How to Grow Pepper
Pepper At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 5°C
Plant Family
Solanaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Our summers are too short for peppers to ripen from an outdoor sowing, so they need a long head start inside. Sow 2 seeds per small pot 0.5 cm deep, 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost, and keep them very warm, about 25 to 30°C (77 to 86°F), on top of the fridge or a heat mat: they are slow and take 10 to 21 days to sprout. Plant them out about 2 weeks after the last frost, once nights stay above 10°C (50°F), 30 cm apart. Before planting out, set the pots outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours a day, a little longer each day for about a week, so they toughen up (this is called hardening off).
Peppers love heat and sulk in cold soil, so waiting until nights are truly warm before planting out pays off. Every pepper starts green and is safe to pick then, but leaving it to turn red, yellow or orange makes sweet peppers sweeter and hot peppers hotter.
When To Start
First chance to plant
10 Days After Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Pepper?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Pepper Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Pepper Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Start pepper seeds indoors now, somewhere very warm
9 weeks before your last frost· every year
Plant peppers out once nights stay warm
2 weeks after your last frost· every year
Pick peppers green, or let them ripen to full colour
75 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Start hardening off your pepper seedlings: an hour outside today, a little longer each day.
4 days after your last frost
Water your new pepper plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How are your peppers coming along? Keep them warm and bright, and set them outside a little longer each day for a week before planting out.
About 44 days after you plant it
Your peppers are growing up! Water evenly once flowers appear so the plants hold on to their blossoms.
About 68 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your pepper.
About 70 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Pepper's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 10–21 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give peppers your warmest, sunniest spot, with at least 8 hours of sun a day, against a south wall if you can.
- 2Plant them in soil rich in compost, or in a pot at least 25 cm wide.
- 3Water deeply when the top 2 to 3 cm of soil is dry, and mulch to keep the moisture even, since dry spells make the flowers drop.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 2 to 3 weeks once flowers appear.
- 5Tie the plants to a short stake when fruit starts to form, because loaded branches snap easily.
- 6Spray aphids off the undersides of leaves with a jet of water, and grow a few marigolds or dill nearby to draw in the insects that eat them.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~70
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
60 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
45 days
When to Pick
Pick fruits when firm and ripe
How to Harvest
- 1Pick peppers once they reach full size and feel firm, either green or after they change to their ripe colour.
- 2Cut the stem with scissors or pruners about 1 cm above the fruit, rather than pulling, so you do not break the branch.
- 3Picking the first fruits green helps the plant set more peppers.
- 4Wear gloves when you pick and cut hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes.
- 5Keep sweet peppers in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, and dry or freeze hot ones to keep them all winter.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Pepper flowers can be crossed by bees, and hot and sweet peppers cross with each other, so grow only one variety or keep varieties at least 15 m apart to be safe. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. Let a few healthy peppers ripen fully on the plant until they reach their final colour and start to soften. Cut them open, rub the seeds off the core onto a plate (wear gloves for hot peppers), and let them dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep 2 to 4 years.
Seed Production
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