Our guide to pepper planting was deemed necessary because the plant is an essential presence in a survival garden. There are plenty of uses for them — from eating raw in salads to canning. Thankfully, peppers are very easy to cultivate & even a black thumb wouldn’t prevent you from a successful harvest.
Picking the Perfect Pepper Type for Your Garden
It can be challenging to know the type of pepper to grow. Let’s do a quick rundown of the 3 types available to figure out what’s best for you.
Banana Peppers: These are yellow-looking peppers with quite a peppery taste when eaten raw but will taste sweet when canned.
Bell Peppers: Bell pepper can look orange, green, yellow, or red, and they are available in large & small varieties!
Hot Peppers: Red peppers are the commonest among us. The available varieties of this pepper type include jalapenos, habaneros, red chili & ghost peppers.
The Planting Process
Peppers are a favorite among gardeners because they are easily planted & will thrive with the littlest care — not to mention their great flavor. Let’s check out how to plant your peppers, so they win the pepper’s fair.
Here we go!
The best time to plant peppers is after the frost. You may choose to grow from seeds or use starter plants — it’s your choice. I prefer the latter, though, as they are very much easier. You also need to choose if to plant in boxes or containers, a regular gardening bed, or a raised gardening bed. It is also a personal decision as pepper does well in any of the three.
You may want to avoid planting certain plants close to pepper for fear of cross-pollination, which may cause your plants (say tomatoes) to taste spicier than you’re used to. Also, note that banana peppers are best planted in a separate area away from all crops.
When you have a layout of how you want your pepper garden to be set, you can keep to the easy steps below to make your efforts worth it:
- Each pepper plant should be planted 18-24” apart.
- Ensure that you plant in well-drained soil.
- Use compost before planting & apply more every 3-4 weeks.
- Mulching will help the plant to keep in moisture & strengthen the plant against diseases.
- Avoid overwatering pepper plants if you don’t want to wilt.
- You must harvest your pepper plants before Fall frost.
Best Companion Plants for Pepper
Companion plants refer to the right plants to grow alongside a particular plant. Peppers are very versatile, so they do well with a lot of common crops in the garden. Planting peppers with the appropriate companions will boost their growth.
The best companion plants for peppers are basil, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, okra, onions, oregano, radishes, spinach & squash.
Worst Companion Plants for Pepper
These are plants that may not do well near pepper, just as peppers may not too. Plant these crops far from peppers. They include apricot, beans, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, fennel, make & walnut trees.
Concluding Our Guide to Pepper Planting
Peppers are honestly very easy to plant. They require little effort to bloom. They also have a lot of uses & are obviously the plant to be in every garden. What do you think we’ve left of our guide to pepper planting?