Planting Peppers

Last week we took a stroll with Peter Pepper, and while we didn’t pick a peck of his pickled best we did take a glance at the types of sweet peppers and the history of the sweet pepper. This week we’ll get the seeds started and chat a bit about how to grow these plants and some of the issues with them.If you want to be able to grow anything other than the few varieties offered at local stores, you need to start the seeds indoors in a warm spot about eight weeks before the last frost date. For us that means starting your seed from early March through the end of the month. Pepper plants can suffer from transplant shock, so plant them in a biodegradable container like a peat pot that can go right into the garden later. Keep the soil warm using a heating mat or cables (at least 75 degrees) and damp but not dripping wet. Once the seeds germinate, grow the plants in as much light as you have available (or use artificial lighting). Then, come early May, don’t rush to transplant until days are at least 65 degrees and nights are above 55. Planting in colder temperatures or soil that’s too cool will stunt the plants at best.

When buying plants at the garden center look for bright green plants with shiny, perky foliage that’s not spotted and that's without brown splotches or crispy edges. It is better, when possible, to buy younger plants that have not yet flowered. Older plants can become stunted and root-bound in the tiny starter containers and will not transplant as well as smaller, younger plants. Plants can sometimes become stressed in some garden centers, so choose a garden center that cares for its plants and waters regularly. You won’t find this kind of care at the supermarket or big box store.

The best technique is to ready your soil and area in advance in order to get the plants in the ground quickly. Late-afternoon planting causes the least amount of stress to young pepper plants, giving them a night to adjust before they need to survive the first day of sun. Some gardeners will even shelter their newly planted peppers with a sheet of newspaper for the first day or two or even hold off on planting until it’s cloudy.

Peppers like a sunny spot. They grow best in a location where plants from the same family have not recently grown—crop rotation is important for peppers (and tomatoes and eggplants) to avoid soil-borne disease problems that these plants can share. The soil should be loose and amended with compost or a vegetable soil mix from the garden center. Introduce your seedlings to the garden gradually and transplant during mild weather. Transplant shock can slow the maturity of the plant and affect fruit quality and quantity.

If planting in rows, set peppers 12 to 18 inches apart in 24-inch-wide beds. If planting in squares or in flowerbeds, etc., allow 12 to 18 inches of space around each plant. Fertilize about every two weeks, especially if you notice the plants becoming pale. Stop fertilizing once the plant blooms so that it can put its energy into fruit set. Pepper plants prefer full sun, but if you live in a very warm area look for varieties that have “good coverage” of fruit. A full leaf canopy will prevent fruit from sun scald. Scalded fruit, though less attractive, are still edible and taste the same. It’s also been shown that pepper plant yields increase when plastic mulches are used, and there is also evidence that if a silver-colored mulch is used, yields increase by as much as 20 percent.

Plants will continue to bloom and set fruit until the first frost. If temperatures are above 85 degrees, or very cool, flower set and fruiting may slow down. Keep the plants watered and wait out the weather—they often will rebound if conditions improve. At the end of the season, cut down and remove plants and add mulch or plant a cover crop for the next year.

Peppers are relatively heavy feeders and a fertilizer with a ratio of 1-2-2 (such as 5-10-10) should be added to the soil prior to planting, and then the plants side dressed when the fruits are about dime-size.

Pepper plants are fairly hardy and not as attractive to insects as other vegetables in the garden. To avoid the disease conditions spread by water it is best to keep the leaves as dry as is possible by drip-line or trickle watering or giving the plants time to dry in the sun if they are watered from overhead. Pale leaves can indicate that the plants need fertilizer. Big, healthy plants that fail to bloom can indicate over-fertilization. Space plants as instructed by the plant tag or seed packet. Plants that are planted too close will lack air circulation. Proper air circulation improves pollen distribution, which is needed for fruit set. Crowded plants are disease-prone and do not set as well as those that have been properly spaced.

Pepper plants are very attractive, and the large glossy leaves and petite white flowers dress up any patio container or flower bed. Pepper plants grown in containers are often small but usually mature earlier. Each plant should have a 2-gallon or larger container, deeper than it is wide. The baby plant will look a little lonely at first but will grow to fill the container quickly.

A benefit of container growing is that the plant can be introduced to cool nights or warm days gradually to avoid shock. In the spring, bring plants indoors when nighttime temps are below 55 degrees. Introduce the plants to warm days (over 85 degrees) a few hours at a time until they are acclimated to their final location. Once plants are established, water every few days or when soil is dry and pulling away from the side of the pot. Fully soak the soil and avoid spraying water on the leaves. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer package or add mature compost as flowers are setting. Taper off on fertilizer, especially nitrogen, after plants flower. Nitrogen encourages the plant to put its energy into the leaves and not setting fruit.

Sweet peppers can be harvested at any stage of maturity, which you can estimate by the size of the fruit and the days to harvest noted for the particular variety. Less mature green peppers will generally be green or pale yellow, smaller, crunchy, and have thin walls and a slightly tart flavor. A benefit of harvesting early is that it triggers the plants to produce more fruit. Mature peppers will change color, and have thicker walls and a mild sweet flavor. No matter the stage of harvest, cut the peppers from the plant with clean pruners or kitchen shears to avoid damaging the plant.

Fully mature sweet peppers don’t store well, so eat them up. But peppers that have not fully matured can often be stored for weeks and in some cases, months. Extra peppers can be roasted and peeled and preserved in oil. There is nothing better than the aroma of roasting peppers filling the house on a late-summer afternoon. With some simple preparation, most peppers freeze well and dry well.

So ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start your peppers. And next week, one of my all-time favorite indoor and outdoor plants that’s easy, colorful and fun. Once thought plain, it’s been revived in amazing ways. Keep growing.