Pepper Plant Planting Instructions

If you’ve purchased seedlings, or if you’ve grown your own, here are the steps for transplanting the peppers. You’ll need:

• A shovel or trowel (for planting in the ground).
• A suitably large container (for growing in a pot).
• Soil and soil amendments (compost, aged manure, etc.).
• For larger pepper plants, a “cage” or a post (to help keep the peppers off the ground).
• Mulch.
• Your pepper plants.

For container growing, the general guide is that you need a container that will hold 3 or more gallons of soil and amendments. Very large pepper plants require at least a 5 gallon container, and 7 gallons is even better. Fill the container with the soil and amendments, about 1/2 way full.

If you are planting in your garden, dig a hole at least 18″ across and a foot deep (two feet deep is better). Place soil and amendments in the hole, filling it up about 1/2 way.

Pepper Planting Technique

Spread your fingers and place them over the top of the seedling container. Turn the container upside-down and gently tap the container until the pepper plant comes out. Place the plant in its final container or in the ground. Add soil and amendments until full, and gently firm the soil around the plant. Place the cage or the post in place (large varieties only).

Give your plant a good drink of water, and add more soil, if necessary. Finally, mulch the pepper; this helps prevent weeds from popping up, helps to regulate the moisture in the soil, and also helps to control soil-borne bacteria.

Fertilize your pepper plants after about a week; but only fertilize at 1/2 strength. Once the pepper blossoms appear, you can begin using fertilizer at 3/4 to full strength.

Wasn’t that easy?