Peppers are one of our most popular garden crops, and not only that, also one of our most productive and most bountiful. The unripe, tasteless peppers at the grocery store pale in comparison to the beauties that we can grow right at home. And even better than that, peppers are easy to grow. They transplant well and are fairly resistant to pests and disease. That’s what makes them ideal candidates to grow in pots or containers. Let me show you how I grow mine in pots right from seed. It starts right now.
Seeding:
To grow the best container peppers this summer, we must first ensure that we have top-notch starter plants. We begin with a quality organic seeding or potting mixture. For peppers, I tend to use the 72-cell trays, even for smaller varieties like habaneros and cayenne. Fill the tray to the top, compress each cell by about 1/3, fill in the depressions, and level off the tray nicely before seeding. Let’s soak that with about 2 liters of warm water for around 2 hours. For seeding peppers, we have two methods available to us.
The first method
The first method is to simply place a single seed in a small depression in the middle of each cell. Easy enough, albeit a bit tedious. Try to get the seeds as close to the center as possible and just roll them in your fingers to separate them if they’re starting to stick together. Make sure the seeds are about 1 to 2 centimeters down and then pinch those holes closed, and we’re done.
The second method
The second method is just as easy and is known as the multi-seeding strategy. Here we take anywhere from eight to twelve seeds and place them randomly in each cell. The theory behind this is that peppers are great germinators and even better transplants, so why worry about the seeds having an entire cell all to themselves? And if you need five hundred pepper starter plants for the season, making up one tray is far easier than making up seven or eight of them. One note with the multi-seed method: it’s much easier to put a new one-inch skim coating of soil over those seeds than it is to try and push each one down individually.Either method you choose, the end result is peppers that sprout in about a week or two.
Planting
Peppers begin to emerge quite vigorously, they grow up to the light with a purpose, and rarely flop over like their tomato cousins. I let them grow another two weeks after initial germination, and then I prep them for the transition to larger pots. I use the standard four-inch nursery pots both for the economies of space and because it’s the perfect size to take these plants to the precipice, either for sale, planting in your garden, or planting in containers like we are today.
I fill my four-inch pots with that same organic potting mix. At this stage, we do use quite a bit more.Fill your pots the same way, right to the top, then compress them down and refill and level again. If you have multiple trays to do, just get them all done now and earn your efficiency badge. Again, soak these pots from below with about two liters of warm water and let them sit for around two hours.
Soaking these pots helps the soil to maintain its shape as well as minimizing transplant shock for the delicate roots. For whatever reason, warm water seems to soak up faster. Poke those pots with the handle of a screwdriver, make a nice big hole in the center of one of those pots, then with the flat end of that same screwdriver, gently pry off that first plug, avoiding the temptation to pull on that stem. Place the young seedling as deep as possible and simply pinch that soil around the stem to complete the planting.
Now, let’s try a plug with more than one seedling in it. Try it out much the same way and pull the two or more seedlings apart, revealing their own root systems. As there will inherently be less soil on these plugs, make your holes a little bit smaller for this potting process. Plant them as deep as they’ll go and then close that soil around the stem, completing the planting. Peppers plant quite quickly and are infinitely less finicky than tomato seedlings—less roots initially, tougher stems, and smooth leaves that don’t stick together in the most frustrating fashion. So don’t be surprised if you blast through these trays at a lightning pace.
Place a cover over those newly potted plants and let them grow in ideal conditions for three to five weeks. With our young plants growing like crazy, we’re now ready for our larger pots or containers. Peppers truly do grow to the size of the container, so a minimum of five gallons is recommended even for the smaller varieties. If you are using a bucket or container, ensure you’ve drilled eight to twelve holes on the bottom for drainage. Peppers will quickly rot from the bottom up if that water doesn’t drain out.
Whichever container or pot you use, fill it about 75% full of a quality container mix. I do pack mine down a bit, but that’s probably more force of habit. Then, grabbing your young pepper plant, gently coax it out of that pot without tugging on that stem. Just place the pepper right in the center of that container or pot. Next, fill in and around it with that same container mix all the way up to the first set of true leaves. This first example here could have easily been planted about four inches deeper. I was much happier with this little guy—much better depth and much better placement. You can see why you really want that mix to be light and airy. You want to allow those pepper roots to find their way around the pot both vertically and horizontally. And trust me, these pepper plants, as they grow, will utilize every inch of that container that you give them.
Mulching
Now, it’s time for the final step of mulching and watering. Our first instinct is always to water right away, but the first thing we actually need to do is mulch. For my peppers this year, I’m using a 50/50 mix of coarse straw and green grass clippings. You can use shredded leaves, yard debris, or really almost any organic matter or foliage. Lay it on thick, at least 3 inches, and pack it down as you go along. Don’t skimp on the mulch; it really does help us grow the best peppers and is one of the most vital steps. Mulching helps to moderate temperature extremes for your soil as well as to prevent moisture loss during those hot summer days ahead. But of immediate benefit right now, it allows us to water from above. We can now water those peppers safely without blasting that soil everywhere. Even with my coarse watering can, the mulch barely even moves. As you start to run out of space to plant in your spring garden, our thoughts often turn to what you can grow in pots. Much like tomatoes, peppers have the unique distinction of almost being designed perfectly to grow in a pot. So don’t hesitate to grow some of your favorite pepper varieties in pots or containers this year. It’s really easy, and I know they will do well for you.
