5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Peppers
Hey there fellow gardeners! In this blog, we are going to discuss some common mistakes that people make while growing peppers and how to avoid them. Jack has shared some great tips in his video, so let's dive into the top five mistakes and how to avoid them.
Planting too late The first mistake you want to avoid when growing peppers is starting too late. Peppers take longer to start producing vegetables compared to other vegetable plants. They can take up to four months to start producing peppers, so if you start your pepper plants in April or May, you won't get peppers until August. Start your pepper plants indoors in February or March, at least six weeks before your last frost date. Once the plants are three to four inches tall, you can plant them outside after the danger of frost is over.
Not taking advantage of overwintering Peppers are actually perennial, so if you live in a zone where you get frost (zone 9 and below), you can dig up your pepper plants at the end of the season and bring them indoors or in a greenhouse to overwinter. This way, when the danger of frost is over in spring, you can replant them outside and get a head start on growing peppers.
Not using enough fertilizer Peppers love organic matter and thrive on manure and compost. Add a lot of manure and compost in your pepper plants. I use about one gallon of compost and half a gallon of manure in about a four square feet area per plant. This way, pepper plants have enough nutrition to grow all summer long.
Growing in shade Peppers love full sun, so find an area around your house that receives full sun to grow your peppers. Also, make sure you have proper spacing between your pepper plants. The proper plant spacing between pepper plants should be two feet apart and row spacing three feet apart.
Not watering enough Peppers love water, so water them every day and keep your soil moist at all times. Don't let your peppers turn red on the plants in the middle of the season. Once the peppers start to turn red, they start to produce seeds, and that's when the pepper plants think they have fulfilled the purpose of their life and will not produce any more flowers and any more peppers because they're already producing seed. So pick often and pick at any growing stage to trick your plants into producing more fruit and more peppers.
Avoid these mistakes, and you'll be on your way to growing lots of peppers like Jack's row of 25 plants that produce way more than he can eat. Happy gardening!