Pepper
Also known as: Bell pepper · Sweet pepper · Chili pepper · Capsicum
10 types of pepper
Bell (California Wonder, King of the North)
75 daysalso: California Wonder 300
Sweet, thick-walled. Green → red/yellow/orange when fully ripe.
Cayenne
75 daysLong thin peppers dried and ground into cayenne powder.
Cubanelle
70 daysalso: Cubanelle Pepper, Sweet Pepper
Mild, sweet frying pepper with thin walls. Popular in Caribbean and Italian cooking.
Ghost / Carolina Reaper
120 daysalso: Aji, Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Pepper
Super-hot (800,000–2,200,000 SHU). Long season — start extra early.
Habanero
100 daysVery hot (100,000+ SHU) with fruity notes. Wear gloves.
Jalapeño
70 daysalso: Early Jalapeño, Jalapeño M
Medium heat (2,500–8,000 SHU). Pick green or wait for red.
Poblano / Ancho
80 daysMild (1,000–2,000 SHU). Fresh = poblano; dried = ancho.
Serrano
75 daysHotter than jalapeño (10,000–25,000 SHU). Thin walls — great fresh.
Shishito / Padrón
60 daysMild frying pepper — but 1 in 10 is spicy. Blister in a hot pan.
Sweet Banana
70 daysalso: Sweet Banana Pepper
Long tapered 6 in yellow sweet pepper — mild, crisp, no heat. Ripens yellow → orange → red. AAS winner.
When & where
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
Sow indoors on a heat mat — cold soil = no germination. Do not rush outdoors; peppers sulk under 55°F nights and never recover.
Grower's tip
Pinch first blossoms so the plant builds size before fruiting.
Soil preferences
Deep, rich, well-drained loam.
6.0–6.8
2–3 in of compost worked into the bed each spring; side-dress heavy feeders (tomato, squash, brassica) monthly with balanced organic fertilizer.
Watering
1–2 in per week — steady is more important than heavy.
Drip or soaker at the base. Mulch 2–3 in to hold moisture and suppress weeds.
Overwatered: yellowing lower leaves, cracked fruit, blossom-end rot from calcium disruption. Underwatered: wilting mid-day, bitter or misshapen fruit, blossom drop.
Prefers top-watering — Top-water at the base. Peppers are prone to leaf spot and phytophthora when foliage stays wet.
Temperature tolerance
75–90°F (24–32°C)
65–75°F (18–24°C) — night temperatures over 75°F drop blossoms
Frost-tender. Cold soil below 60°F stunts them permanently.
Container growing
Yes — great in containers
3–5 gal (11–19 L)
One of the best crops for a hot patio — the reflected heat suits them.
Succession planting
Bush beans, salad greens, radishes, carrots: sow every 2–3 weeks. Long-season crops (tomato, pepper): one sowing per season.
Detailed harvesting
Pick fruiting crops young and often — over-mature fruit signals the plant to stop producing. Cut, don't yank, with pruners to protect the stem.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Cure winter squash and onions in a warm airy spot 2 weeks, then store cool. Freeze most vegetables blanched. Ferment or can surplus.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh eating, cooking, preserving. Save the biggest and best specimens as seed stock, not for the table.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Depends on species — tomato/pepper/bean/pea are self-pollinating; squash/cucumber/melon/brassica cross via insects.
Self-pollinators need little isolation (10 ft). Cross-pollinators need 1/4 mile, hand-pollination, or blossom bags.
Let one healthy plant fully ripen fruit or dry pods; ferment wet-seed fruits (tomato, cucumber, melon) 3 days to strip pulp before drying.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for pepper in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
From your kitchen — grow pepper from what you already have
Pepper seed from your own ripe fruit — red, not green — germinates readily. Store peppers are usually hybrids and will vary.
- 1Wait until the pepper is fully colored and slightly wrinkled — under-ripe green fruit gives dud seed.
- 2Cut around the stem, twist the core out, and shake seeds onto a paper plate.
- 3Dry 1–2 weeks at room temp until a seed snaps clean when bent.
- 4Wear gloves for hot peppers — the capsaicin on the seeds will burn your eyes for hours.
- 5Store dry in an envelope. Start indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost.
Storage: Dried pepper seed stays viable 3–4 years.
My Pepper notes
Pepper seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
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