How to Plant a Summer Garden With Peppers in the Midwest

Prepare the soil in advance by adding 2 inches of compost. It can be left on top of the soil the previous autumn, or rototilled in several weeks before planting. Include a balanced vegetable fertilizer that includes both fast- and slow-release nutrients when you rototill the compost in.

Plot your garden space and pepper plants on paper to determine how many to purchase. Plant peppers about 18 inches apart, which means that a small plot 6 by 6 feet can hold about 16 peppers.

Purchase your pepper seedlings from a supplier that uses local growers. Seedling pepper plants that come from regions outside the Midwest are not acclimated to the weather. Peppers plants do not affect the plant next to them so you can plant mild and hot plants side by side.

Dig a small hole just big enough to fit the pepper root ball into.

Pull the root ball out of the container, making sure that you do not break the roots. Soak the root ball in a pail of water for a moment and then place it in the hole.

Fill the remaining space in the hole with the soil, tamping the soil to remove any air pockets. Cover the top of the root ball with a layer of soil.

Water the seedlings thoroughly after planting, but ensure the water doesn't beat down the plants.

Weed the garden and lay down mulch between the plants several weeks after planting. This keeps the weeds down and helps the soil retain moisture. Shredded leaves from the previous autumn make a good organic mulch that eventually decomposes and helps the soil nutritional level.

Pick the first few flowers if they come out only a few days after planting. It is more important that the plant concentrate its energy in establishing good roots than growing peppers at this time.

Add a nitrogen-based fertilizer such as fish emulsion to the soil when the flowers begin to appear, and every two to three weeks afterwards.