any aphids you may have or bees to help pollinate your peppers).

You can also grow peppers alongside other warm-season fruiting plants like beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. Just make sure you're keeping these large plants pruned and supported as needed.

Should You Start Bell Peppers from Seed or Plant?

The easiest way to start growing a bell pepper is to buy a well-grown seedling or plant start from your local nursery, farmers' market, or CSA. You'll definitely want to buy a plant or start your own by seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your final frost date if you have a short growing season.

You can direct sow peppers in your garden, but keep in mind it does take a long time to grow a bell pepper from seed. Only direct sow if you have a nice, long growing season; otherwise, your plants may not have time to produce.

If you're buying a pepper plant, look for a sturdy stem and vibrant green leaves. Don't buy plants that appear wilted or leggy (too tall) or that show any signs of pests or disease. If possible, pick plants that aren't flowering yet. That way, they'll have a bit more time to settle into your garden before they worry about fruiting.

How to Plant Bell Pepper Plants

Here's your checklist of things to do before you plant peppers in your garden:

• Harden off pepper seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions (if you started your own peppers indoors).
• Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost to the surface of the planting area.
• Place the trellis if you'll be using it for support. That way, you don't disrupt the roots of your bell pepper plant later.

Dig a hole that's just as deep but twice as wide as the nursery pot. Gently ease the plant from its pot and place it in the planting hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Water in well.

Pepper plants can spread as wide as 18 to 24 inches, but I've found I can really pack my pepper plants into a raised bed. I typically only space them about 8 to 10 inches apart. That's totally breaking the bell pepper spacing recommendations, but it's enough for them to still have good air circulation and prevent disease. I also like to plant smaller plants like herbs, bush beans, and flowers around the pepper plants to cover any bare soil. That'll help with moisture retention on hot days.

If you planted a little too early and cold temps are returning, add a floating row cover or frost cloth over your baby pepper plants to protect them at night. And if pests are a big issue in your garden, consider covering your bell pepper seedlings with garden mesh for the first couple of weeks after they're transplanted. Remove this cover once the plants are flowering to give pollinators access.

How to Fertilize Bell Pepper Plants

Nightshade plants are heavy feeders, and bell peppers are no exception. It takes a lot of nutrients to make something so large and tasty!

The first way to ensure your pepper plants have enough nutrients in the soil is to do something called hilling. All you have to do us push some compost around the base of your plants every couple of weeks. Compost slowly releases nutrients while also supporting the plant's root system so it'll have a strong foundation once it's holding all those heavy peppers.

As soon as you notice the first flowers appear, start adding an organic fertilizer high in phosphorus to help the plant form and ripen fruits. Some of my favorite organic phosphorus-rich fertilizers are bone meal, fish bone meal, and rock phosphate. Apply them as a side dressing around the base of the plant and water them in really well. Repeat every 1 to 2 weeks throughout the growing season to maximize your pepper production.

How to Water Bell Pepper Plants

Unless you're getting a lot of rain, you'll need to water your pepper plants every other day or so for the first 6 to 8 weeks after they're transplanted to the garden. Then, once they're established, switch to deep but infrequent watering. Thoroughly saturate the soil and then don't water again until the soil is dry 1 inch down. I typically do one deep watering a week.

Make sure to aim water at the roots of the plant, not the leaves, to avoid fungal diseases. The best time to water bell pepper plants is early in the morning so they're not all stressed out once the heat of the day hits.

If you live somewhere dry, consider adding automated drip irrigation to your raised beds. It's a really easy and water-efficient way to deliver consistent moisture to your vegetable garden.

Some gardeners like to mulch around their plants to conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature. I'm not a fan of mulch. I've found that adding compost and planting smaller plants around my peppers works much better.

How to Keep Bell Pepper Plants Upright

It always amazes me to see the size of a bell pepper compared to the branch holding it. It's truly a wonder these plants don't fall over more, especially when they get really tall.

Help your bell pepper gal out by giving her additional stakes or supports to prevent the branches from bending or snapping under all that weight. You can grow peppers inside obelisk trellises or even tomato cages. You can also use garden stakes with some twine. If your plant is already leaning over, make sure to place the stake in the direction it's leaning. Going opposite can put way too much pressure on the stem.

How to Prune Bell Pepper Plants

You can encourage your pepper plants to grow bushier and less likely to topple over by topping them off when they're still young (right after you transplant them to the garden space). This can ultimately get you more fruit, but it does delay flowering and fruiting a bit. If you have a short growing season, you might not want to top off your bell pepper plant.

Other than that, you should prune your plants regularly to increase air circulation, prevent pests and disease, and promote more fruit growth. Start by removing those lower leaves. You want the majority of the leaves to be right up top, in the canopy. You also don't want any leaves touching the soil.

Once you've removed some of the lower leaves, take off any leaves that are discolored or show signs of pest damage. This goes a long way to maintaining the overall health of the plant.

Troubleshooting Bell Pepper Growing Issues

Here are some common issues that can affect bell pepper plants and how to prevent them or treat them.

Black Spots on Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are prone to blossom end rot, especially if your watering schedule has been inconsistent or if you're way-overwatering. If you notice dark spots on the bottom of the fruits, remove them and toss them in the trash. Add a calcium-rich fertilizer like bone meal and try to water more regularly. This nutrient-deficiency tends to affect the first couple of fruits, so you may still be able to get a bell pepper harvest.

If the issue persists, consider getting a soil test done so you can address any nutrient deficiencies.

White Splotches on Leaves

If it looks like someone sprinkled baby powder on the leaves of your pepper plants, you've got powdery mildew. Prune any affected leaves and then spray your plants with an eco-friendly baking soda mix (1 tablespoon baking soda with 1 teaspoon of castile soap and 1 gallon of water).

The best way to prevent powdery mildew and other fungal diseases is by pruning leaves frequently and avoiding overhead watering.

Pests on Pepper Plants

Check your plants regularly for signs of pests like aphids and caterpillars. Prune any affected leaves and remove visible pests by hand. Here's how to treat pests organically.

Yellow Leaves on Bell Pepper Plants

There are lots of different reasons your leaves can turn yellow—everything from overwatering to pest issues. Pepper plants are also susceptible to diseases like bacterial leaf spot and blight. If you've watered regularly, added fertilizer, pruned the yellow leaves, and checked for pests, then the issue is likely disease-related. It's best to just pull the affected plants and toss them in the trash.

No Flowers on Pepper Plants

If your plants aren't flowering or fruiting, then it's time to add phosphorus around the base of the plant or on the leaves with a foliar feed.

When to Harvest Bell Peppers

Bell peppers take about 85 to 90 days from planting outdoors to mature. Keep in mind that's under ideal conditions. Factors like sudden cold spells, lack of sunlight, too much or too little water, and bad soil quality can all delay fruiting. Once the first fruit develops, your plant will hopefully continue producing fruits for another 30 to 45 days, or until your first frost.

My clients are always nervous about when to pick their bell peppers. These peppers are 100 percent edible at any stage. You can pick them once they're fully formed (they should be about 3 to 4 inches long) but before they're completely ripe. Harvesting these green bell peppers can actually increase your overall fruit yield because you free up the plant's energy to produce new peppers if there's still time in the growing season.

If you leave your bell peppers on the plant a little longer, they'll begin to change colors as they continue to ripen. Your peppers might be orange, yellow, red, or purple when they're fully ripe. Bell peppers that have been given more time to ripen will be a bit sweeter than green ones. They'll also have more vitamins and antioxidants (think vitamin A and beta carotene), though, of course, green bell peppers are still really good for you.

There are advantages to harvesting sooner and later, so it's really up to you to pick which stage of growth you prefer!

How to Harvest Bell Peppers

After supporting their heavy burdens for so long, bell pepper stems are not inclined to give them up easily. That's why it's not a good idea to try to harvest by hand. You can end up damaging the branches.

The best way to harvest bell peppers is to grab a sharp pair of scissors or pruners (make sure to wipe them down with some rubbing alcohol first). Cut the pepper from the plant, leaving a little bit of the stem attached.

Harvest regularly to maximize your fruit production.

Store bell peppers unwashed in a cool, dry place like your refrigerator, where they can remain fresh for up to two weeks.

You'll need to harvest all of your peppers before the first frost of fall. Your plants are biennials, which means they can live for up to two years. If you live in a mild climate, you might be able to keep your plants in the garden as long as you give them some protection on cold nights. In colder climates, you can pot up your plants and overwinter them indoors. They should be more productive the next year.

Grow Your Own Delicious Bell Peppers

Your homegrown bell peppers will taste extra sweet, so get ready for the best salads, stir fries, and stuffed bell peppers you've ever had.

Thanks for helping me bring back the kitchen garden, one pepper plant at a time!

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