Maine Garden Ideas
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How to Grow Peppers

green pepper plant
by essgee51/Flickr
Northern gardens with short cool summers aren't ideal for growing peppers, but it can be done. The trick is doing what you know works and not what gardening experts who have never stepped foot in your area tell you should work. Before I continue, let me say that I have the utmost respect for horticulturists who have devoted their lives to providing gardeners with useful information. Extension offices such as Cornell, the University of Illinois and Clemson University provide valuable resources for gardeners, but there are times when their advice simply may not work in your garden. Growing peppers is one of those times.

Spacing 

According to these resources, peppers should be planted 18 to 24 inches apart, but that isn't the most practical or effective way to grow peppers in a northern garden. Because the season is short and temperatures typically remain cool until mid to late summer, peppers do not generally reach the predicted height at maturity. That doesn't mean you can't produce juicy peppers, it just means that you may want to change you growing practices a bit. From my experience, peppers should be planted close enough so the leaves touch at maturity. For the northern gardener this means a mere 8 to 10 inches apart. ­­­­Group them in sets of three to make an attractive planting.

Planting in Buckets 
Some prefer to plant three pepper plants per five-gallon bucket and place them against the foundation on the southern side of the house. Not only does this ensure that your pepper plants receive enough direct sunlight, the bucket (use black) and foundation serve to draw and retain the sun's heat keeping the soil warm. Buckets with peppers can also be placed on a paved driveway or near stonewall to retain heat and boost growth.

Fertilizing 
Apply water-soluble fertilizer for vegetables every 10 to 14 days to provide the nutrients your pepper plants require. This is especially important if you are growing them in raised beds or buckets as rainwater can leach nutrients from the soil and leave your plants starving for nutrients.

Watering 
Check the soil often and water deeply to saturate the roots when the soil feels dry one inch below the surface. Frequent, shallow watering causes roots to form near the surface of the soil and jeopardizes the health of your pepper plants.

Northern gardening can be a challenge, especially with heat-loving plants such as peppers. With a little extra care, you can grow big juicy peppers in your backyard.


Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables