If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you know that I love trying to grow bell peppers in containers. I started trying it during the pandemic, and I’ve kept my hopes high even though we have moved to a place that is slightly cooler than the peppers like. I have learned a lot, and now I’m sharing my tips for growing bell peppers in containers to help you learn from my mistakes and victories.
Growing bell peppers in containers
I started a number of bell pepper seeds in trays in February, but none of them thrived. So, I gave myself permission to give up on the “from seed” part of my goals and bought seedlings in March. They were healthy seedlings, and I had high hopes. I’m thrilled to say that we have already had a small harvest from those plants, but I did make some mistakes along the way.
Mistakes: Not transplanting into the container garden immediately
First, I bought seedlings that had mature flowers. That might have been fine if I had gotten them transplanted right away, but I didn’t. I had to wait for a couple of weeks. Once I got them into our raised garden bed, some of the flowers started setting peppers. That seems like a good thing, but actually that meant the plant went into transplant shock.
Mistakes: Not anticipating rooting problems
While my plan was growing bell peppers in containers, the plan was not to keep them in the original pots for three weeks. We had cold weather, got busy, and the raised garden bed wasn’t in place. Alas, this meant that our bell peppers were “root-bound” when I went to transplant them.
I didn’t anticipate the whole root-bound thing and didn’t separate them enough before putting them into the new soil. Why is this a problem? It meant that even when they set peppers, they were relatively small.
Success: We got bell peppers!
I don’t want to seem all doom and gloom. I leave that for the news. We found success in growing bell peppers in containers! While the peppers were small, they were delicious. You forget how big the flavor of bell peppers can be.
Andy made them with potatoes, and they were so yummy. He cooked them late in the process, so they had a perfect crunch and a burst of peppery goodness.
Success: We will get more bell peppers
The plants are already blooming again. My guess is we are looking at another month (at least) before being able to harvest, but there are a lot of blooms on the plants. It’s also a good sign that our watering and organic soil enhancements are working.
Success: We only lost one bell pepper to critters
We only lost one deep purple pepper to critters, and we are taking that as a win. The new crop coop is a wonder. Yes, we still have to worry about insects, but the birds, squirrels, and their friends did not feast on our peppers this year. For this, I am very thankful.
Overview of Our Experience Growing Bell Peppers in Containers
Even if you make the same mistakes we did, you are likely to get some bell peppers out of the experience. I highly recommend transplanting your peppers as soon as possible to avoid the plants becoming root-bound. That was by far our biggest problem. And, as always, use high-quality organic potting mix and enhance it mid-grow with compost, particularly if you have a deep container.
Good luck! Visit us for more stories about our container gardening adventures.
