How to Grow:
Plant hot pepper seeds 8 weeks before your last spring frost and outdoors 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Peppers can be planted throughout the summer up until 14 weeks before your first fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App.
Plant hot pepper seeds 1/4 inch deep, 1 per square foot, in the full sun. Peppers will do best if you can provide staking support as they mature and produce fruit. We really like using bamboo stakes! Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. Hot pepper seeds will sprout in 15-25 days. Water weekly, but be careful to not wet the leaves.
Companion Plants:
Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these. Herbs are especially great companion plants because they help to repel pests from your other plants!
See companion plants for 100+ foods in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web app!
Pests:
Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common pests for hot peppers:
- Aphids
- Corn Earworms
- Cutworms
- Flea Beetles
- Leaf-footed Bug
- Nematodes
- Potato Beetles
- Tomato Hornworms
- Voles (Field Mice)
Learn more about how to manage pests and attract beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!
Harvesting:
Hot peppers should be ready for harvest in approximately 60-100 days. Harvest them at any point you desire. Peppers will turn different colors after different amounts of time on the vine. When you harvest, be careful not to pull on them so you don’t break branches.
Cooking & Eating!
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11 thoughts on “Hot Peppers (Jalapeños): How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!”
We grow them, but not very well. They prefer warmer climates. Ours slowly make a few fruits, but then languish for the rest of the season. However, some varieties of bell pepper do quite well in the Salinas Valley, where the climate is just as mild.