Eating Garden

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.

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At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Takes some care

    3 of 5 · More shovels, more care

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

    6 to 10 hours 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.

Make it your plan

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What are you starting with?
Where will it grow?

Your plan, starting Nov 10, 2026

Estimated harvest: Jan 19, 2027 – Feb 3, 2027. Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

Estimated first harvest

Jan 19, 2027 – Feb 3, 2027

Counted from planting out. Variety, plant age, weather, and care can change this estimate.

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.

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.

First, gather a few things

  • A young bell pepper plant
  • A pot of at least 5 gallons, with drainage holes
  • Potting mix that drains well
  • A watering can or hose
  • A small cage or short trellis can hold up brittle branches as the peppers gain weight.

Start or plant it

Follow the steps for the way you chose to start.

  1. Start here

    1. Wait for real warmth

    Plant outside only after frost danger has passed, the soil is at least 65F and nights stay above 50F.

  2. 2. Give each plant room

    Set plants about 18 inches apart. Use one plant in a draining pot of at least five gallons.

Water

Check the soil first. Heat, rain, and pots can change how often this plant needs water.

  1. 1. Check before you water

    Push a finger about 1 inch into the soil. Water when it feels dry there.

  2. 2. Water the roots

    Water slowly at the base until the soil feels moist a few inches down. For a pot, water until a little runs out of the drainage holes.

    Keep moisture steady. If rain is short, soak the root zone at least once a week and more often in sandy soil or containers.

Need help judging moisture? Read how to check the soil and water the roots.

If the plant looks unhappy

  • Too dry

    Flowers may drop, fruit may stay small and the blossom end can turn dark and leathery.

    If the soil is dry, water deeply and check it again tomorrow.

  • Too wet

    Soil that stays wet can leave roots short of air and slow the plant.

    If the soil is wet, wait before watering again and check that excess water can drain away.

While it grows

Check on your plant and do these jobs as they come up.

  1. 1. Support heavy branches

    Put a small cage or trellis in place before the plant is covered with fruit.

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.

Pick and store it

Use the plant's signs of readiness, then harvest gently.

  1. 1. Check if it is ready

    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.

  2. 2. Pick it

    Cut the stem with clean shears. Pulling can snap a brittle branch.

  3. 3. Keep it fresh

    Keep unwashed peppers in a cool place or the refrigerator for about a week. Long cold storage can pit the skin.

More picking tips

  1. 1. Cut firm peppers

    Pick at full size for a green pepper, or wait for the variety's ripe color and sweeter flavor.

Common problems

    Common mistakes

    • Planting into cold soil

      Cold ground and cool nights stall peppers. A later planting in warm soil can catch up quickly.

    • Letting the soil swing dry and wet

      Uneven water can lead to flower drop, poor fruit and blossom-end rot.

    • Using too much nitrogen

      Heavy feeding can make many leaves while fruiting is delayed.

    Companion plants for bell peppers

    Some of this is measured in trials and some is long-standing garden practice. Each note below says which it is.

    Good together

    Trials show a real benefit:

    • Hot cherry pepper (trap crop border)In Connecticut trials, bell peppers ringed by hot cherry peppers gave at least 98% maggot-free fruit, against 15% infested fruit without them.Measured in trials

    Extension programs recommend this pairing:

    • LettuceGrow lettuce early, then set pepper transplants into the same bed; the lettuce is picked as the peppers fill in.Recommended by extension programs
    • BasilStart basil early, then plant peppers into the same bed as the basil matures, so the space stays in use.Recommended by extension programs

    Keep apart

    Extension programs advise keeping these apart:

    • Black walnut treePeppers are sensitive to juglone from black walnut roots, so keep pepper beds out of walnut root zones.Recommended by extension programs
    • Sweet cornCorn earworm moths leave corn as the silks turn brown and lay eggs on nearby peppers.Recommended by extension programs
    How to choose companion plants

    Questions about bell peppers

    Tap a question to see the answer.

    Will bell peppers grow where I live?

    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

    What soil is best for bell peppers?

    • 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.

    Before changing your soil, learn how to test soil acidity and understand the result.

    When and how deep do I plant bell peppers?

    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.

    What happens to bell peppers through the year?

    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.

    1. Start seeds indoors

      8 to 10 weeks before your last spring frost

    2. Plant out

      2 to 4 weeks after your last spring frost

    How do I give bell peppers a better start?

    Simple ways to help your bell pepper grow, from the soil up.

    • Start with good soil

      Use fertile soil that drains well. Compost can improve an ordinary garden bed before planting.

    • Give the soil a cover

      Add mulch after the soil has warmed to slow water loss and keep weeds down.

    • Support the branches

      A small cage or short trellis can hold up brittle branches as the peppers gain weight.

    • Feed with care

      Use a soil test as your guide. Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, especially before the first fruit forms.

    Test the soil before adding fertilizer. Too much nitrogen makes a large leafy plant and delays fruit.

    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.

    Helpful gardening guides

    Dig into the next thing you need, from starting a garden to getting watering right.

    Starting your first garden? Choose your space and get it ready, then plan local planting times.

    Browse all gardening guides

    Also filed under: Vegetables

    Where this came from

    Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

    Sources & review dates
    Timing
    University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15
    University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, warm-season crops are timed to months whose nights usually stay above 50°F.
    UC Master Gardeners of Placer County, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tomato blossom drop · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, warm-season crops avoid months whose nights usually stay above 75°F.
    University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Master Gardener Program, Time of planting · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, warm-season crops are timed to months with days between 65°F and 95°F.
    University of Maryland Extension, Poor blossom and fruit set of vegetables · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, pepper fruiting is timed to nights of at least 60°F.
    University of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center, Peppers · checked 2026-09-24 · Nights below 60°F inhibit pepper fruit set.
    Step by step
    University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-24
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