Vegetable · Fruiting vegetable
Peppers
Capsicum annuumA warmth-loving crop that colors from green to red, yellow, or purple the longer it hangs on the plant. Peppers are slow to get going but steady once established, needing consistently warm nights to set fruit well. The one rule: never transplant out until nights are reliably warm.
Sow depth
¼ in
Spacing
16 in apart · rows 24 in
Sun
Full sun
Germination
10–21 days
Time to harvest
60–90 days
Difficulty
Moderate
When to sow peppers
- Sow from about 2 weeks after your last expected frost until about 14 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Start indoors early — sow 8–10 weeks before the last frost date.Keep compost warm, around 25°C, to speed slow, uneven germination.Harden off gradually and delay transplanting until nights stay mild.
Support heavy plants — stake or cage once fruit begins to weigh branches down.Feed with a potassium-rich fertilizer once flowering begins.Water evenly; irregular moisture causes blossom-end rot on fruit.
Cut, don't twist — snip fruit free with secateurs to avoid stem damage.Pick some green for a milder taste, or wait for full color and sweetness.Harvest regularly to encourage the plant to keep setting new fruit.
Companion plants
Basil planted nearby is thought to improve pepper flavor while helping confuse aphids and thrips.
Watch out for
Blossom-end rot — A dark, sunken patch caused by inconsistent watering limiting calcium uptake. Water evenly and mulch to steady soil moisture.