How to Plant & Grow Sweet Peppers

Fill a starter tray with a soilless germination medium. Place the seeds into the medium 3/4 inch deep. Locate the starter tray in a greenhouse or window that receives full sun.

Plant the seedlings in a location with well-draining soil and full sun after all danger of frost has passed. Work aged manure or compost into the soil. The soil should feel crumbly and rich to the touch.

Dig a small hole using a garden trowel. Place the seedling transplant into the hole at the same depth it was planted in its starter tray. Press the soil gently around the plant's tender root system. Space pepper plants 12 to 24 inches apart. Locate the rows approximately five feet apart. If using raised double rows, locate each row only 18 inches apart.

Place a 3- or 4-foot-tall wooden stake beside each sweet pepper plant. Drive the stake about 1 foot into the ground to anchor it firmly in the soil. Leave 2 to 3 feet of the stake protruding from the ground. Use a lightweight cotton twine to loosely tie the plant to the stake. Sweet pepper plants can become top heavy as they grow and produce an abundant crop.

Apply 2 inches of mulch around the base of the transplants to help reduce weed growth. The mulch will also help keep the soil moist during hot weather. Keep pepper plants moist but not overly wet.

Fertilize the pepper plant when the fruit first sets. Broadcast a general-purpose 12-12-12 fertilizer according to the label directions.

Pull weeds by hand that sprout up around the pepper plant. The root system of the plant is shallow and damage can occur from deep cultivation practices.