Tips for Growing Peppers

Picture prepping a fresh salad this summer and incorporating spicy or sweet peppers picked straight from your garden! Peppers are not only delicious in flavor, they’re also nutritious. We can think of many ways to use peppers that will make anyone’s mouth water – such as in salsas, stir fries or stuffed peppers with your meat of choice.

Our experts at Garden Savvy have put together a list of tips for growing peppers all season long. Grow green, yellow, orange, or red peppers, and bell peppers, habaneros, jalapeno or chili peppers. No matter what type of pepper you prefer, our tips for growing peppers will produce thriving pepper plants in your garden this summer.

Pepper Gardening

Direct Sunlight

Peppers thrive in sunlight and need about 8-10 hours of direct sunlight per day. Find an area of your garden with full sun and you’re well on your way to a healthy yield of peppers.

Plant up to 24” Apart

Peppers require enough space in between them for air to circulate. Plant them anywhere from 18-24” inches apart in each row to provide ample room for their stems to grow.

Provide Enough Water

With all of that sunlight, your pepper plants will be thirsty. Instantly after planting your peppers, feed them with water. After that, make sure to water enough that the soil is always moist but also well drained. Aim for 1 inch of water a week but adjust for more if the sun is stronger.

Well Drained Soil

Well drained soil will keep your peppers strong. Add plenty of organic matter to the soil to create rich soil conducive to strong pepper growth. Although peppers need well drained soil, avoid too much nitrogen in the soil.

Pinch Off Early Blossoms

Pinching off early blossoms won’t hurt your pepper yield; in fact, it will help it immensely in the long-run. By pinching off early blossoms, you will motivate larger peppers and more of them.

Protect Stems with Cage

A cage or stake will help protect taller pepper plants’ stems from weather conditions like strong winds. The cage or stake will help support the weight of the peppers once the plant starts growing multiples.

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