Is there anyone who doesn’t like peppers? They can go in absolutely everything, and they usually do. You can even eat them as a stand-alone treat, and sometimes you might want to stuff them full of food to use them like little bowls. But as I found out, actually growing them is a whole lot more difficult than eating them. When you know what to do, and you learn how picky peppers really are, it is possible to grow a nice variety of them in the garden. But if you try just planting some seeds and waiting for them to grow, you’re going to be waiting a long, long time… before you finally give up.
Here are some great tips and tricks that can help you find success in your pepper-growing endeavors.
Step 1: Choose Your Varieties
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Do some research to help you decide which peppers you want to grow, and try not to choose anything too unusual or too hot. While it’s fun to experiment with ghost chilis in a restaurant, it’s not so funny to grow things in your garden that you’ll never actually eat. Try choosing those that have a sweet or milder flavor, so you can properly enjoy the fruits of your labor. And if you’re going to go for a super-hot variety, choose one that won’t take over your whole garden. Below are a few suggestions that you can try out:
Bell
Bell peppers are really the quintessential peppers: the ones you get on your pizza, your sub sandwiches, and your salads. They can be stuffed, diced, chopped, sliced or just eaten straight-out, and are ideal if you prefer a plant that’s easy to grow.
The fruits of these peppers grow up to four and a half inches square in size, with thick walls in pretty shades of green, yellow, and red. They embody the aesthetic you envision when you sit and daydream about bell peppers, and since they’re an American variety, they’ll grow well in your home soil if you’re also based in North or South America. Bell boys are highly disease-resistant as well, which is good news for any gardener.
Cayenne
Cayenne peppers are so tasty, they’re used as a common household spice. Speaking of spice, cayenne has plenty of kick, but most aficionados agree that they’re not too hot. They’re ready to harvest about 80 days after they’re planted, so they’re pretty quick little growers. Since cayennes also turn a gorgeous red color, they’re instantly recognizable and look amazing in the garden.
Fiery Varieties:
Habanero
There’s one great pepper that’s highly trendy in contemporary cuisine, and it adds a pop of vibrant color to any garden. It’s the habanero, and it’s got a spicy kick with a sweet aftertaste that works in everything from salsa to salads and entrees. This is a popular garden type, and has a distinctive orange hue that stands out instantly.
Tabasco
These grow as tiny little fruits, but watch out when you’re growing tabascos in your garden. These are incredibly hot and look rather innocent, which makes them perfect for fooling your friends. That said, they’re also a compact plant with an abundant yield, so this is a great way to add a lot of heat to your kitchen creations without taking up a lot of real estate outdoors. Tabascos are also one of the easiest peppers to grow: they thrive in pots and grow well indoors or out, and they’ll grow almost anywhere in America. They can also grow well in all kinds of soil, from sandy to loamy or clay, and tolerates a wide range of pH levels. As long as your soil is well-drained, you can probably grow these without any trouble.
Step 2: Timing and Temperature are Everything
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All peppers need to grow in a warm environment, so you can enjoy them all year if you happen to live in California. For most home gardeners, however, it means waiting until summer to grow them. Any hint of cool weather or cold soil will make peppers refuse to grow, and they’re pretty picky about temperature. Don’t even think about planting them outside until the average temperature is 60 degrees F daily.
If the weather forecast doesn’t cooperate with your gardening plans, start your pepper seeds indoors in a place where they will get plenty of sun. Don’t transplant the seedlings into the garden until there’s no chance of another frost whatsoever.
Step 3: Planting
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Whether you’re growing peppers indoors or out, be sure to plant them according to their needs so they will thrive properly.
Plant seeds about 1/2 inch deep and at least 18 inches apart. The soil should be well-drained and only lightly fertilized, if you want to give peppers a nice growth spurt. Keep the earth slightly moist, so that it’s not waterlogged but it’s also not dried out. You won’t notice any sprouts for about 20 days, so don’t be alarmed if you find yourself looking at plain soil for 5 weeks after planting. Once the sprouts appear, your plants will grow quickly.
After about 8 weeks of growing indoors, your peppers will be ready to be transferred outside.
Step 4: Transplanting
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Check the weather when you’re ready to start thinking about transplanting. Wait until the temperature is at least 60 degrees F every day before you transplant your seedlings outdoors. The nighttime temperature shouldn’t fall below 50 degrees F, either. Keep a good eye on the weather and on your plants, and you’ll know when it’s time to take them out to the garden.
When you do, move the entire transplant tray or your pots out to the spot you’ve picked for your peppers. Prep the soil by aerating the top two to three inches before you plant your sprouts. Place your plants half an inch to 1 inch deep in the soil, no deeper, and water them lightly. Monitor the newly moved plants for the first week after transplanting, and make sure they’re continuing to grow in their new location.
Step 5: Watering and Maintenance
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Peppers need moist soil the whole time they’re growing, so check your them daily. The last thing you want is waterlogged soil, because these plants hate that. The earth around their stems should feel damp to the touch, but not wet. As the plants grow, gently cut away any leaves that have turned yellow or brown. If you see any insects climbing on your plants, you can knock them off with a spray of water from a spray bottle or garden hose. This prevents intruders from eating the fruits before you can.
Step 6: Harvesting Your Peppers
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Many types of peppers are ready to harvest about 70 to 80 days after you’ve transplanted them. Test their flesh by feeling them: you know they’re ready to harvest when they’re firm to the touch, and many varieties can be picked when they’re still green. That said, if you’re not sure about their ripeness, you can always wait until they start to change color. Peppers generally start out green, and many varieties will turn yellow, orange, or red later in the season. When you see new hues appear, you know you can start to pick them. But if you do harvest them while they’re still green, you can place them on a sunny windowsill and watch them change color as they ripen.
Note: Don’t just grab at peppers and yank them off their stems when it’s time to harvest, as this can damage your plants quite badly. Cut the peppers off with a knife or pair of scissors when you’re ready to eat them.
Step 7: Drying Them
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Unless you go through salsa like it’s going out of style, you will probably have some extra peppers lying around after harvest season. If you dry them thoroughly, they can last for months, or even years. Smaller, thinner peppers like tabasco and cayenne can be dried easily on a baking sheet or similar flat surface. Place them in a single layer on the sheet and allow them to sit in the sun in a nice, dry location.
Larger peppers need to be placed on a cooling rack so air can circulate all the way around them.
If your peppers are really big, cut off the stems so the insides will dry out, too. It’s a good idea to also cut them in half to hasten the drying process, so they don’t go bad instead of just dehydrating.
As your peppers dry, rotate them regularly by flipping them over and moving them around. As long as they get plenty of sun and remain largely undisturbed, they will be dried out and ready for storage within a week or two.
Dried peppers can be stored in any warm, dry location, and some people even string them up across windows to serve as decoration.
Enjoy Your Harvest!
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Did this tutorial help you learn more about growing peppers? Don’t let all the steps and temperature worries stop you from enjoying these pretty, edible plants. Peppers are both tasty and ornamental, and they’re a great addition to any garden. As long as you give them sun and warmth, all types will thrive in your garden. And once you’re making your own homemade salsa, like I do, you’ll be glad you put in a little extra effort to grow them the right way.
Lead Image Credit: Pixabay
