Can I Grow Different Kinds of Sweet Peppers Together?

Crossbreeding

• If you place different varieties of sweet peppers together, they may cross-pollinate. This doesn't affect the current season's crop. Seeds saved from the end of the current season, however, may produce hybrids of the varieties you planted. This isn't an issue if you start with new seed each season, but be sure to plant sweet peppers at least 900 feet apart from one another, just as you would a sweet and hot pepper.

Environment

• Sweet peppers do well in moist, cool soil, especially during the hot season. Plant foliage will do well in hotter temperatures, but it typically needs shade to prevent sun damage. All peppers need magnesium from salt, and sweet peppers need soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5 to maintain their correct sweetness. Constant moisture in the soil -- but not wet conditions -- also ensures sweet, crisp fruit. Bell peppers take about 80 to 90 days to mature to harvest. Other peppers like banana and pimento ripen faster, and you can harvest them once slight color shows up. They continue to ripen indoors.

Spacing

• If you're not worried about your sweet pepper varieties crossbreeding, plant the pepper seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart in rows spaced 14 to 18 inches apart. Mature pepper plants typically grow to 2 feet wide. Allowing the full-grown leaves to graze the adjacent plant provides shade for the peppers when fruiting occurs. Stake sweet peppers to support the fruit-heavy plants.

Growing Hot and Sweet Together

• If you're growing hot and sweet peppers in your garden, keep them separate to prevent crossbreeding. Close planting also affects their heat level, making sweet peppers hotter and hot peppers less spicy. Place a medium-sized plant between the peppers, and space them at least 900 feet apart to be safe.