Growing Bell Peppers: From Planting to Harvest | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Bell peppers are heat-loving summer vegetables that are pest-resistant and disease-resistant. Did you know that a green pepper is the same pepper as a red pepper? They’re simply harvested at different stages. See how to start, grow, care for, and pick your sweet peppers!

Peppers have a long growing season (60 to 90 days), so most home gardeners buy starter pepper plants at the garden nursery rather than grow them from seed. However, you can start pepper seeds indoors if you want to grow your own. Northern gardeners should warm the outdoor soil by covering it with black plastic as early as possible in late winter/early spring.

Red and green peppers are good sources of vitamin C, some vitamin A, and small amounts of several minerals. They’re wonderful raw in salads or as a snack with dip or hummus. You can also stuff peppers with rice, seasoned bread crumbs, or meat and bake them.

Note that peppers can be divided into two categories: hot and sweet. Much of the growing advice is the same. That said, we also have a growing guide for hot peppers!

Grow peppers in a space with full sun and well-draining, moist (but not wet) soil. Plant peppers in a spot where they will get at least six hours of direct sunshine every day. A balance between sandy and loamy soil will ensure the soil drains well and warms quickly. Mix large amounts of organic matter (such as compost) into the soil, especially when working with heavy clay.

Avoid planting peppers in places where you’ve recently grown other nightshade family members—such as tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants—as this can expose peppers to disease.

Check out this video to learn how to plant bell peppers:

Here’s another great video on growing and boosting the productivity of your peppers!

Look for varieties that ripen to their full color quickly; fully mature peppers are the most nutritious—and tastier, too!

Sweet bell peppers do not contain capsaicin, which is the compound that gives hot peppers their pungency and heat.

Surprisingly enough, the green and red bell peppers that we commonly see in supermarkets are actually the same pepper; the red bell peppers have just been allowed to mature on the plant longer. The longer a bell pepper stays on the plant, the greater its vitamin C content, so red peppers have more vitamin C (and taste sweeter).

There is a popular myth that states that pepper fruits can be either male or female—the difference between them being that male peppers have 3 bumps on the bottom and are better for cooking, while female peppers have 4 bumps, have more seeds, are sweeter, and are better for eating raw. This is not true! Pepper fruits do not have a gender, and any obvious difference between them is simply the result of growing conditions or variety.

Pollination can be reduced in temperatures below 60°F (16°C) and above 90°F (32°C). Too much nitrogen in the soil can produce healthy foliage growth but discourage fruit from setting. Flower drop is caused by high heat OR very low humidity. If the air is very dry, douse the soil with water and thoroughly mist plants.

Spider mites and aphids are two common pests of peppers, especially plants grown under cover. Spider mites—identified by the fine webbing on the underside of leaves—thrive in hot, dry weather. Mist-spray these areas regularly at the first sign of an attack to make conditions as hostile as possible for the mites.

Aphids also prefer the undersides of leaves but are found on other parts of the plant too. Squish isolated clusters, or for more serious infestations, take plants out into the open, away from other peppers, then carefully turn the plants upside down so you can brush Spider mites and aphids are two common pests of peppers, especially plants grown under cover. Spider mites – identified by the fine webbing on the underside of leaves – thrive in hot, dry weather. Mist-spray these areas regularly at the first sign of an attack to make conditions as hostile as possible for the mites.

Aphids also prefer the undersides of leaves but are found on other parts of the plant too. Squish isolated clusters, or for more serious infestations, take plants out into the open, away from other peppers, then carefully turn the plants upside down so you can brush or blast the aphids off with a hose.

See more pest and disease information in the below chart:

Peppers are excellent with almost anything: sandwiches, scrambled eggs, pizza, salads, and dips.

We also enjoy cooking peppers, whether beef stir-fry, smoky roasted peppers, or meat and rice stuffed peppers.

Plus, peppers can be pickled! See how to make pickled peppers!

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WIldWoodGardener (not verified)

1 month 3 weeks ago

Hi, and thank you for your article. I have been gardening for decades and truly enjoy it. Growing peppers has always been a staple. This year however, weird things happened to them. 1: a couple plants never produced, but got dozens of tiny leaves where the blossoms would be. No fruit. 2: a brown film like a paper bag got wet and dried in them. Can be scrubbed off but 20% would remain in the creases of the fruit. 3: recently we went to harvest a few from the healthy plants (we did get a dozen or so from unaffected plants), and the recent fruits (8/26) were soggy and like mush. Never had any of these issues before, any ideas? Thanks again for your article and insight.

Helen (not verified)

8 months 2 weeks ago

My pepper plants are always leggy. They are grown in a greenhouse as I live in Northern B.C, they get loads of flowers but don't set much fruit. Any suggestions?

Joe (not verified)

6 months 3 weeks ago

In reply to My pepper plants are always… by Helen (not verified)

Leggy is usually caused from low-light. Too much nitrogen can cause pepper plants to become very green and lush but not produce fruit. Solution: To figure out where your soil is at, you can get a soil testing kit to show the pH balance of your soil, as well as fertilizers for any nutrient deficiencies that the soil may have.

The Editors

8 months 2 weeks ago

In reply to My pepper plants are always… by Helen (not verified)

Legginess can be caused by a few things, such as not enough light. Are the plants all leaning toward a certain direction from which the most sunlight comes? If so, that might be the cause; in which case you might consider supplemental lighting. Also make sure that the plants are not overcrowded.

Avoid giving too much nitrogen, which can cause legginess and lots of vegetative growth vs. flowers; the fact that you do have flowers, though, suggests that this is not the issue.

Sometimes a little too much warmth, such as from a heat mat, can cause leggy seedlings; if you suspect this might be the case, be sure to provide enough airflow. This can also help the lack of fruit issue: Even though peppers self-pollinate, it can help to stir the air a bit with a gentle breeze from a fan, or to brush your hand across the plants gently (which can also help legginess). Or, if you don’t have a lot of plants, you can try hand pollination.

Too high or low temperature can also deter fruiting; when peppers bloom, try to keep the temperature inside the greenhouse below 85F in the day (hot peppers can tolerate higher temps) and above 60F at night.

Hope this helps!

Kitty (not verified)

1 year 4 months ago

I soaked some pepper seeds, from the red, Yellow and orange peppers I bought from the grocery store. I let them soak a couple of days, and planted them in little TP pots. To my amazement, they all sprouted. But Now, after 2 months in those pots, they will not grow a second set of leaves. I have them in a light filled window and gets full sun at the end of the day for a couple of hours, and my home is kept at 78 degrees. I am letting them dry out between watering. There are probably about 10 or 20 plants in each pot. Why won't the sprout more leaves?

The Editors

1 year 4 months ago

In reply to I soaked some pepper seeds,… by Kitty (not verified)

Hi Kitty,

It sounds like there might be a couple issues keeping your pepper plants from thriving. First is that peppers need a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sun per day, so you should put them in a spot that gets more direct sun, either inside or outdoors now that the weather has warmed. Another thing is the amount of plants per container. Peppers need plenty of room to grow and enough space around them for adequate airflow. That many plants per pot, no matter the size, is too many. Most recommend only one plant per pot to ensure proper growing conditions, so your plants would likely do much better being moved to their own pots or just a couple plants in larger containers.

Nicole (not verified)

2 years 8 months ago

I'm trying indoor seeds for the first time. I understand pepper seeds and seedlings love it hot. My house stays at 62. I use a heating mat, but it says it only heats to 10 degrees higher than the room. Should I double up on the heating mat? I have two.

The Editors

2 years 8 months ago

In reply to I'm trying indoor seeds for… by Nicole (not verified)

Hi, Nicole, Doubling heating mats, thereby putting a lot of heat on the bottom, is not necessarily a solution. Instead, use the one heating mat and tent your seedlings to that they have a bit of greenhouse effect. Don’t seal them off entirely but, for ex., cover them loosely in a plastic bag. We hope this helps!

Julie (not verified)

2 years 8 months ago

I would appreciate further information on how to prune and keep peppers as a perennial plant.

Donna Mac (not verified)

2 years 8 months ago

My Grandpa used to water his tomatoes and his peppers with a 5 gallon bucket of water with a couple TBS of epsom salts. Only on transplant....and he had the most magnificent crops ever. I have a friend who does this w/her container gardening every year...and holy wha..the tomatoes are AMAZING.

He'd also grow clover instead every couple of years..he'd move crops around and the areas that didn't get "plants"...got clover. His gardens were magnificent.

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