Do Peppers Transplant Well?

Prepare

• Plant peppers in full sun, avoiding spots where tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants recently grew because these relatives share the same disease and pest vulnerabilities. Improve your soil before transplanting by digging in 3 or 4 inches of compost, well-rotted manure, shredded leaves and straw. Add organic amendments the previous fall, so that organic nutrients have time to break down and are available by spring. Peppers thrive in rich, heavy, well-draining loam. The more organic matter incorporated, the better. In the spring when the soil is dry enough to work, cultivate it to a depth of 8 to 10 inches and break up large clods.

Transplant

• Plant pepper plants in warm soil or they won't thrive. Warm the soil thoroughly by laying down black or brown plastic two weeks in advance. Transplant peppers two weeks after tomatoes. Harden off or acclimate the plants to outdoor conditions and remove flowers or small peppers, so the plants produce leaves and roots instead. Prepare transplant holes 12 to 24 inches apart in rows at least 3 feet apart, or equidistant in raised beds. Dig holes 3 to 4 inches deep. Plant the peppers at their original level, keeping soil around roots. Backfill the holes loosely and saturate the entire root area with water. Transplanting peppers in the evening or on a cloudy day gives the plants extra time to recover before the sun stresses them.

Care

• Support peppers with tomato cages or stakes, so that these shallow-rooted plants stand tall when loaded down with fruits. After the transplants start growing, fertilize them with 2 to 3 lbs. of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet of total planting area, or scatter 2 level tbsp. per plant. If you use slow-release or organic fertilizer, work it into the soil before transplanting. Mulching the entire bed with 2 or 3 inches of pine straw, pesticide-free grass clippings or other organic matter retains soil moisture, reduces weeds and protects roots. Because of shallow roots, peppers are vulnerable to moisture stress. Slow, deep watering is best encouraging deeper, healthier roots.

Harvest

• Picking peppers as they mature keeps them coming until frost. Although maturity varies by variety, the first peppers should be ready eight to 10 weeks after transplanting. Pick bell pepper when they are large, firm and shiny, dark green, although most types turn red if left on the plant a bit longer, which greatly increases their vitamin A content. Harvest most hot peppers with gloves on keeping capsaicin off your skin when they are turn yellow, orange or red. Pick jalapenos when they reach mature size and are shiny, dark green.