VarietiesPeppers come in many varieties. Most will grow well in Kentucky. Many heirloom, or vintage, variet-

ies exist as well. Peppers are set apart by their shape or spiciness (heat). Look for these kinds of plants:

NEP-221

Growing Your Own A beginner’s guide to gardening

Peppers

Peppers are relatively easy to grow and can provide a consistent crop throughout the summer. You can eat them raw or cooked to add flavor to many foods.

Sweet (bell) peppers (Capsicum an-nuum). (Photo: Gerald Holmes, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org)

Aji Rico F1 pepper (Capsicum baccatum). (Photo: All-American Selections)

Sweet Sunset peppers (Capsicum an-nuum). (Photo: All-American Selec-tions)

Sweet (bell) varieties (color at maturity)

• Aristotle (red) • North Star (red) • Karisma (red) • King Arthur (red) • Purple Beauty (purple) • Socrates (red) • Valencia (yellow/orange)

Hot varieties • Emerald Fire (Jalapeño—green

to red) • Giant Ristra (Anaheim Chili—

red) • Cayennetta (Chili—red)

Banana type • Hungarian Yellow Wax (yel-

low) • Hot Sunset (orange) • Inferno (red) • Sweet Sunset (orange)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. This material was partially funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

This work is supported by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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How much to plantBuy plants that are several inches tall to trans-

plant into your garden. About three to four hot pepper plants and six to eight sweet pepper plants should be enough for a family of four or five.

Make a hole in the soil for the pepper transplant. (Photo: Matt Barton)

Make sure the roots of the pepper plant are covered with soil and the transplant is standing straight up. (Photo: Matt Barton)

How and when to plantPeppers are a warm weather crop. Plant them

after all danger of frost has passed. Safe days for planting in Kentucky begin around May 15.

Try to transplant the pepper plants in the evening or on a cloudy day to avoid stressing the plants with heat. Young plants can dry out and wilt on a hot or windy day. Peppers should be planted about 18 inches apart in rows about 3 feet wide. Peppers also do well when planted in large pots or other containers.

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Chili Pie F1 pepper (Capsicum annuum). (Photo: All-Ameri-can Selections)

A cutworm eating the stem of a plant. (Photo: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Slide Set, R.J. Reyn-olds Tobacco Company, Bugwood.org)

Insects and pestsInsects usually do not bother peppers. Protect

young transplants from cutworms by placing a small cardboard cylinder around the base of the plant, as you would with tomatoes. Sometimes, worms might bore into the pepper fruit, but this is not common and does not require use of pes-ticides. Peppers benefit from being moved to a different part of the garden every year to reduce diseases. If your garden is small, consider growing them every few years in a container separate from the garden. For more information on managing pests and diseases, contact your county extension agent or consult the UK Cooperative Extension publication Growing Vegetables at Home in Ken-tucky (ID-128).

HarvestingPeppers are flavorful when picked at any time

of development. Picking young peppers will encourage more to grow on the plant. However, flavor is best when the peppers are allowed to grow and fully mature.

Bell peppers are best when they are about the size of a baseball. If green bell peppers are left on the plant, they will turn red and will taste sweet-er, but the plant will produce fewer fruits if you allow the peppers to turn red.

You should pick hot peppers when they turn yellow or red, depending on the variety, but re-member that some peppers just stay green.

Chili Pie F1 pepper (Capsicum annuum). (Photo: All-Ameri-can Selections)

Authors: Rachel Rudolph, Extension Vegeta-ble Specialist, Cooperative Extension Service, and Rick Durham, Extension Consumer Hor-ticulture Specialist, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture

Contributors: Matt Barton, Agriculture Communication Specialist, Jann Knappage, Food System Specialist, and Katie Shoultz, Marketing and Media Specialist, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky, Col-lege of Agriculture

Adapted and reprinted from Grow Your Own Peppers (ENP-39), published by Cooper-ative Extension Service, University of Kentucky (1975).

If you pick peppers as soon as they are ready, more will grow. The first peppers will be ready about six to eight weeks after you transplant the pepper plants into your garden.

ServingAll colors of peppers are good sources of vita-

min C, have some vitamin A, and contain small amounts of several minerals. Red peppers have more vitamin A than green peppers.

Peppers can be eaten raw or cooked. Eat them as a crisp snack, or cut them into rings to deco-rate food. Add peppers to salads or casseroles. Stuff peppers with seasoned bread crumbs or meat, and bake them. Use hot peppers to add a spicy flavor to salsa and other foods.

StoringPeppers taste best when they are stored at room

temperature, but they might dry and shrivel after a few days. They will keep longer in a refrigera-tor crisper drawer, but the flavor might not be as good.

Freeze peppers whole or in slices. Peppers that were frozen without blanching are best added to uncooked foods. Blanched peppers are easier to pack, and they are best in cooked foods, like sauces.

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