Vegetable Grow Guides
How to Grow Organic Peppers (Sweet) from Seed
Capsicum annuum
About Peppers (Sweet)
Sweet peppers include bell, frying (Corno di Toro, Gypsy), and pimento types. They are milder, thicker-walled, and usually shorter than many hot chiles — typical bells stand 18–36 inches, not 5–6 feet. Fruit ripens from green to red, yellow, orange, or purple; fully colored fruit is sweeter.
When to Plant
Start indoors 8–10 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost when nights stay above 55°F. Cold nights stall growth.
How to Plant
Sow ¼ inch deep at 80–85°F. Transplant 18–24 inches apart, rows 24–36 inches — 12 inches is too tight for bells. Cage or stake. Mulch when soil is warm. Feed with compost and a bloom-oriented organic fertilizer (bone meal, kelp) once fruit sets; skip heavy nitrogen.
When to Harvest
Cut fruit with a short stem. Green bells are edible; leaving them to color up takes 2–3 more weeks and tastes sweeter. Regular picking keeps plants producing until frost.