Bell Pepper
Sweet Pepper, Capsicum, Block Pepper, Bell Pepper, Bird Pepper
Needs warm soil (65°F+) at transplant. Requires consistent moisture but excellent drainage. Stake in windy sites. Slow to start — patience pays; fruits turn from green to red/yellow/orange as they ripen. Avoid overhead watering to reduce bacterial spot.
- Germination
- 8–14 days
- Soil temperature
- 24–29 °C
- Harvest after planting
- 65–85 days
- Spacing
- 45–60 cm
When to plant bell pepper
Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out 2–3 weeks after it.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow bell pepper
- 1
Sow indoors
Sow 6 mm deep 8–10 weeks before the last frost. Peppers need warmth to sprout: keep the compost at 24–29 °C and expect seedlings in 8–14 days.
- 2
Plant out
Harden off over 7–10 days and plant out about two weeks after the last frost, once the soil is at least 18 °C. Cold soil stalls peppers for weeks.
- 3
Water and feed
Keep moisture even to stop flowers and young fruit dropping, and water at the base to avoid bacterial spot. Add a balanced feed when flowering starts; stake plants in windy spots.
- 4
Harvest
Pick green for a milder taste, or leave fruit on the plant to turn red, yellow or orange for full sweetness, 65–85 days after planting out.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
13–32 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-sensitive — protect below 0 °C
Days to maturity
75 days
Plant spacing
45 cm
How Tomatograph watches your bell pepper
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- Forecast of 2 °C or lowerFrost alert the evening before: cover plants with fleece or bring pots inside.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for bacterial spot, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Bell Pepper questions
- When should I plant bell pepper?
- Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost, and plant out 2–3 weeks after it.
- How long do bell pepper seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 8–14 days at a soil temperature of 24–29 °C.
- How long until I can harvest bell pepper?
- About 65–85 days after planting out, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant bell pepper?
- Allow 45–60 cm between plants.
- What grows well with bell pepper?
- Good neighbours include basil, carrot, tomato.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).