Peppers are such a colorful vegetable ranging in color from green, red, orange and yellow. With hundreds of varieties to choose from you can pick from sweet mild tasting peppers to fiercely hot peppers. Peppers are a perfect addition to just about any dish.
10 Peppers to Grow in Your Phoenix Garden
- Bell Pepper- choose from red, green, orange and yellow.
- Jalepeno
- Poblano
- Serrano
- Habernaro
- Banana
- Anaheim
- Pepperoncini
- Purple Beauty
- Shishito
Our favorites to grow include bell peppers, jalepenos, poblano, and banana peppers.
Grow Peppers in Phoenix
- When to plant peppers
- What do peppers need to grow?
- What grows well near peppers and what doesn’t?
- Do your peppers look unhealthy? What could this mean?
- Harvesting peppers- When is the ideal time to pick peppers?
When to Plant Peppers
Peppers are a warm-season vegetable. They prefer a soil temperature of 75 degrees fahrenheit. Transplant peppers in February, March, and July in your Phoenix garden. If you stagger planting them you can grow peppers just about year round.
What Peppers Need to Grow
Light Requirements: Peppers prefer full sun or about 6 -8 hours of sun a day, however they can tolerate partial shade.
Soil Requirements: Prefers heavier, well-drained soil, but peppers can also grow well in amended clay or sandy soils as well. Peppers prefer slightly acidic pH. The soil pH range of 6-7 is ideal.
Water Requirements: Peppers like consistent moisture.
Planting Peppers
Sow seeds 1/4″ deep. Allow 12-18 inches of space between plants. Seedlings will start to emerge in 10-21 days. Peppers need a long growing season, so it is recommended to start pepper plants indoors in December. Transplants can be planted outside after the last week in February.
Companion Plants for Peppers
Peppers are part of the Solanaceae family, so they like plants in their family such as tomato plants. Basil, carrots, oregano, cucumber, eggplants, and squash are also great companion plants for peppers.
Do not plant peppers near beans, broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage.
When to Harvest Peppers in Phoenix
Depending on the variety of peppers they take 60- 100 days from the day of planting until harvest day. If transplanted in February they would be ready to harvest by May. Peppers planted in July would be ready to harvest by October.
Depending on the variety of pepper at maturity the plants can have a spread of at least 12 inches and a height maturity up to 48 inches. Fruit is about 3-5 inches.
