Growing peppers is easy once you master some simple requirements: sunlight, spacing and water.
- Family: Solanaceae
- Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
- Common Name: Peppers
- Type: Fruit, Annual
- Zone: 9-11 (USDA)
- Soil pH: Neutral 6.5-7
- Size: 18” – 3’
Growing Peppers
Growing peppers is a matter of taste…literally. Do you want hot peppers, medium, mild or sweet? No matter what kind they all require a long, warm growing season. Let’s dive into pepper science!
There are many types of peppers so be sure to choose a variety in the right “heat” category for your taste buds. There are SO many varieties. One common method of measuring a pepper’s heat is the Scoville heat unit (SHU). For example, jalapeño (2,500-8,000 SHU) and Chocolate Habanero (700,000 SHU). We are currently growing Jigsaw, Buena Mulata (30,000-50,000 SHUs), Red Ruffled Pimiento (0-500 SHU), Sweet Banana (0-500 SHU), Thai Hot, Big Jim Green Chili, Extra Hot Green Chili, Mama Mia Giallo (an Italian pepper) and Jalapeño plus a variety of bell peppers (0 SHU), at the Growing Spaces campus.
Many pepper plants or seed packets will describe the level of heat or use the Scoville heat units on the label. Some use the fire symbol: 🔥🔥🔥Choose wisely!
Chile falls into the vegetable group as a crop and a spice when they are dried. They are also considered a berry.
Featuring Green Chile!
So what is the big deal with green chile? More importantly, who grows better green chile…Colorado or New Mexico? The banter and debate is all in good fun as any foodie knows. Do you like red or green chile, hot or sweet? Colorado chile peppers or New Mexico chile peppers? The main point is that green peppers are just immature chile peppers that will become yellow, orange, red or purple chile peppers when left on the plant to ripen. Here’s a brief rundown on some chile differences.
Colorado Chile Pepper Plants
Pueblo, Colorado is a hot region with a dry climate, which is perfect for growing chile peppers. In September they celebrate the harvest season at the Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival. The renowned Pueblo Chile is thicker and spicier than some chile so it is great for roasting. The Pueblo Chile, or Mirasol, is a red pepper that grows upward, towards the sun, rather than hanging down.
Some Colorado pepper farmers believe that Pueblo, Colorado’s elevation (4,692’) and big weather swings influence how their chile tastes. Colorado chile pepper trivia: Pueblo Chile Day is September 1st each year. In 2017 Governor Hickenlooper signed a bill that led to the creation of the Colorado Pueblo Chile license plate.
New Mexico Chile Pepper Plants
Hatch, New Mexico, the Chile capital of the world, is also at a higher elevation (4,062’). The warm days, cool nights and volcanic soil contribute to the distinctive flavor of this green chile. In 2017 the New Mexico chile pepper license plate was launched. In announcing the new license plate Governor Susana Martinez said “With the creation of this license plate, we are sending a strong message that New Mexico is the only chile capital of the world.” The chile war continues!
Another special pepper-growing region in New Mexico is Chimayó. The peppers grown in Chimayó are so distinctive and dependent upon the region that taking the seeds and growing them in a different region will alter the taste. The cultivation of these special chile plants is limited to about 500 acres and the seeds are passed down through generations to family members.
When dining in New Mexico the waitstaff will most certainly ask if you want red or green sauce. Some even say it’s the state question: “Red or green chile?” In New Mexico they believe the big difference between red and green chile peppers is in the pepper maturity and spiciness. Red chile peppers are more mature and also contain higher levels of capsaicin, the compound that is the source of the spiciness.
Red chile peppers versus green really comes down to personal preference, but another option is to ask for “Christmas” style, which combines both red and green sauces!
Best Location in a Dome Greenhouse for Growing Peppers
Peppers need a long and warm growing season. Plant your seeds or plants in the warmest location in your dome and be sure they aren’t in the shade of bigger plants. This is typically along the southern perimeter or southern central beds.
Spacing is key when planting pepper plants. They can be easy to grow, but also susceptible to pests. Planting peppers too close together allows pests easy access from one plant to another. Spacing also allows for airflow, which is important for peppers. Do not crowd your pepper plants!
Growing Peppers: Planting Seeds, Seedlings or Plants
Pepper seeds can be started indoors about 8-10 weeks prior to planting or prior to the last frost date. They can be transplanted when they reach 6-8” tall and have developed a minimum of 3-4 true leaves.
When planting seedlings in your dome they should be protected from late light frosts even if you are heating your dome. However, it might be best to air on the side of caution so you don’t lose your pepper babies.
Plant pepper seedlings deep, really deep. Planting them right up to the lowest leaves will help them grow stronger roots. They need to be planted 18”-24” apart so they have room to grow and have plenty of circulation.
If you must purchase plants from a nursery it is wise to quarantine them before bringing them into your greenhouse and check them for possible pests.
Pepper Care
Pepper plants are easy to grow as long as you have a sunny, well-draining location for them. They need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight each day.
Pepper plants like a slightly acidic soil. A pH of 6.0-6.8 is best. Click this link to learn how to test your soil pH. Adding compost to the soil will make pepper plants happy. They need warm soil so this is another reason to be patient and not transplant peppers too early.
When watering your peppers they like the soil moist, but not soggy. Check for any areas of pooling water as peppers need evenly moist soil.
To Trellis or Not to Trellis?
Consider a trellis for your peppers, particularly larger pepper varieties. We all need support sometimes and pepper plants are no exception! Without a trellis, the plants can become heavy with peppers which can cause branches to droop or break.
Using a trellis or tomato cage will also help to keep the larger, heavier peppers off the soil. That’s important to help protect the peppers from rot and from pests as well. When pepper leaves or plants are too close together it allows pests and diseases to travel easily within the plant as well as to other nearby pepper plants.
One of the debates with pepper growers is whether or not to top your pepper plants. In areas where there is a short growing season, it’s best to let your plants grow rather than topping them.
Topping pepper plants can help them to grow bushier so using a tomato cage is easier and this is a good idea if you have a long growing season. For those with a shorter growing season if you top your pepper plants it can take them longer to produce fruit.
When considering whether or not to top your pepper plants, know that it is best to wait until they have lateral branches which show active growth. Another option is to test topping the same variety of pepper plant and leaving the other pepper plant alone and see what happens.
Pepper Companion Plants
Companion plants are one of the tools we like best. They offer many benefits to your crops; everything from ground covers to preventing weeds to attracting pollinators and deterring pests.
Peppers grow well with the following plants: basil, carrots, chives, cilantro, dill, marigolds, nasturtium, onions, oregano and parsley. There are more, but these are good companions, great to grow in your garden and some of the flowers are edible. Isn’t it interesting that some of the companion plants for peppers are salsa ingredients?
So what do these plants do? Marigolds secretly wear a superhero cape and release a compound in the soil that is toxic to nematodes, especially root-knot nematodes. Of course, they also attract lacewings and ladybugs. And you thought marigolds were just pretty!
Plants in the Allium family, such as chives, garlic and onions, help repel pests. Chives are especially effective in deterring aphids. Oregano is a good ground cover for preventing weeds plus the herbal scent attracts beneficial insects. Carrots loosen the soil and also attract beneficial insects.
Growing Peppers: Managing Pests
Some of the most common pepper pests are aphids, flea beetles and pepper maggots. Monitoring your plants and using insecticidal soap will help combat infestations. Neem oil is another option to use against these pests.
Consider introducing beneficial insects such as ladybugs, green lacewings, mantids and lacewing larvae into your dome to use as a biological control against pests. The diseases that are common with peppers are powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot and blight. Spacing plants wisely, avoiding overhead watering, and crop rotation will minimize these issues.
Growing Peppers: Harvest Time
Peter says the time to pick your peppers is when they are the intended color and have a sheen to them. This means it’s important to know what color your peppers will be when ripe. Are the ripe peppers red, green, yellow, orange or purple peppers?
Another way to know when they are ready to harvest is by size. Some peppers will take another two weeks to ripen after reaching their full size.
Lastly, how easy are they to pick from the stem? While it is best to cut them from the stem, you can pull on them to test ripeness. Pro Tip: Wear gloves and do NOT touch your eyes after harvesting.
Harvesting peppers as they ripen will allow the plant to continue producing more fruit. Most pepper plants take between 65 to 85 days to mature and produce fruit.
If you are not heating your dome greenhouse you will need to pick all the peppers before the first frost. Peppers that have not ripened are best contributed to the compost pile as they will taste bitter.
The History of Growing Peppers
Chile peppers are thought to have originated in Brazil’s lowlands as small, round fruits. This area actually has the greatest amount of wild species of chile peppers in the world. It is thought that birds are the most responsible for spreading chile peppers outside of this area. Birds are not capable of feeling the heat of peppers and the digestive system of birds is not harmful to the seeds. Since the fruit is easily removed from the plant when ripe birds only ingest and disperse the viable seeds. Interestingly, peppers developed capsaicinoids (the heat source) to deter animals from eating the pods.
And where did the name come from? Chile is a variation of the word “chil”. Chil is from the Nahuati or Aztec dialect with the “e” on the end added by Hispanic cultures. Then English speakers changed the “e” to an “i”, however, the word chili really refers to the state dish of Texas, not the plant!
And how did peppers become world travelers? Remember the name Christopher Columbus? He was looking for a new spice trading route, there were no women to ask for directions and it was pre-GPS, so he bumped into the New World. When the Western Natives gave him some chile and the heat reminded him of black pepper, he called it “pepper”. He then took some of the pods with him back to Spain where they quickly spread in popularity. Now chile pepper plants are grown all around the world.
Peppers Arrive in New Mexico
Hatch, New Mexico is the proclaimed Chile Capital of the World, but how did peppers get there? One theory is that in 1598 Juan de Oñate brought them from Spain when he was sent by King Phillip II to colonize New Mexico.
Another theory is that the peppers were traded between the Southwest Pueblo Indians and the Toltec Indians of Mexico. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support either theory. All that is known is that the peppers originated somewhere in South America.
One fact that is known is that peppers have been used medicinally for centuries by the Mayans and others. Chile was used as a treatment for asthma, coughs and sore throats. The Tukano people in the Amazon basin crushed chile peppers and used water via the nasal passages to relieve hangovers. (What were they drinking?)
Cultures around the world use peppers. Some cultures stick to sweet peppers and other cultures use peppers of varying heat to spice up their cuisine.
Chile Ristras
When you see peppers hanging from porches, fences or patios they are called “ristras” or “chile ristras”. Farmers used to sun dry peppers, but started hanging them to protect them from birds and rodents. Nowadays ristras symbolize good luck and good health and are used as beautiful decorations! You can see chile ristras throughout New Mexico and southern Arizona.
Pepper Trivia
Wouldn’t you like to be a pepper, too? Okay, wrong quote, but seriously, who doesn’t like growing peppers in their dome? They’re tasty and beautiful.
New Mexico’s number one cash crop is chile, turning out 65,600 TONS of chile peppers in 2020.
Did you know that chiles are part of the nightshade family and are NOT related to Piper nigrum, the black pepper source? Black pepper is in the Piperaceae family.
Here’s something delicious…chocolate and chile peppers are a culinary match. They help draw each other’s flavors and richness out. Have you ever had Mexican Hot Chocolate?
Did you know that zookeepers used to feed flamingos chile peppers? The peppers, along with shrimp and carrots helped keep them a beautiful rosy pink.
Health Benefits of Peppers
There are many varieties of peppers with different benefits, but here are some of the basics.
Peppers are in the berry family and are very colorful. They are also chock full of nutritional power. Peppers have some of the greatest levels of vitamin C and that changes as they ripen and their color changes. The red, orange and yellow peppers have the most vitamin C while green peppers have the smallest amount. It’s not often we eat a whole red bell pepper, but it carries three times the amount of vitamin C that a medium orange supplies.
What else do peppers provide? They are an amazing source of vitamins E and K plus B6 and fiber, folate and potassium. Red and orange bell peppers are a rich source of vitamin A.
Other benefits are antioxidants and polyphenols. What do these do? They help protect your body from those free radicals (unstable molecules in the body) and they support eye health.
Do you love peppers? Mild, sweet, hot, extra hot; there are peppers for everyone. Plus there are different colors that will enhance the beauty of your dome.
