Peppers are a great warm weather plant that can produce for YEARS if you take care of them! Here, in zone 9b of Arizona, you can keep them outdoors all year round to reap the warm weather harvests!
They are a bountiful plant, and are one of my most used vegetables. I have saved so much money from eating my own organic bell peppers instead of buying them from the grocery store.
This post will go over the basics of pepper plants (Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Chilis, Poblanos, etc.). Whether you want to plant them in the ground, in garden beds, or in containers, you can start growing peppers with confidence!
When To Plant Peppers
First, determine what months are best for growing peppers where you live. You can do this by searching what growing zone you live in, and when peppers do best in your zone.
Peppers are a warm weather crop, so they are best planted when the soil is warm. Plant peppers outdoors when night temperatures are in their 60s. Planting Peppers in 50+ degree temperatures is possible, but can stunt their growth.
Here in the low desert of Arizona, our sweet spot for planting Peppers is March/April. It is best to give the plants time to get well established before our brutal summers.
Where To Plant Peppers
Pepper Plants typically need at least 6-8 hours of sun daily to grow their best, so be sure that the area you will be planting your peppers gets a lot of sunlight.
You will also want to be mindful of any surrounding plants. Pepper plants can get 3-4ft tall and a bit bushy. You’ll want to think of any shade the peppers may be providing to other plants.
Soil
Pepper plants like well-drained soil with some organic matter (compost). They generally prefer a pH level between 6 and 7.
There are a lot of things that contribute to soil health, but it can be overwhelming for beginners.
The easiest way to start a garden (in my opinion) is to plant in raised garden beds so you can create your own bed mix and not have to worry about amending your native soil. My favorite garden bed mix is a 1:1:1 ratio of vermiculite, compost, and peat moss or coco coir.
Pepper Plant Spacing
Pepper plants vary in size based on variety, but I would generally recommend allocating a 2ftx2ft area for each pepper plant.
If you are growing peppers in a container, I would generally recommend a 5 gallon container, but container size varies based on variety as well.
Keep in mind that plants kept in pots are more vulnerable to the elements and may require more care as the climate fluctuates. However, if you live in an area that experiences freezing temperatures, containers would be a great idea for bringing them indoors during cold seasons.
Starting Peppers From Seed
Directly Sowing Pepper Seeds
Since peppers require warmth to germinate, I don’t recommend sowing pepper seeds directly into the garden because it can give you a slow start to the growing season.
If you decide to directly sow your seeds, soil temperatures should be between 70-80 degrees. To improve success, you can sprout seeds in a plastic bag with a moist paper towel before sowing.
Seed packets can have more seeds than you need, so if you only want a couple of plants, I would just buy a transplant. Especially if you live in an area where pepper plants can survive from year to year. You can find them reasonably priced at garden centers and it saves you the time and work of starting it from seed.
Starting Pepper Plants Indoors
You can start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before you are able to plant them outdoors. Be sure to give them warmth, moisture, and light. I will write another post about starting seeds indoors.
Transplanting Pepper Plants
You can transplant peppers about 2-3 weeks after the last frost, or when soil temperatures are at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. They are not very cold tolerant, so be sure the weather is consistently warm enough to support them. Water in your peppers when transplanting.
If you live in an area with extreme heat, like I do, you will want to transplant your peppers early enough for them to establish a deep root system by the peak of summer.
Pepper Plant Support
If you end up needing to support your pepper plants, it would be near the end of their growing season when they are tallest and susceptible to wind. You can support them with wooden stakes or rebar.
Pruning Practices For Pepper Plants
Peppers are pretty low maintenance when it comes to pruning. You can choose not to prune, but if you want to give your plants a bit more care, there are a few things you can do.
You can choose to remove flowers from young plants to encourage leaf and branch growth. Wait at least 2 weeks after transplanting before you do this.
As the plant starts maturing, you can also choose to prune any suckers (small parts of the plant that can turn into branches), to help the plant focus its energy on fruit ripening.
Some gardeners choose to “top-off” their pepper plants by cutting the top off of their young pepper plants to encourage bushy growth. But whether or not this would be valuable to you depends on your variety of pepper plant.
Watering Pepper Plants
A general guideline is to water peppers in the morning, slowly and deep into the soil. In other words, it is best to have water dribble slowly over a longer period of time. This will help the roots grow deeper and help them survive harsher temperatures.
You’ll want to keep the soil moist until the root system is established, and mulch the soil around the plant to help retain soil moisture. Once established, you can water pepper plants when the first 1-2 inches of soil is dry.
Watering plants is always tricky to determine because it greatly depends on your environment. You wouldn’t water plants the same way in Arizona as you would in Alaska.
Keep in mind that the first few seasons (first few years really) of gardening is a huge learning curve! You will learn from trial and error.
Here in Arizona’s zone 9b, I generally water every other day for 30 minutes in the spring, every day for 40 minutes in the peak of summer, then every other day again for 30 minutes in the fall.
Shade Cloth For Pepper Plants
Peppers are a warm weather crop, but Arizona summers in the low desert are no joke. When temperatures start to get around 110 degrees Fahrenheit consistently, you may want to consider shading your garden, especially if it has western exposure.
Most established pepper plants should be able to survive the harsh summers without shade, but their growth may be stunted until temperatures start to cool down again.
Shading your pepper plants with 50% shade cloth during the peak of the low desert summer can help reduce stress on your pepper plant, and keep your fruit from getting sunburnt.
Good Luck!
I hope I’ve helped you learn a bit more about how to grow peppers!
Gardening isn’t for the faint of heart. It involves a lot of trial and error, and can be discouraging at times. But, don’t let the challenge scare you! Just do your best, and you will get better each season. You can’t learn if you don’t try! And once you begin receiving bountiful harvests, you will be so happy that you persevered.
Happy Growing!
Learn about more warm season vegetables here!
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