How to Grow Peppers

Abigal Gordon's Home Grown Peppers

Planting and Transplanting

Spacing Pepper plants

Fertilizing

Varieties of Peppers

Common Pepper Plant Pests

Common Pepper Plant Diseases

Harvest and Storage

Many varieties of peppers can be grown in backyard vegetable gardens. The most popular peppers are the sweet bell and banana types. Peppers are generally harvested in the immature green stage .
Planting   Peppers     Peppers are best started from indoors in late winter, from seeds in peat pots or cell packs and then transplanted into the garden in late May to early June, or when nighttime temperatures in your region are consistently above 50 degrees. Peppers are generally grown for home gardens from using transplants rather than direct seeding. If you are buying transplants , select  sturdy plants that have at least 4 sets of true leaves [See Figure 1]. Avoid plants that  have already  flowered, and Inspect plants at the time of purchase - be sure they have no spots or lesions on them . Space plants 16-18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart or more, depending on the type of cultivation used. Water plants thoroughly immediately after transplanting. Peppers require moderate amounts of fertilizer. A soil test is the best method of determining the  needs of your crop, but is generally not feasible for home gardeners.	Edible Pepper Garden     -From sweet peppers to four-alarm spicy ones, here are all the essentials on growing your own private pepper garden     Seed & Nursery Catalogs   Thompson & Morgan Burpees Hirts Ferry Morse Park Seed DirectGardening.com
Home gardeners should make a preplant application of 5-10-10 at the rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet. Use a starter solution for transplants, and sidedress cautiously after the first fruit reach about the size of a dime using three tablespoons of 33-0-0 per 10 feet of row). Side dress cautiously until a large number of peppers are set. Too much nitrogen before fruit set causes all foliage and no fruit. After fruit set, fertilize regularly using a complete fertilizer. Soil pH should be 5.8 to 6.5 for best growth. After the plants have set and are well established, apply a thin covering of mulch to conserve soil moisture, and suppress weed growth. Control weeds by hand-pulling or shallow cultivation to avoid injury to the plant roots. The incidence of disease can be reduced by proper spacing and by watering early in the day so leaves dry quickly or by using soaker hoses. Inexpensive Water timer systems are available .

Recommended Varieties of Peppers for Home Growers

The number of peppers per well cared for plant varies from variety to variety. Sweet Bell pepper plants may produce 6 to 8 peppers per plant. Some of the smaller Hot varieties produce dozens.

The following are my personal favorites, you of course may prefer to scan any of the many online nurseries and seed catalogs.

Hot Varieties		Sweet Varieties
Jalapeno Bears early, sets fiery 3-inch fruits all summer. Goes from dark green to rich red--when they're hottest! .  72 DAYS		Sweet Bell Pepper  Early yields of large, meaty 4 1/2-inch fruits. Blocky shape is super for stuffing.   70 DAYS.
Tabasco Pepper   Small, slim and really hot--the true Tabasco chili. Bright scarlet fruits ornamental and easy to spot at harvest. 120 DAYS.		Sweet Banana Pepper  Elongated 6-inch peppers turn scarlet when fully ripe but stay sweet and mild. A longtime favorite for flavor. Delightful in salads, exquisitely pungent pickled.
Anaheim Mildly hot, 6-8 in., medium-thick, tapered peppers ripen from dark, green to red. Bushy, upright plants.		Italian Relleno Sweet Pepper   Early and extra big! Huge fruits often measure 5 inches long, 3-4 inches wide. Mild and sweet at every stage   65 DAYS.
Hungarian Yellow Pepper Reliably produces plenty of tapered, 6 to 7-inch-long peppers, even in cool regions. Medium-hot, yellow fruits ripen to red, are great for pickling or canning		Sweet Bell Pepper - Red, Gold, Purple, Orange, White

 

 

Diseases Common to Pepper Plants
 

Anthracnose - Caused by a fungus [Colletotrichum acutatumi]. Circular or angular sunken lesions develop on immature fruit of any size.   Often multiple lesions form on individual fruit. When disease is severe, lesions may coalesce. Pink to orange masses of fungal spores form in concentric rings on the surface of the lesions The fungus can be introduced into a crop on infected seed. During warm and wet periods, spores are splashed from diseased to healthy fruit. Recommended treatment - Bonide Remedy Fungicide References Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Pepper {Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet} Vegetable Growers News -Pepper Diseases
Phytophthora Blight - caused by the fungus Phytophthora capsici. Other names applied to this disease of peppers are Damping off Phytophthora root rot crown rot stem and fruit rot. All of these names can apply since all parts of the pepper plant are affected. Plants infected at early stages die off rapidly, Plants infected later show an irreversible wilt .   Often a number of plants in a row or in a roughly circular pattern will show these symptoms at the same time.   References   Phytophthora Blight of Pepper & Other Vegetables
Bacterial Spot produces circular scabby spots on immature fruits and on leaves. Tomatoes and Sweet peppers are effected. The bacterium is seed-borne and is often carried on diseased transplants. It can also occur in certain weeds . It overwinters in soil and on old plants and pepper plants. Bacterial spot is favored by warm temperatures , high humidity, long dew periods, and driving rain.  Recommended treatment - Bonide Remedy Fungicide Pepper speck. this disorder appears as spot-like lesions that penetrate the fruit wall; cause is unknown; some varieties are more susceptible than others
Gray leaf spot - circular spots on leaves, the spots are at first brown, later turning to various shades of white with sunken centers, and reddish-brown margins. Spots may appear on stems also . Gummy stem blight -affects the leaves, stems, and fruits of all cucurbits. Circular, tan to dark brown spots appear on the leaves, often first at the margins, and enlarge rapidly until the entire leaf is affected . Satisfactory chemical control is possible with regular applications of protectant fungicides.
Blossom end rot. this disorder occurs as a slight discoloration or a severe dark sunken lesion at the blossom end; it is caused by temporary insufficiencies of water and calcium and may occur under high temperature conditions when the peppers are rapidly growing. Recommended treatment Blossom-End Rot Control   Alternaria rot - the presence of black Alternaria rot, especially on the stem end of the pepper is a symptom of chilling

1. ] Purchase vigorous, healthy plants from a reputable supplier. Pepper Plants, being susceptible to diseases, viruses and insects, some varieties have been bred or hybridized to be resistant to certain pests. Resistance to these pests is usually listed on the plant label using the following abbreviations: V = Verticillium Wilt F = Fusarium Wilt FF = Fusarium Wilt race 1 and 2 N = Nematode T = Tobacco Mosaic Virus A = Alternaria (Early Blight) TSW = Tomato Spotted Wilt Remember that resistance to these problems does not mean they are 100 % immune, good cultural practices are still important.   2.] Crop Rotation in your garden planting area 3.] Remove and destroy all plant refuse in the fall and use deep cultivation to bury any remaining refuse. 4.] Do not place diseased plants in the compost heap, as this will only serve to carry bacterial or fungal infestation into the next growing season. 5.] Avoid over watering . Use surface watering methods. Do not handle plants when the vines are wet. 6.] Weeds compete with vegetables for soil moisture and nutrients and also serve as hosts for insects and disease carrying bacteria and fungus. Control weeds in and around  the garden . 7.]  Control insect pests such as aphids, which are known to transmit diseases  from plant to plant. 8.]  Use plastic or organic mulches to reduce disease and blossom-end rot problems. 9.]  Choose a sunny location for your tomatoes. Leaf disease problems are much less likely  to occur in a sunny location than in a shady one. 10.] Apply  recommended fungicides according to label directions at the first sign of leaf spot diseases

11.] Remove abnormal or unhealthy appearing plants as soon as they are observed.  To reduce the

spread of suspected diseases wash hands and tools with a mild detergent after handling suspect plants.

Safer 3 in 1 Garden Spray (Fungicide, Miticide, & Insecticide)   Potassium salts of fatty acids are derived from plants and act as a contact insecticide to permanently paralyze insects and mites. Sulfur is a naturally occurring element that effects the body functions of insects and mites. Sulfur also affects the ability of a fungus to continue growth, making it an effective fungicide. The blend of these two natural substances provides a simple natural solution to insect, mite and fungus control. Use only on affected area as this is a broad spectrum insect killer. This product is best applied when the air temperature is less than 90 degrees as both active ingredients can burn tender foliage in higher temperatures. Safe for use around plants, animals and people. Do not use in full sun or when temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not use with in 4 weeks following application of oil spray. Effective on powdery mildew, black spot, leaf spot and rust. Kills most insects including aphids, beetles, caterpillars, crickets, earwigs, lace bugs, leafhoppers, mites, thrips, and whiteflies.

 

Common Pests 

There are nearly 40 insects that attack pepper plants. The major ones include the Pepper Weevil, which is black colored, gray or yellow marked, Pepper Maggot, Cutworms, Flea beetle, Leaf Miner and Tomato Hornworms. Aphids  become a problem by mid summer. Pepper maggots, earworms and borers as well. By late summer, if nor properly controlled corn borers, armyworms, and corn earworms will reach highly destructive numbers.

Pepper Weevil -Pest of both sweet and hot varieties of pepper. In the southern USA, Central America, Hawaii and Caribbean. Adult pepper weevils feed on fruit and leaf buds and lay eggs on flowers, buds and fruit. See Bugwood Network - Pepper Weevil
Beetles -Colorado Potato Beetle, Flea Beetles, Harlequin Bug
Aphids - See Aphid Control Worms - Hornworms, Pepper Maggot , Beet armyworm, Corn Earworm, Cutworms, Corn borer Mites - Tomato Russet Mite Whiteflies See Pest Control for more extensive data Sharpshooter Natural Insecticide  Citric acid destroys the wax coating of the insect's respiratory system. When applied directly, the insect suffocates. Sharpshooter is biodegradable. Persons with known citrus allergies may be affected. Do not spray on red mature fruits.  Effective on most insects including aphids, beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, earwigs, flies, gnats, lacebugs, leafhoppers, loopers, mites, moths, snails/slugs, mosquitoes, whiteflies

Harvesting  

Fruits can be harvested at any time during the growing season and at any size desired. Green bell varieties, are generally picked when they are fully grown and mature—3 to 4 inches long, firm and green. Fruits will easily snap off the plant when they reach maturity.

Care should be taken when picking your peck of peppers from the plants,  the branches are generally brittle. Hand clippers can be used to cut peppers from the plant to avoid stem breakage.

Sweet and Bell peppers are generally picked immature but  full-sized and firm. However, if they are allowed to ripen on the plant they will be sweeter and higher in vitamin content. Hot pepper Varieties are usually harvested at full maturity.

If the fruits are cut rather than pulled off. The new, colored bell pepper fruits may be left on the plant to develop full flavor and develop fully to red, yellow, orange or brown; or they may be harvested green and immature. Hot peppers are usually harvested at the red-ripe stage.

 

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