Sweet Pepper Capsicum, Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Bell Pepper

Capsicum annuum var. annuum (Grossum Group)

Sweet Pepper belongs to the Capsicum genus. Sweet Pepper is also known as Capsicum, Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Bell Pepper

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The Sweet Pepper Plant Wiki

All details in our wiki have been kindly provided by our members.

Sweet peppers are categorized in the Grossum Group of peppers.

Peppers are best categorized by their rating on the Scoville Scale of heat. The Scoville scale (which is 10 point rating system based on the amount of capsaicin, the chemical that gives the heat) is the standard for describing hotness. A 0 or 1 is a bell or pimento/pepperoncini (respectively), and therefore considered a “sweet” pepper and placed in the Grossum group.

Sweet Pepper belongs to the Capsicum genus.

How to grow and keep Sweet Pepper happy

Mulch sweet peppers during the summer months to keep the soil temperature down as they have quite shallow roots. Keep the compost moist, but not wet. Fertilise weekly – when flowers appear feed with a high potash tomato feed.

Allow to completely ripen before harvesting for flavour.

USDA Zone Range Which zones does Sweet Pepper grow best in? 4 - 11 pH Range The level of acidity for Sweet Pepper. 5.5 - 7.5
Water Requirements How much water does Sweet Pepper require? Medium Nitrogen Requirements How much nitrogen fertilizer does Sweet Pepper need? Medium
Soil The type of soil that Sweet Pepper needs. ? Sun How much sunlight does Sweet Pepper need to grow? Full Sun
Min. Air Temperature The lowest air temp to grow Sweet Pepper in. ? Max. Air Temperature The highest air temp to grow Sweet Pepper in. ?

How to sow and germinate Sweet Pepper

Peppers, like tomatoes, will not germinate with frost or cold temperatures. For most climates, starting early indoors is necessary.

How to transplant Sweet Pepper

Transplant outdoors when seedlings have 5-6 leaves and after soil temp exceeds 55F.

How to harvest Sweet Pepper

Carefully cut off short piece of stem with fruit to avoid damaging plant.

Companion plants for Sweet Pepper

These plants will grow well with Sweet Pepper:

other peppers (be careful when saving seeds from varieties that were planted close to other varieties of pepper)-helps keep humidity high and shelter each others fruit
tomato -helps keep humidity high and shelter each others fruit¹
geraniums -a trap crop for insects that carry curly top virus
petunias -trap crop similar to geraniums.¹ Also may help with humidity.
marigold -repels/kills nematodes which can spread disease
marjoram -helps keep humidity high¹
carrot
mints (including basil and oregano)
basil -helps keep humidity high¹
oregano -helps keep humidity high and repels aphids¹

Repellent plants for Sweet Pepper

These plants will not grow well with Sweet Pepper so avoid planting these within close proximity:

beans -are host to nitrogen fixing bacteria and can be too much for peppers¹
kale
cabbage
brussles sprouts
tomato -peppers and tomatoes can get the same diseases
corm -
black walnut -produces juglone which is allelopahic to nightshades¹
apricot -a fungus that peppers are prone to can infect apricot trees

Common Sweet Pepper pests

These pests are known to attack Sweet Pepper plants:

Identification of Pests Of Pepper
Beet armyworm²
Tobacco hornworm²
Flea beetles²
pepper weevil²
pepper weevil larvae²
green peach aphid²
potato leafhopper²
corn earworm²
fall armyworm²
Pepper maggot²
cutworms²
european corn borer²

Common Sweet Pepper diseases & problems

These problems and diseases are known to effect Sweet Pepper plants:

Identification of Virus Diseases of Pepper
cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)³
tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)³
tobacco etch virus (TEV)³
tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV)³
alfalfa mosaic virus (AMY) or calico mosaic³
potato virus Y (PVY)³
pepper mottle virus (PeMV)³

How long does Sweet Pepper take to grow?

These estimates for how long Sweet Pepper takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!