Growing peppers, whether you're planting bell peppers, other sweet peppers, or chili peppers, requires having particular growing conditions and a few months of patience. Pepper plants can take anywhere from 60 to 150 days to mature from transplanting depending on the variety, but all of them share the same requirements: full sun, rich soil, consistent moisture, and occasional fertilization.
Most gardeners in northern climates choose to grow peppers from starts as opposed to sowing their own seeds, and that's because peppers need such a long growing season to reach maturity. On the other hand, gardeners in warmer climates can get away with sowing pepper seeds in late winter and even growing the plants as perennials over the next winter! Whether you're growing bell peppers or chili peppers, in pots or raised beds, or in the north or south, it is possible to grow a healthy pepper harvest in four to five months.
This guide covers how to grow peppers from seed or starts, the ins and outs of growing different types of peppers, and how to prune, care for, and harvest peppers for the best results.
Skip Ahead: Planting and growing peppers from seed • When to plant • Spacing • Plant care • Fertilizing • Pruning • Containers • Harvesting • Harvesting seeds • Varieties • FAQ
Planting and growing peppers from seed
Peppers need a long growing season with a lot of heat and light, so most gardeners in northern zones opt to grow peppers from starts. Growing peppers from seed is certainly possible, even in zones 6 and 5, but it requires some equipment: a heated seedling mat and grow lights.
Here's how to grow peppers from seed, step by step:
- Sow pepper seeds 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost. There's always a temptation to sow them earlier, but peppers that are ready to plant out when it's still cold outside won't benefit from languishing indoors for a few extra weeks.
- Prepare the plug tray or soil blocks with a sifted potting mix or seed starting mix. Keep in mind that seed starting mixes contain no nutrients, so their seedlings will need to be potted up into a more nutritious soil blend as soon as true leaves emerge.
- Sow the pepper seeds ¼" deep, with two or three seeds per plug. Lightly push the seeds into the soil to ensure good contact, water them in thoroughly, and place them on a seed starting mat or somewhere warm to germinate. Depending on the variety, pepper seeds tend to germinate within two to three weeks.
- Cover the seedlings with a dome. Using a clear plastic dome of some sort to cover the seedling tray can help keep the soil moist and warm and encourage germination. This is not always necessary, but it is helpful in colder growing environments. If you do use a dome, check it daily and shake out any condensation that's built up. Otherwise, this can create an overly turgid environment that could harm seedlings.
- Use a heated seedling mat. The peppers won't need grow lights until they germinate, but they will germinate more quickly if their soil is kept warm by using a seedling mat. You can leave the seedling mat on 24/7 until seeds germinate. Then, turn the mat off and turn the grow lights on.
- Water them regularly, remove the dome, and turn on grow lights once the seedlings germinate. Peppers need consistent moisture, but leaving the dome on will keep the soil too wet. Instead, water them when you see that the soil has started to dry out.
- Thin the seedlings to one per plug once true leaves emerge. If you sowed them into a seed starting mix, this is also the time to transfer them into a fine potting mix.
- Transfer the seedlings into bigger pots once they have two sets of true leaves. A good rule of thumb is to increase the container size by 1" each time you pot up. If your seedlings are leggy, plant them deeply; like tomatoes, the peppers grow new roots from their stems. Depending on your zone, you may need to pot them up once or twice more before it's time to plant them out.
- Harden off seedlings for one to two weeks before planting them. This helps to avoid transplant shock, which can kill tender indoor-grown plants. There are multiple ways to successfully harden off plants. One example would be to keep the peppers outside during the day for one week, and then to keep them outside in a cold frame 24/7 for one additional week.
- Plant peppers outside two to four weeks after the last frost, once the soil and nighttime temperatures have started to rise.
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When to plant peppers
Wait to plant out peppers until the soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures are consistently above 55º, at least two or three weeks after the last frost date. Cold soil or low nighttime temperatures will stunt pepper growth, so there's no advantage to planting them out earlier.
In northern climates-- USDA zones 6 and above-- it may make sense to wait until June to plant out peppers. In warmer, southern regions, gardeners can grow peppers outside as early as March.
Pepper spacing
Plant pepper rows a foot apart, and space the peppers at least 12" (and ideally 18") apart. Both hot peppers and sweet peppers need plenty of root space, and crowding them can result in stunted plants and even fungal or bacterial diseases.
If you're planting peppers in a raised bed, give each pepper at least one square foot of space and be sure to plant them next to pepper companion plants that won't shade them out.
For growing peppers in pots, stick with one plant per pot. Peppers can grow well together in containers that are very large, like a repurposed trough, but they will suffer when planted close together in anything much smaller than 30" long.
Pepper plant care
Peppers are hungry and thirsty plants that will benefit from as much sun, water, and nutrition as you can give them. They like a well draining, loamy soil with plenty of organic matter, ideally in the form of garden compost.
Here are a few more tips for planting peppers into the ideal space:
- Full sun: Pepper plants need at least 8 hours of sunlight daily, but they'll benefit from even more. You can give them the best chance by planting them in the sunniest position available in your garden or by planting them into large pots that you can reposition as needed.
- Rich soil: Peppers need soil that's rich in organic matter, but not overly rich in nitrogen. The nutrients in garden compost help pepper plants produce fruits, but the compost also helps the soil to retain moisture. Give your pepper plants the richest, most loamy soil you can give them-- but avoid amending the soil with manure, which is high in nitrogen.
- Regular watering: Peppers don't want their roots to dry out, but they don't want to be sitting in soggy soil, either. To accommodate them, water them regularly but not too deeply. This can also prevent blossom end rot, which develops as a result of inconsistent watering. If you're unsure whether your peppers need to be watered, pop a finger into the top inch of the soil. If it's dry, they need water.
Fertilizing pepper plants
When growing peppers and other fruiting vegetables, an adage to live by is "feed the soil, not the plant." While peppers need lots of nutrition, they will grow very well in soil that's amended with generous amounts of healthy, living compost. Incorporating compost into the soil not only improves the soil condition, creating that loamy, moisture-retentive quality that peppers love; it also introduces nutrients and promotes healthy relationships between the pepper roots and the microorganisms that make those nutrients bioavailable in the soil.
As with all fruiting vegetables, excess nitrogen in the soil can lead to peppers producing lots of leaves but few fruits. Using well-balanced organic fertilizers like compost or liquid seaweed can help prevent this.
Peppers grown in pots are most likely to need some fertilization. While compost, compost tea, and comfrey tea are all excellent homemade options, there are a few packaged organic fertilizers that can help. For bushy pepper plants, try a small amount of a highly nitrogenous fertilizer (like composted manure or blood meal) early in the season to support leaf growth. Once the plants produce flowers, switch to a more potassium and phosphorous rich fertilizer like bone meal to support fruit production.
Pruning peppers
Pruning pepper plants is optional, especially for smaller growing varieties like jalapeño and habanero peppers. Even bell pepper plants can grow to produce a good harvest without any pruning whatsoever. However, if you're working with a limited space or are keen to maximize your yields, there are a few ways to prune peppers that could help:
- Pinch out the tops of smaller pepper varieties when you plant them out. Again, this isn't necessary, but it can stimulate bushier growth and therefore more fruit production.
- Remove any early flowers to extend your growing season. Pinching off any flowers that appear when the plants are still very small encourages them to put more energy into root growth, which will ultimately lead to more top growth and more peppers later in the season.
- Prune pepper suckers on larger varieties like bell peppers. This will improve airflow, reserve more energy for fruit production, and prevent the plant from becoming top heavy. For smaller varieties with a bushier growing habit, the suckers should be left alone; they'll go on to produce more fruits.
- Remove low-growing leaves that are in contact with the soil and look unhealthy. These leaves are most susceptible to damage from soil-dwelling insects, but they can also invite bacterial and fungal disease.
- Prune off leaves that are shading the peppers in the last two or three weeks leading up to the first frost. In climates with a mild winter, this isn't necessary; pruning peppers in early fall can even lead to a mid-winter harvest in very warm zones. But if you live in an area with harsh frosts, the first cold snap will kill the entire plant. Trimming off leaves that are shading the peppers gives the fruits the best chance at ripening before that frost.
Growing peppers in pots
Peppers grown in pots are higher maintenance, thanks to the soil's limited ability to provide water and nutrients. But it's certainly possible to grow healthy, bushy pepper plants in pots on a patio or balcony as long as you have a full sun position and decently large pots. Whether you're growing bell peppers or hot peppers, here are a few tips for growing healthy peppers in pots and other containers:
- Use a pot at least 10" deep and 12" wide. More compact hot pepper varieties are best suited to growing in small pots, while larger plants like bell peppers benefit from even larger containers. Regardless of what variety you're growing, look for a container with good drainage holes and at least 10" of depth. Plastic pots are better suited to peppers, as they help retain moisture.
- Plant one pepper per pot. With the exception of very large containers, most pots are not large enough to accommodate the roots of multiple pepper plants-- especially larger bell pepper plants.
- Use a well-draining potting mix. Potting soil already contains drainage, usually in the form of perlite. If you want to make your own potting mix, you could use a combination of garden compost, vermiculite or perlite, and leaf mold.
- Water the peppers regularly. Peppers are moisture-loving plants that need consistent moisture, but soil dries out very quickly in pots. To combat this-- and prevent blossom end rot-- regularly check the peppers to make sure that the top inch of soil is moist. Alternatively, a watering spike can help provide that steady water supply.
- Fertilize the peppers regularly. Peppers in pots will need more frequent fertilization, as there's less soil to provide nutrients. Plan to feed your peppers with an organic fertilizer like comfrey tea, compost, compost tea, or liquid seaweed feed roughly every ten to fourteen days.
Harvesting peppers
There are some general rules of thumb regarding when to harvest peppers: wait until they've reached their full size and final color, the skin has thinned slightly, and the fruits comes easily off of the branch. But that only applies to ripe peppers; really, peppers are edible well before they've ripened. In the case of bell peppers and jalapeños, some may even prefer to eat unripe, green fruits.
Whether you're growing sweet peppers or hot peppers, here's how to know it's time to harvest them:
- Harvesting bell peppers: You can harvest bell peppers when they are bright red and fully ripened, or when they're still green and immature. To harvest unripe bell peppers, wait until the peppers have stopped growing larger, the color of the skin has lightened slightly, and the skin itself feels soft. To harvest ripe bell peppers (whether your variety turns red, dark purple, orange, or yellow), wait until the peppers have achieved their final color, the skin feels thin, and the fruit plucks away from the stem easily.
- Harvesting jalapeños: When you harvest jalapeños depends on the flavor you want; unripe green jalapeños have the classic smoky, spicy flavor, while ripe red ones are sweeter. Harvest unripe jalapeños a week or two after they have reached their full size, once the skin has started to soften but before they start to turn a very dark green. Harvest ripe jalapeños once they are bright red, have a tender skin, and come away from the plant easily.
- Harvesting hot chili peppers: For any very hot pepper, like cayenne, thai chili peppers, or ghost peppers, wait until the peppers are completely ripe: as soon as they've stopped growing and achieved their final color, they're ready to harvest.
Harvesting pepper seeds
To harvest pepper seeds, you'll need to let the plants grow to full ripeness. Waiting until the skin has started to pucker and wrinkle will ensure that the seeds are fully grown, as well. Once the peppers have fully matured and started to wrinkle, you can pluck them and harvest the seeds.
After removing the seeds, let them dry completely by placing them on or wrapping them in a paper towel. Keep them somewhere dark and dry during this period-- a closet or a shelf in a dark corner will do. Avoid storing them in the fridge at this point; it's too humid an environment.
Once the seeds are completely dry and feel brittle, store them in an envelope or other breathable paper container. Keeping the seeds somewhere very cool and dry, like a basement, can ensure that they remain viable for as long as possible. You can also store them in a glass container in the fridge if you are very confident that the seeds are completely dry; otherwise, a tightly sealed container can encourage bacterial growth.
Pepper varieties
From sweet peppers to decorative peppers and very hot chili peppers, there is a wealth of options to choose from. Most pepper varieties grow well in pots or raised beds, and nearly all grow to a manageable, compact size. For gardeners in northern zones, choosing an early maturing, sweet, or mild hot pepper variety can ensure that the plant has time to mature between frosts. (As a general rule, the hotter the pepper, the longer it takes to mature.)
Whichever type of pepper you're interested in growing, here are a few popular varieties to consider:
- Sweet peppers: California Wonder are the classic bell pepper variety, which mature from green to red. They're a fantastic all-around pepper, grow well in containers, and take 75 days to mature from planting-- or less, if you harvest them green. Sweet Banana is an heirloom variety that's ideal for fresh eating or pickling, can grow well in pots, and takes 70 days to harvest after transplanting. Purple Beauty is a bell pepper that matures from lime green to a deep, dark purple. It's a compact variety and takes 75 days to mature after transplanting.
- Mildly hot chili peppres: Shishito peppers are some of the most mild peppers you can grow, making them versatile in the kitchen. They need just 60-75 days to mature and produce a mass of peppers. Jalapeños are another medium hot pepper variety that takes 60-70 days to mature after transplanting. This early jalapeño variety matures in 63 days, while Jalafuego peppers take 70 days but produce larger and hotter peppers. Serrano peppers are a classic chili pepper, hotter than jalapeños but with a longer time to harvest: 75-90 days.
- Very hot chili peppers: Bhut Jolokia is a ghost pepper variety-- one of the hottest peppers you can grow-- that takes 100 days to mature. It's ideal for making hot sauces, and can also be dehydrated to make extra hot chili flakes. Thai hot chilis are compact plants that take 90 days to mature from transplanting and produce masses of small chilis. Slightly less hot, cayenne peppers are a faster growing variety (68 days) that are excellent for dried pepper flakes, homemade cayenne powder, and hot sauces.
When are peppers ready to harvest?
Peppers are ready to harvest when they have reached their full size and their skin has started to thin. You can harvest sweet peppers and mild hot peppers while they're still green and unripe, or you can wait until they have reached their final color and come away from the stem easily. Hot chili peppers are ready to harvest only when they've reached their full size and achieved their final color, as unripe fruits don't have the spice that these varieties are grown for.
How long do peppers take to grow?
Sweet peppers take 60 to 80 days to grow, while hot peppers can take as long as 150 days. Some early maturing chili pepper varieties are bred to mature in as few as 70 days. Generally, the spicier the pepper, the longer it takes to grow.
What is the best time to plant peppers?
The best time to plant peppers is two to four weeks after the last frost. This gives the soil time to warm up, but it also ensures that the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures won't be so extreme that it shocks the plants. Once the soil is workable and warm, you can plant out hardened off peppers.
Do peppers need full sun?
Peppers need at least 6-8 hours of sun daily, which is considered full sun. They will benefit from growing in the sunniest position in your garden, even in northern gardens that get 14+ hours of sunlight in peak summer.