Some even produce a rainbow of different colored fruits on one plant.
Bell peppers grow into compact bushes with large, alternate leaves, white flowers and fruits on multiple branches.
Bell peppers require warm temperatures to germinate and produce fruit.
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Like tomatoes, they belong to the nightshade family, but aren’t nearly as fussy about growing conditions.
The foliage of all nightshade plants, including bell peppers, is toxic to people.
In most growing zones, bell peppers are planted out in late April or early May.
Selecting a Planting Site
Bell peppers require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.
Plant them in well-worked, loamy soil with good drainage.
Peppers also adapt well to raised beds and container gardening.
Spacing, Depth, and Support
Place plants18 inches apartin rows 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart.
It’s okay to pinch off the seed leaves, but avoid stripping and exposing the stem.
Peppers don’t require staking, however plants heavy with mature fruit will benefit from a singlestake for support.
Light
Bell peppers need 6 to 8 hours of direct sun daily.
Avoid planting them next to taller crops like corn that block the sun.
Peppers thrive in soil with a balanced pH level of 6.5 to 7.
Water
Bell peppers require 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Drip irrigation works best and soaker hoses provide the deep watering needed.
Overhead watering and too much or too little water leads to fungal and bacterial problems.
Water early in the day to avoid wet foliage overnight.
Relative humidity levels of 50 to 70 percent are sufficient.
Higher levels can encourage color development in varieties other than green.
Fertilizer
Heavy feeders, bell peppers benefit from scheduled applications of fertilizer.
As fruits begin to form a balanced NPK of 10-10-10 can support development.
Pollination
Flowers have both male and female parts for self-pollination.
You don’t need more than one pepper plant or insect pollinators to get fruits.
Cross-pollination can occur when different varieties are grown together but it won’t affect the current crop.
Saved seed, however, won’t produce a plant the same as the parent.
Types of Bell Peppers
Dozens of varieties are available including heirlooms and hybrids.
Many have been cultivated for disease resistance and for fruit size and color.
Variety vs.
Variety
Bell peppers are often referred to as sweet peppers, but not all sweet peppers are bells.
The number of days to maturity usually refers to the “green” stage of the fruit.
Harvest peppers when they are uniformly colored and feel slightly heavy and solid depending on size.
Use a sharp sterile snipper, or hand pruner to remove fruit leaving an inch of stem attached.
Choose a pot at least 12 inches in diameter with plenty of drainage holes.
Both plastic and ceramic pots work well.
The quality and nutrient value of your potting mix will determine how often to add fertilizer.
Apply a 5-10-10 when planting and again at first bloom.
Add a balanced 10-10-10 when fruit starts to form.
Peppers grown in pots need to be watered more often than those in the ground.
Use a sharp, sterile hand pruner and cut branches at their base.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Healthy pepper plants are not affected much by insect pests.
Most damaging are aphids, thrips, flea beetles.
pepper weevils and hornworms.
Pepper weevils ruin fruits by laying eggs in the flesh.
Larvae tunnel through the inside causing damage and rot.
Hornworms can defoliate a mature plant and flea beetles can defoliate young seedlings.
Particularly susceptible to fungus, peppers also can succumb to bacterial wilts and cankers.
Viruses endemic to bell peppers include cucumber mosaic virus and tomato spotted wilt virus.
While pepper plants can cross pollinate this does not affect the current crop.
Bell peppers won’t develop heat when planted next to hot peppers.
However, plants grown from saved seed will not be true to the mother plant.
For example, a bell pepper high in beta-carotene will develop orange or red color as it matures.
