Space pepper plants 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart. Grow plants closer together if temperatures are below 60°F. Closer spacing requires fertilizer at planting and during the summer.
Quick Guide to Growing Peppers
They grow well in raised beds, containers, and in-ground gardens. Plant them 18 to 24 inches apart in a sunny, well-drained spot. Pepper plants need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil when planting.
At their mature size, the leaves of the pepper plant should be just touching the leaves of its neighbor plants on either side. Anything closer and they're too crowded, anything farther apart means you could have fit more plants in that space.
We like to use 5-7 gallon pots for peppers, as we find that too small of a pot, they dry out too quickly and hinder the growth. Some people plant up to 3 plants per five gallon bucket, but we've found that they won't do as well as if each one had their own bucket. The bigger the pot the better the yield!
Multiple pepper plants (of the same or different varieties) can be planted together and, in some cases, can help each other out. For example, planting a border of hot peppers around sweet peppers is likely to deter any pests that thought about munching on either of those plants.
I put one pepper plant per five gallon bucket. You could put 30 plants in, but each one will be 30 times smaller and 30 times less productive.
Or, if you prefer, you can grow peppers from seed. This requires sowing seeds indoors about eight to 10 weeks before your region's average last frost date. Sow three pepper seeds per pot, in Miracle-Gro® Seed Starting Potting Mix.
Raised bed sizes can vary greatly, but let's use the example of a 4x8' raised bed. In this bed you could plant two rows of tomatoes, which are each 8' long. If using cages or another wide support system, you can probably fit 6-8 tomato plants in that bed.
On 30” beds, 2 rows of Peppers can be planted diagonally, at 18” apart; expect yields of 10-20# per plant over the harvest season. This translates to about 3 peppers per week. On 4' beds, 2 rows of Peppers can be planted parallel, at 18” apart; expect yields of 10-20# per plant over the harvest season.
Brassicas: Brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are not good companion plants for peppers as they require similar nutrients from the soil, which can lead to competition and reduced yield.
The morning sun is favorable because it is less intense than the afternoon sun. If your plant receives at least 6-12 hours of sunlight, it will have more energy to grow tall and strong. If your plant only receives 6 hours or less of sunlight, it will likely have a smaller harvest.
Before planting, fill the holes with water and let it soak in. Into each planting hole, put two or three wooden matchsticks (for sulfur) and 1 teaspoon of low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer (too much nitrogen will reduce fruit set).
Pepper plants tend to do best when grown in close proximity to each other, but not quite touching.
Step 3: Set the plant in the hole so that the top of the root-ball is level with the ground surface. Do not plant deeply like tomatoes, or the plants may rot. Make sure to bury the top rim of the pot so that there is nothing to stick up above the ground after planting.
As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.
A 12-inch raised bed is a great minimum height for growing lots of delicious plants in the kitchen garden. If you want to grow larger vining plants like tomatoes, squash, or zucchini—plants that sprawl and tend to draw a lot of nutrients from the soil as they grow—you might move closer to an 18-inch raised bed.
A healthy square foot gardening cucumber plant has a yield of approximately 5 pounds, and can also be grown vertically with support from a trellis. If you use the square foot gardening method in a 4x4 foot raised garden bed you can comfortably grow eight tomato plants and 16 cucumber plants at the same time!
Grow Your Hot Peppers From Seed
To prevent transplant shock, consider applying a starter plant food such as Miracle-Gro® Quick Start® Planting & Transplant Starting Solution.
Plant in Well-Drained Soil and Full Sun
"Amending the soil with quality-aged compost will boost the levels of potassium, phosphorus, and calcium—all of which are important for success with hot peppers." Keszey says he's seen some success with giving his peppers a little space to stretch out.
Planting tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets is a great option if you don't have much garden space. Begin by making at least a dozen holes in the bottom of the bucket so that water can drain easily. You can use a drill with a 3/8” bit, or a hammer and nail.
Option 2: Epsom Salt and Miracle-Gro Mix
This fertilizer mix is Pepper Joe's favored method for growing strong, healthy plants. You can typically find Miracle-Gro at a store near you like Walmart, or you can purchase the size you want online. You can use any of Miracle-Grow's Plant Food products or Tomato Plant Food.
Each jalapeño plant will likely produce around 25 to 35 peppers. Eat as many peppers fresh or cooked as you can. Store remaining peppers unwashed in a loosely covered container in the fridge for up to a week. To store peppers from your garden long-term, freeze them or dry them.