Peppers

Sweet or hot, bell-shaped or elongate, all peppers are members of the nightshade family. 

​People have been growing peppers for several thousand years. Native to the Americas, peppers (Capsicum) are now grown all around the world. The popular spice, paprika, is made from several different types of peppers.

Jalapeño, banana, cayenne, chili, and habanero peppers (Ryan Bushby) CC BY 2.5

Pepper varieties

All peppers start out green [think green beans]. If left on the vine long enough, different varieties may turn yellow, red, orange, or purple. Depending upon who you ask, there are 20 to 27 species (and hundreds of varieties) of peppers. These five species of Capsicum are domesticated:

• C. annuum - bell, jalapeño, Anaheim, chili, ancho (or poblano), and chipotle peppers
• C. baccatum - Bishop’s crown, wild baccatum, Brazilian starfish, and peppadew peppers
• C. chinense - bonnet, Trinidad, habanero, Bhut jolokia, and Carolina Reaper peppers
• C. frutescens - Tabasco, Xiaomila, Kambuzi, and Siling labuyo peppers
• C. pubescens - a single species known as rukutu, luqutu, and Manzano peppers

Potted bell pepper plant

All peppers are self-pollinating, but crops are significantly larger when other pepper plants are nearby. ​​

Hot peppers and the Scoville scale

Hot peppers are rated using the Scoville scale.  Scoville heat units (SHU) are a function of the amount of capsaicin found in the fruit. For comparison, pepper spray used by law enforcement can have 500,000 to 1 million SHUs and sweet bell peppers have a Scoville rating of zero. Here are some common peppers and their Scoville ratings:

• Anaheim peppers- 1,000 to 3,500 SHUs 
• jalapeños - 3,500 to 10,000 SHUs
• Serrano peppers - 10,000 to 30,000 SHUs
• Cayenne pepper - 30,000 to 50,000 SHUs
• Habaneros and Scotch bonnets - 100,000 to 350,000 SHUs
• Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, and Ghost peppers - 855,000 to 2,200,000 SHUs

Choose your peppers accordingly (and be sure to wash your hands after handling hot peppers and their seeds before you do ANYTHING else). Seriously. ​

Cubanelle Peppers (Public Domain)

How to grow peppers

Peppers love warm weather. In fact, there’s no sense starting pepper seeds early, because they won’t germinate. Even if they do, they won’t grow well. To get a head start on the growing season, many gardeners use seed heating mats. The soil needs to be 70 to 84 °F for peppers to really get going. Peppers prefer loose, loamy soil (or even sand), so you may want to grow them in raised beds or containers. Seeds should be planted 1/4 inch deep. Ultimately, you will want to place plants 18 to 24 inches apart. When thinning, snip unwanted plants off at soil level to avoid disturbing other plants’ roots. At first, the soil should be kept moist but not soggy. Soggy soil can cause damping off disease and several other problems. 

Pepper pests and diseases

Like many other of our favorite food plants, peppers are in big demand in the insect world. Cutworms, aphids, armyworms, flea beetles, mites, leafminers,  thrips, corn earworm, leafrollers, nematodes, weevils,spider tomato psyllids, and whiteflies should be watched for, and some birds may want to take a bite, as well.

​Most pepper diseases are of the fungal variety: powdery mildew, crown rot, root rot, verticillium wilt, and tomato spotted wilt are common on our California peppers. Also bacterial spot, several mosaic viruses, blossom end rot, and curly top may occur. Sunburn, or sunscald, can also be a problem on pepper plants. While too much nitrogen can cause excessive vegetative growth and not much fruit, the opposite causes a different set of problems low nitrogen levels can reduce leaf coverage to the point that fruit is damaged. Row covers can be used to reduce sun exposure, once fruit set has occurred.

One of the most common mistakes gardeners make when harvesting peppers is that they do it too soon. If your peppers feel thin-skinned, give them some more time. 

Pepper gardens can be both productive and colorful.​

Sunburned green bell pepper