How to Grow Bell Peppers
Capsicum annuum
A sweet, warm-season pepper that can be picked green or left to ripen to its final color.
At a glance
Difficulty
Takes some care
Sunlight
Full sun
6 to 10 hours of sun a day Water
Average thirst
First harvest
70 to 85 days
from planting out
Growing in a pot
5 gal or bigger
Plant spacing
18 in apart
More about this plant
Bell peppers need a long, warm season. Start them indoors, wait for warm soil and mild nights before planting outside, then keep the soil evenly moist.
- Grows for one season.
- Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
- Fine in a small space.
- A good one to grow together with children.
Optional local dates
Planting dates where you live
The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.
Optional local dates
Optional local datesGet planting dates for where you live
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Helpful gardening guides
When to plant
Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.
- Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frostStart seeds eight to ten weeks before your usual last spring frost.
- Plant out 2 to 4 weeks after your last spring frostPlant outside only after frost risk has passed, the soil is at least 65F and nights stay above 50F.
- Ready to pick about 70 to 85 days from planting out.
What you need
- How to start itFrom a young plantYou can start it indoors first.
- How deep to plant0.25 in
Planting depth: 0.25 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale. - How far apart18 inLeave 18 to 36 in between rows.
Leave 18 in between plants and 18 to 36 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale. - Pot size5 gal or bigger
Choose a pot that holds 5 gal or more. Shape and plant size are a guide.
Step by step
- Start seeds indoorsSow a quarter inch deep eight to ten weeks before your last spring frost. Give the seedlings strong overhead light.
- Wait for real warmthPlant outside only after frost danger has passed, the soil is at least 65F and nights stay above 50F.
- Give each plant roomSet plants about 18 inches apart. Use one plant in a draining pot of at least five gallons.
- Keep water steadySoak the root zone when rain is short. Do not swing between very dry and very wet soil.
- Support heavy branchesPut a small cage or trellis in place before the plant is covered with fruit.
- Cut firm peppersPick at full size for a green pepper, or wait for the variety's ripe color and sweeter flavor.
Common mistakes
- Planting into cold soilCold ground and cool nights stall peppers. A later planting in warm soil can catch up quickly.
- Letting the soil swing dry and wetUneven water can lead to flower drop, poor fruit and blossom-end rot.
- Using too much nitrogenHeavy feeding can make many leaves while fruiting is delayed.
Water
Average thirst
Keep moisture steady. If rain is short, soak the root zone at least once a week and more often in sandy soil or containers.
- Too dry
- About right
- Too wet
- If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryFlowers may drop, fruit may stay small and the blossom end can turn dark and leathery.
- If it stays wetDislikes sitting wetSoil that stays wet can leave roots short of air and slow the plant.
Looking after it
- FeedingAn occasional feed helpsUse a soil test as your guide. Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, especially before the first fruit forms.
- NitrogenToo much nitrogen gives leaves instead of food
- SupportA cageA small cage or short trellis can hold up brittle branches as the peppers gain weight.
- MulchAdd mulch after the soil has warmed to slow water loss and keep weeds down.
Harvest
You will know it is ready when: Pick when a pepper is full size and firm. Use it green, or leave it on the plant until it reaches the ripe color shown for that variety.
Cut the stem with clean shears. Pulling can snap a brittle branch.
- Keeping itKeeps 7 to 14 daysKeep unwashed peppers in a cool place or the refrigerator for about a week. Long cold storage can pit the skin.
Is this right for you?
A long, warm season with soil at least 65F and nights above 50F when plants go outside. Frost harms the plants, cool weather slows them and very hot nights can make flowers drop.
- LightFull sunAbout 6 to 10 hours of direct sun a day.
- ShadeNeeds full light
- SeasonA warm season cropUsually grown in spring or summer.
- FrostFrost kills it
- HeatCopes with heat
Soil
- Soil pH6.5 to 7.0A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
- Soil it likesLoam, Sandy
- DrainageWants well drained ground
- RichnessAverage ground is fine
Use fertile soil that drains well. Compost can improve an ordinary garden bed before planting.
Test the soil before adding fertilizer. Too much nitrogen makes a large leafy plant and delays fruit.
The year at a glance
Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.
Start seeds indoors
8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost
Plant out
2 to 4 weeks after your last spring frost
Questions people ask
Can I pick a bell pepper while it is green?
Yes. Pick a firm, full-size fruit green, or leave it longer to reach its final color and sweeter flavor.
Can bell peppers grow in a pot?
Yes. Use one plant in a container of at least five gallons with a drainage hole.
Why are the flowers falling off?
Cold weather, very hot nights and uneven water can all cause flower drop. Keep moisture steady and let the plant work through extreme weather.
What is the dark patch on the bottom of a pepper?
It is often blossom-end rot. Remove that fruit and keep soil moisture more even as later peppers grow.
Also filed under: Vegetables
Where this came from
Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.
Sources & review dates
- Light and weather
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-15
- Planting
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-15
- Timing
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
- Soil
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-15
- Water
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-15
- Looking after it
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
- Harvest
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
- Utah State University Extension, How to Grow Peppers in Your Garden · checked 2026-09-15 · Cool storage range
- Step by step
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-15
- Questions people ask
- University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15