How to Garden Pepper Plants

Overview

Peppers are a warm-season vegetable, which are commonly colored in bright yellow, green, orange and red. Large bell peppers are mildly flavored, while smaller pepper varieties add spice to foods, and can be quite intense. Pepper gardening requires temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with a long growing season. Once the soil thoroughly warms in the spring, six- to eight-week-old transplants can be planted.

Step 1

Choose pepper plants from the garden center that have three to five sets of true leaves. Pepper plants with developed true leaves are weather-hardy and ready for planting.

Step 2

Till the garden soil to loosen it and improve aeration. Add 3 to 4 inches of organic matter to the soil to improve its nutrients. Apply 3 pounds of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet.

Step 3

Set transplants in the garden 18 to 24 inches apart, with the same spacing for rows. Bury at the same depth the pepper plant was buried in the seed tray.

Step 4

Water the plant after transplant and keep the soil moist to a depth of 6 inches to promote good root development. Peppers consume more water during the fruiting period. Plunge a hoe into the dirt around the pepper to test the depth of the water penetration.

Step 5

Harvest pepper fruit between 70 and 85 days after transplanting. Harvest sweet peppers when they are firm and are still in a green or yellow state.