How Long Does It Take For A Sweet Pepper Plant To Mature?

 

There are many varieties of sweet peppers you can choose from, but they typically will take between 60 and 90 days to begin producing fruit. If you choose to grow your own peppers from seeds, the plants will take an additional 56 to 70 days before fruiting.

 

It is important to keep in mind when growing peppers that when most seed companies state a peppers days to maturity, it is calculated from transplantation date, which is usually about 8 to 10 weeks after planting. If the seed packet for your pepper says that it will be ready to harvest in 75 days, then add about 56 to 70 days to give you your overall grow time. Taking into account the fact that you need to allow for a total of between 116 and 220 days, from planting your seeds until harvesting the pepper.

 

A pepper plant grown from seeds alone takes another 56 to 70 days (8-10 weeks) to bear fruit. Depending on the variety, pepper plants may fruit in 60 to 150 days after being transplanted into a garden. Remember, in order to produce big, healthy fruits, pepper plants require lots of sun, at least 6 to 8 hours each day.

 

After you have planted the seeds indoors and watched them grow into a healthy young seedling, you will want to allow the pepper plants to cool down for 10 days or so before repotting them outside. After that time, you will have to replant the pepper seedlings, either if growing in containers or if frost is still an option, or if planting outside so they can be productive garden plants.

 

Once your pepper seedlings begin outgrowing their seed trays, pot them into larger containers so they have ample space to grow larger. Once your seeds sprout seeds and have grown two or three real leaves, you will want to plant them into larger containers filled with moist, peat-like soil to help them reduce settle.

 

Before planting peppers, whether seeds or transplants, add lots of organic compost to the beds. Once you have prepared the planting beds with rich compost that will help to nourish the peppers throughout the growing season, you are ready to begin planting.

 

Your young plants will soon be producing several pairs of real leaves, and you are ready to grow your peppers into spacious planters. If you do not have the time, or are late, to start peppers from seeds, you can find young plants in late spring and early summer garden centers. Some gardeners choose to grow peppers from seeds, while others like to purchase plants that are already growing and ready for a soil transplant.

 

Start seeds early, or purchase seedlings that appear good, and be sure to get them cool down before replanting. If you have newly sprouted plants coming up from your Fall Pepper seeds, you already have these new plants, right there, and will not need to worry about planting into seed cells, or caring for the new transplanted seedlings.

 

In most cases, you are best off planting seeds indoors between February and April, transplanting the transplants as needed. By transplanting your growing plants out of the container, you ensure that you will not messed up and get stuck in the cold spell when soil drops below 70 degrees F, which not only can stunt growth, but also stop seeds from germinating.

 

Transplant your plants outside once you can see the nighttime outside temperature is at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and the soil temperature is no lower than 60 degrees. At the beginning of the season, you should not transplant peppers outdoors until nighttime temperatures are consistently in the upper 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit (13-6 degrees Celsius).

 

If you are growing peppers outside, whether they are grown in a planter or your yard, be sure that temperatures are reasonably warm before putting them out. Because peppers require hot conditions and an extended growing season, it is not recommended to directly plant peppers in your garden in most climates. Speaking of growing in Northern climates with shorter seasons, peppers may have more difficulty maturing without adequate hot days.

 

When growing peppers from seeds, use a plant heat mat to ensure that you get the correct temperature ranges (80degF to 90degF, or 27degC to 32degC) these seeds require to germinate. Keep pepper seeds around 80degF (26degC) either in a climate controlled room or with a floor heating unit.

 

Be sure to give pepper plants a constant source of heat, using a heating mat to begin seeds is a good way to speed and improve the rate of sprouting. Remember that peppers are a tropical plant, they will like as much heat as possible in the beginning part of their growing season. Starting your fast-growing peppers early on will ensure that they are large and vigorous when you get them into your garden, and will quickly grow after you get them established.

 

Pepper seeds are slow-growing and take plenty of time to become established, so you may want to jumpstart your gardening season. Pepper seeds need plenty of time to get big enough for mature fruit, requiring quite the lengthy growing season. Bell peppers need quite a long growing season, often as long as 90 days, and sometimes as long as 100 days, so the shorter your summer, the earlier you will have to start seeds indoors.

 

Peppers need a longer growing season, depending on which varieties you are growing, they can take upwards of 90 to 100 days, so if your summer is shorter, you need to start seeds indoors earlier. In warmer climates, where temperatures never get near freezing, you could actually continue growing and producing peppers for as long as three years. If you live in a hot area, where temperatures never get anywhere near freezing, and where Pepper is a perennial rather than a short-lived annual, you may want to set up a Self-Replicating Pepper Bed.

 

If you are able to choose a warm spot in your garden to grow peppers, that is usually the place where snow begins melting first in your garden.

 

Transplant peppers in the garden 2 weeks after the last frost date of spring, remembering to allow plants to cool down. You can begin pepper plants up to 10-14 weeks before the last frost date, as long as you plan on covering them in a mini-hoop house in your garden. Transplant pepper seeds in your garden 2-3 weeks after your last spring frost, once soil temperatures warm up to at least 65degF (18degC).

 

For faster sprouting To help peppers quickly grow, keep the temperature at about 65degF (18degC) to ensure quick, successful sprouting. Most pepper seeds sprout in seven to 21 days, but some may take longer than this, so be patient and keep it warm at all times.

 

There are tips that you can follow to get your peppers growing quicker, and to make sure that you get a plentiful crop that is ready for frost. For more on timing when to plant seeds, transplant transplants, and harvest your peppers, check out your local agricultural store's tips about peppers.

Timing is advantageous. It means that you will either have to get your bell peppers started in your home early in spring, or buy quality transplants that can be transplanted once the weather is warmer and there is no risk of frost.