Top 7 Burning Questions for Pepper Gardeners

Peppers are a favorite in containers and backyard gardens. However, not every gardener grows them the same way. There are debates and variations about pruning, fertilizing, and all the other pieces that make up pepper gardening. We’ll cover those burning questions you have about growing peppers and maximizing your harvest.

If you’ve ever seen the dramatic way pepper plants wilt, you may have thought you were underwatering. But pepper plants can be deceptive that way.

The leaves will lose moisture through transpiration in the hot afternoon sun. However, if the roots have adequate water, the leaves will perk back up when the evening shade appears. So you can’t always rely on drooping leaves as a sign of needing water.

While not enough water can stress your plants, too much water can lead to yellow leaves, blossom end rot, and root rot.

Peppers need deep watering. When you water your pepper plants, allow the water to soak in deeply. This encourages better root development.

To see if your pepper plants are getting enough water, stick your finger in the soil and see if it is moist 2 or 3 inches down.

How often you water will depend on your climate. With sandy soil, you may need to water more frequently. My raised beds drain much better than my in-ground garden, which has more clay. That means I have to water the pepper plants more often in the raised beds.

If you are growing peppers in containers, they may need frequent watering.

Adding mulch to your garden will help conserve moisture. We often put a second round of mulch on in August. 

Peppers grow best in warm, sunny conditions. Without enough light, you’ll get leggy plants, few flowers, and disappointing harvests. So yes, they need sun—but there's a difference between warm and scorching.

Pepper plants need enough sun to produce flowers. However, if it’s too hot, the blossoms will drop without fruiting. The plant is trying to stay alive and can’t waste energy on flowers. Temperatures above 90ºF can cause plants to stop developing fruit.

Six or more hours of daily sunlight is enough. Morning sun and afternoon shade is perfect. Sunlight and heat contribute to wilting. If your pepper plants are in danger of heat stroke, use a shade cloth to give them less light and heat during the hottest part of the day.

If you start seeing white or pale spots that are soft, it can be sunscald. This means your peppers are getting too much direct sun.

All plants need sufficient nutrients to grow and fruit at their maximum potential. Pepper plants grow best in fertile, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.

If you have garden soil that has been amended with compost and is nutrient-rich, you may not need to add additional fertilizer. But if done right, some fertilizer applied at specific times can increase production.

Typically, you can add a slow-release balanced fertilizer (5-5-5) when you first transplant your pepper plants. In our garden at Sow Right Seeds, we add compost at transplant time. 

Once pepper plants start flowering, you can add fertilizer with a low nitrogen content and higher potassium and phosphorus levels (3-4-6) for optimal fruiting. Note that peppers don’t require a lot of nitrogen. If plants have too much nitrogen, they will be large and lush, but not produce many flowers. No flowers can be a sign that you have too much nitrogen in your soil.

The good thing about peppers is that they respond fairly quickly to fertilizer. You should see changes right away.

Slow-release fertilizer may need to be applied only once a month. This is really all the fertilizing you need to do.

Pruning and topping are something I didn’t hear about until I’d been gardening for a few years.

The reasons for pruning and topping pepper plants are to increase branching and fruit production. However, when done severely, you are taking away early growth that may set your plants behind by several weeks. In locations with shorter growing seasons, this isn’t a great option.

Here in our Midwest area, we don’t prune or top. We don’t have time in the season to cut the plants and wait for more growth. However, you can pick the first flowers when transplanting to focus the plant on root growth instead of peppers. You can also cut the bottom leaves at this time to keep them off the ground.

Although I don’t prune my pepper plants, I’m a big believer in using a trellis or cage. Inevitably, I have a pepper plant that is growing amazingly well, and then we’ll get a windstorm that knocks it over. To prevent damage to your pepper plants, use a stake and tie them up while the plant is still small.

When choosing where to plant your peppers, consider beneficial plants and those with similar growing conditions. Basil, lettuce, and spinach make good companion plants.

Flowers can be beneficial companion plants, and sweet alyssum is a good option. It can fill in around the pepper plants and stays low to the ground while attracting pollinators. Sweet alyssum also attracts parasitic wasps that can eat other pests.

Crop rotation can help limit some of the diseases that build up in the soil and affect plants in the nightshade family. Avoid planting peppers in the same spot as tomatoes and eggplant the season before.

You may wonder if it’s okay to plant hot peppers next to your sweet peppers. Peppers do cross-pollinate, but this is only a concern if you are saving seeds. In that case, you will want to space your peppers far enough apart to avoid cross-pollination.

Now that you’ve got the watering down and your peppers are taking off, when is it time to harvest? The answer depends on variety, color, and flavor preferences.

Most peppers start out green and gradually change as they mature. Green peppers are technically immature, but they are still edible. Sweet bell peppers and jalapenos are commonly harvested when they are green. But even these can be picked later when they turn red. This is where you get to do some taste testing and decide what flavor and texture you prefer.

There are several color varieties of bell peppers, and they each have different flavors when mature. Hot peppers also have a wide variety of heat and color. Check your seed packet to see a picture of the mature pepper color, and wait to harvest at that point for the optimal flavor.

Harvest your peppers often to keep them producing. And I suggest cutting them off with scissors or pruners to avoid accidentally yanking off the whole branch.

Did you know peppers are perennials? In gardening zones where the temperatures don’t drop below freezing, you can keep your pepper plants outdoors. In zones with freezing temperatures, you can bring them indoors to overwinter.

The reason for overwintering is to have fruit growing earlier in the season than if you replanted from seed.

How to Overwinter Pepper Plants Indoors

• Dig up your healthiest plants before the first frost, usually when temperatures drop into the 40s.

• Remove all leaves. This gets rid of pests and lets the plant hibernate.

• Prune it back to just a few inches or the first leaf nodes.

• Check for pests and rinse off any bugs.

• Pot up into containers with good drainage.

• Give very little indirect light.

• Water sparingly. The soil shouldn’t completely dry out.

• Don’t fertilize

The goal is to keep the pepper plant alive but not actively growing.

Spring Reboot

In early spring, start increasing water and light. You can repot, feed, and gradually harden off the plant to move back outside once nighttime temps stay above 50°F.

If you want an early crop of peppers, overwintering means you’re ahead of the game.