PEPPER GROWING TIPS

 

Peppers thrive in warm soil and need at least 6+ hours of direct sunlight daily. If your garden doesn’t get enough sun, grow them in containers and move the pots to the sunniest spot in your yard—peppers absolutely love container life!

 

They also need more water than most people expect. Aim to keep the soil consistently moist (like a wrung-out sponge) down to about 6 inches deep. The only reliable way to check is to touch it: lightly scratch below the surface and feel. Adjust watering based on weather, soil type, and mulch.

 

Watering directly affects flavor and heat:

• Too little water when fruits are developing → hotter chilies and sometimes bitter bells.

• Plenty of consistent moisture → sweeter bells and milder hot peppers.

• Slight overwatering → can tone down the scorch of super-hot varieties (a handy trick if you love the flavor but not the full fire!).

 

CRITICAL: Never plant hot peppers near sweet or bell peppers. Pollinators and wind will cross-pollinate them, turning your sweet peppers spicy and your hot ones milder—sometimes in the same season, always in the next year’s saved seed.

 

Spacing: Plant 12–24 inches apart. Research (and plenty of real-world experience) shows yields actually increase when pepper plants are close enough for their leaves to touch their neighbors—it creates a beneficial microclimate without crowding.​​​​​​

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