How to Grow Sweet Pepper in a Raised Bed

Dig the soil in the raised bed with a shovel or hand trowel to loosen it. Spread 2 to 3 inches of compost over the soil, and dig it into the bed. If the soil is sandy or clumped together, add more compost.

Dig holes in the soil the same size as the pots your seedlings are in. Space the holes 14 to 18 inches apart. Plant the pepper seedlings when nighttime temperatures have risen to at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slip the pot away from the roots of the pepper plants, and set each pepper into its own hole. Don’t plant the peppers any deeper than they were in their pots. Firm the soil around the base of each plant.

Water the soil well to thoroughly moisten the area surrounding each pepper plant. Supply 1 inch of water to the bed each week. Always water at soil level rather than from overhead.

Push a garden stake into the ground near each plant, if you’re concerned it might fall over, and use plant ties to secure the stem. Secure the plants at each foot in height as they grow taller.

Spread black plastic or mulch over the soil around your pepper plants to hold in warmth and moisture and keep down weeds. Remove the plastic once temperatures reach the upper 80s to avoid overheating the soil.

Apply a dose of high-potassium tomato fertilizer to your pepper plants at planting and when you see small, green fruits starting to grow. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the quantity of fertilizer for the size of your raised bed.

Harvest firm, green peppers by cutting them from the plant with a sharp knife once they reach mature size. Picking green peppers early will allow the plant to increase production. Let peppers later in the season ripen and change color on the plant.