Are peppers a universally mouthwatering kind of veggie? Not necessarily, no.
And yet… think about it. Across continents and cuisines, peppers, in their countless forms, are indispensable in creating truly mouthwatering dishes. So, why not grow your own peppers and try them all?
Cultivating your sweet or hot patch leads to significant culinary experiences right outside your back door. OK, that didn’t come out right. Umm, here are the tips.
Why Outdoor Peppers Need a Little Extra Care
To grow a good crop of peppers, whether mild or wild, remember they need warmth but dislike stress.
Creating the right environment, primarily in containers or small gardens, is therefore vital for a good harvest. So, ready to turn up the heat – or keep it sweet?
But before we dive into it, Rita (another writer here at Tiny Garden Habit) put together a great article on this topic that I think is worth looking at. It covers the best companion plants for peppers and can definitely give a boost to your growing setup!
15 Outdoor Pepper Growing Tips for Bigger Harvests
Get ready to harvest some great insight, as I’m going to pepper you with advice!
1. Choose the Right Pepper Variety for Your Zone
Think about the length of your warm season where you live. If it’s short, quick-growing peppers are your best bet.
Also, decide if you want sweet peppers, hot ones, or even just pretty ornamental types. Picking the right kind for your area helps them grow their best.
2. Start with Strong Transplants
When you’re getting ready to plant peppers, you’ll find that the plants with a good set of leaves, say around six to eight, tend to do the best. Sturdy stems are also a good sign. Giving your garden a strong start with healthy plants makes a difference!
If you’re growing from seed and noticing issues early on, here’s a helpful guide to common pepper seedling problems (with pictures).
3. Wait Until Nights Are Consistently Warm
When nighttime temperatures stay reliably warm, above 55°F (13°C), pepper plants tend to establish themselves much more readily. Cold nights can slow them down. Warm ground is what helps their roots establish and grow well.
4. Use Raised Beds or Grow Bags for Better Drainage
It’s proven that peppers don’t do as well when their roots stay too wet, so raised beds or those fabric grow bags can help. These setups show that extra water drains away more easily. Happier, well-drained roots usually mean happier pepper plants!
5. Add Compost or Aged Manure Before Planting
For a really good start, work some compost or well-aged manure into the soil before you put in your pepper plants. That organic stuff feeds them the nutrients they need to grow strong. Plus, it helps the soil hold onto just the right amount of water.
6. Space Plants Correctly
Peppers appear to do much better when they have enough space, maybe around 18 to 24 inches (or about 45 to 60 cm) apart. Giving them that room seems to help air circulate, and you often see fewer disease problems. Plus, they each get their fair share of sun and food.
7. Mulch to Retain Moisture and Regulate Temperature
Mulch, like straw or shredded leaves, can be a real asset for pepper plants. The soil will retain moisture better (which means less watering for you!) and it also contributes to a more stable soil tem-pepper-ature. Not sure which mulch to use? Here are my top 4 pepper mulches you need to try.
8. Water Deeply and Consistently
Give your plants a good soak that reaches down to the roots. What they like is consistently moist soil, not soggy conditions. This matters the most when they start to flower and those little peppers begin to appear.
Take a look at our article about how long peppers can go without water, it can help you stay ahead of stress-related issues.
9. Feed Regularly With a Balanced Fertilizer
To get your young plants growing strong with lots of leaves, a balanced fertilizer can be a good idea. Then, once you spot flowers, switch to a fertilizer that encourages fruit development. It’s all about a regular diet!
10. Support Tall Varieties or Heavy Branches
Consider using stakes or cages for pepper plants that grow tall or produce many peppers. Proper support can prevent stems from breaking, especially as the peppers mature and become heavy.
11. Pinch Off the First Flowers
Try picking off the very first little flowers that appear on your young plants. The plant will instead focus on growing bigger and stronger first. Often, this leads to a bigger harvest of peppers later on.
But if your plants are dropping flowers altogether, here’s a quick look at why that happens and how to fix it.
12. Watch for Blossom End Rot and Act Quickly
Keep an eye out for a dark, soft spot on the bottom of your peppers. The issue often arises from inconsistent watering. Maintaining even soil moisture is the best prevention!
If your pepper plants are also showing signs of stress, like yellowing leaves, here are some tips on how to fix it.
13. Harvest Frequently to Encourage More Fruit
Don’t wait until all your peppers are huge and fully colored to start picking them. Picking them when they’re ready encourages the plant to keep making more. Regular harvesting can actually increase how many peppers you get.
14. Leave a Few Fruits to Fully Ripen for Extra Sweetness
Sweet pepper growers might want to try leaving a few on the plant until they change color completely. That’s when they get truly sweet. Just remember that when you pick them affects their flavor.
And if you end up with more than you can use right away, here are some great tips for storing garden peppers long-term.
15. Save Seeds From Your Best Plants (Optional for Heirlooms)
For those growing older kinds of peppers that aren’t hybrids, consider saving the seeds from your best plants to grow again next year. Simply let a pepper get ripe and even a little dry on the plant, then take out the seeds and keep them in a cool, dry place. This doesn’t work well with the newer hybrid types.
The Joy of a Bountiful Pepper Harvest
Heed these tips, and do not yield your pepper yield to ignorance! Have all the bell(pepper)s ring at the sight of your abundant crop. And with a harvest this good and tasty, everyone will be saying, “Pass the pepper!“
