How to Grow Red Peppers

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It takes time and patience to learn how to grow red peppers.
It takes time and patience to learn how to grow red peppers.
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Bell peppers ripen into a rainbow of colors.
Bell peppers ripen into a rainbow of colors.
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This is the early ripening favorite 'Ace,' shown with miniature sweet pepper.
This is the early ripening favorite 'Ace,' shown with miniature sweet pepper.
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Bell peppers can be grown in pots successfully.
Bell peppers can be grown in pots successfully.
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These flawless beauties are the sweet pepper variety 'Red Knight.'
These flawless beauties are the sweet pepper variety 'Red Knight.'
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This unusual pepper is called 'Round of Hungary.'
This unusual pepper is called 'Round of Hungary.'
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This spectacular pepper harvest was grown in Eugene, Oregon.
This spectacular pepper harvest was grown in Eugene, Oregon.

Learn how to grow red peppers using these helpful tips and tricks.

Here’s how to grow red peppers and enjoy the rich, sweet flavors of these ripe bell peppers

Raising ripe, red sweet peppers takes patience, period. That’s why they cost up to five times as much as green peppers and why some gardeners think they can’t grow them. Even when they’re grown from transplants, thick-fleshed and flavorful red peppers such as ‘Pimento’ and ‘Red Marconi’ take up to 100 days to mature. But some varieties turn red much sooner — in as little as 65 days. If you use these fast-maturing varieties and a few tricks of the trade, you can easily produce sweet, meaty red peppers in almost any climate.

Bell Peppers Quick to Color

Most red peppers start out green. Some begin life yellow, purple or white. After reaching their maximum size, these peppers will develop red pigments in 10 to 28 days, if daytime temperatures are between 65 degrees and 75 degrees. In southern regions where temperatures exceed that range, peppers turn yellowish and may acquire an off-color pallor that is not attractive, a big consideration for market growers. Below the optimum temperature range, color development slows dramatically; below 55 degrees, it stops completely. If soil temperatures drop below 68 degrees, pigment production declines and eventually ceases.

  • Published on Feb 1, 2003
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