How To Grow Peppers, Planting, Care & Feeding

Whether you like 'em sweet or hot, peppers are growing in more home gardens than ever before as new and colorful varieties are being made available.

In the U.S., sweet bell peppers are by far the most popular, but as Mexican food comes to the fore, pepper varieties such as jalapeno, cayenne, and chile are "hot" on the list of home grown garden vegetables.

Usually planted about the same time as tomatoes, the pepper is usually started in pots indoors in early spring, then transplanted outdoors when all danger of frost is past.

As a rule of thumb, the pepper takes a bit more patience, since it is usually smaller and slower growing. The payoff, however, is an abundant crop of either deep green or bright red or yellow prize specimens that are the pride of any home gardener.

An added advantage? The more you harvest, the more peppers the plant will produce. Many pepper varieties can be picked at any time while still maintaining their flavor and crunch. To get the full and rich amount of vitamins A & C, however, leave peppers to ripen to full maturity. Peppers can be eaten raw, pickled, cooked and stuffed, or used in relishes, sauces and stews.

Caterpillars &
other pepper pests

Just remember to keep plants supplied with well-drained soil, plenty of sun and uniformly moist (but not water-logged) during the peak growing season to keep your peppers healthy and growing.

Feed once when setting out, then again with a nitrogen fertilizer as fruit begins to set.

Regularly inspect for sticky "dew" on the underside of leaves caused by aphids. They be easily eliminated by spraying the underside of leaves with a mild soapy solution, or ask your garden center expert chemical sprays might cure a particularly bad infestation.

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