Peppers (2024)

This all depends on whether or not you want to start from seed. If you're new to gardening or have limited time we would recommend buying plants that have already been started at a local greenhouse. Generally speaking Memorial Day weekend is when most people choose to start warm weather plants like peppers outdoors. If going to the greenhouses you'll want to go out 1-2 weeks before planting. This will not only give you the best selection but it also gives you a chance to acclimate your plants to the outdoor elements before transplanting to the ground. Whether you start your own seedlings or buy from the greenhouse it's a good idea to put the plants out in the general area they will be transplanted to for a few hours of real sunlight and wind for a week or 2. That way they don't go directly from a climate controlled environment to the ground.

If starting from seed, you'll want to start 8 weeks before the transplant date. For most of us following the Memorial Day rule that means you have to get your seedlings going in early April. It takes a little bit of equipment and some advanced planning, but starting your peppers from seed will give you access to a nearly infinite amount of options vs. the greenhouse which will have a fairly limited selection.

If you're looking at hot peppers - be sure to check the Scoville units listed in the description. This is the measure of how hot the pepper is, and there are plenty of peppers that look really cool in pictures but would melt your face off if you actually tried to eat them (Hello habaneros!). Most people are familiar with the heat of a jalapeno, which comes in around 2,500 - 4,500 on the Scoville scale. So use that to judge how much heat you can handle.

Avoid planting peppers in the same spot that potatoes, eggplant, or tomatoes grew in the previous year.

Click here to read about crop rotation and why it is so important

It's important to not only avoid planting the same crop in the same spot 2 years in a row, but you also have to avoid plants in the same family as they typically draw on the same nutrients and have issues with the same pests.

Click here to learn more about plant families and find a chart showing which ones are related.

Space transplants 1' apart. This seems way too close, but we picked up this tip from the famous Vegetable Gardener's Bible. Author Ed Smith explains that "Peppers like each other's company and grow best when close enough so the leaves of the mature plants are barely touching. As my mother used to say, Peppers like to hold hands."

In 2018 we planted our peppers in 2 rows 1' apart and each plant 1' apart in a single garden bed. It was by far the most productive year we have had and I really think there is something to the holding hands thing. It creates a little mini jungle canopy shading out the weeds below, so once they grow in no weeding is necessary. This also protects the peppers from extreme sun as they mature and the shade slows evaporation keeping the soil moist.

Peppers are like eggplants in that while they may not need a stake, you're better off providing some kind of support before planting rather than trying to deal with the problem after the fact. What we like to do is put 1 tomato stake in the middle of every 4 pepper plants. That way you can tie one up to the stake if needed but since they grow so close you don't need an individual stake for every single pepper plant.

To keep your plant producing as long as possible, pick early and often. There really is no such thing as a "green pepper", as any pepper left on the plant long enough would turn red or some other color when fully ripe. However if you wait for all your peppers to turn red, you're not going to be eating peppers until mid-September (If you've ever wondered why colored peppers are so much more expensive - this is why).

We typically harvest the green peppers ASAP all summer long. Once the pepper plant is well established it will continue producing new flowers and fruits as long as you keep up with picking the mature ones. Later in the fall when the end is near you can let some of those stay on the plant as long as possible to finally get those brightly colored peppers you were dreaming of when you started those seedlings back in April.

Pepper stems are pretty tough so you'll want to use scissors or some garden sheers to cut them off. Yes we all get lazy and try the twist until it breaks off method, and every year end up damaging a branch of a plant doing it that way.

Pickle them. Pickled peppers will last in your refrigerator all winter long. Every once in a while go pull out a little slice of summer and throw it in a salad or soup.It's also a main ingredient in relish, so if you happen to have a lot of both cucumbers and peppers - make some relish.

Freeze them. Remove the core and stem, cut into strips, and freeze in Ziploc bags. Yes you can get frozen peppers at the store pretty cheap - but not organic ones you grew yourself. They still work well in soups and stir-frys. Just wait until the end of the cooking process and throw them in just long enough to get heated up. That will help them to not be as mushy than they would be if they are boiled or cooked for a long time first.

Make your own hot sauce. Sounds a lot harder than it is. The entire process is pretty much: Remove the stems, boil in vinegar, blend into a liquid. Next time we do it we'll shoot a little video and show you just how easy it is.