I Learned How To Grow Peppers At Home. Here’s How!

It’s been a while since I last blogged on here, and I really missed it. I was dealing with poor health, much of it attributed to what I’ve been eating. To get back on track, I started focusing on plant-based foods, which inspired me to get back to my garden. At least something good came out of my suffering.

What I’m excited to share with you today are my green bell peppers! This is the first time that we’ve grown peppers at home, and we didn’t know what to expect. As always, I jumped onto Google and Youtube to find some helpful advice.

To my surprise, we did it.

We managed to grow peppers in our garden without too much of a problem.

I should also mention that we were having a problem with bugs that were eating all of our kale and eggplant leaves. Thankfully, an organic homemade spray resolved this issue, which is probably why our peppers had a chance to grow without issues.

Here’s a look at the progress we’ve made so far:

Variety and Starter

Before getting started, it’s a good idea to select a variety of pepper that you actually enjoy eating. The most popular choices tend to be bell peppers, jalapeños, and habaneros.

Once selected, decide whether you want to grow them from seeds or seedlings. I grew these from seeds, but you’re more likely to speed up the process by purchasing seedlings from a nursery.

Sowing pepper seeds can take many weeks, and temperature control can be difficult if you don’t have much time on your hands.

Lighting and Temperature

Pepper sprouts and fully grown plants require ample lighting and warmth for healthy growth.

Aim for a location that gets between 6 and 8 hours of sunlight per day.

At the same time, caution should be exercised when exposing plants to unrestricted sunshine and heat.

Extreme temperatures should be mitigated with a shade cloth and adequate watering.

Soil and Drainage

Potting soil with a pH level between 6.0 and 6.8 is absolutely ideal for growing peppers. These plants tend to be heavy feeders, so it is advisable to fertilize them regularly.

When growing in pots, choose a mix that has adequate drainage and pots that are at least 12 to 15 inches in diameter.

Waterlogging is a common issue that kills plants and vegetation that are grown in pots. I had this issue with my blueberry tree. I thought that it had adequate drainage, but it was waterlogged.

Once I improved the drainage of the container, it began to thrive.

Because I live in a tropical climate, I have to check the weather in advance to figure out a watering system that is ideal. But, in general, watering twice a day tends to work well, except for rainy days.

Support and Pest Control

Much like eggplants, peppers need some support to hold the plant in place due to their size and weight. I used a wire for support, as illustrated by the image above.

Stakes and support cages will also suffice.

As for pests and diseases, prevention is better than cure. Get your hands on an organic pesticide or repellant to ward off or kill pests like aphids, maggots, and whiteflies.

Harvesting

It takes about 60 to 90 days for peppers to reach full maturation. During that time, they will grow in size and change color as they ripen. If you want green bell peppers, harvest them when they reach about the size of your palm.

For yellow or red peppers, allow them to ripen for a longer period.

When harvesting, use a pruner or cutter and leave a small piece of the stem attached to the pepper.

That wraps up this article on how to grow peppers. I hope the advice and tips I’ve shared above help you grow and harvest delicious bell peppers at home. I’d also love to hear about your experience with this, so please leave your comments below.