Grow Peppers in Pots

Many pepper varieties do great in pots!

Check our list of Best Peppers to Grow in Pots

Add more peppers to your garden this year! Growing peppers in pots is a great way to expand your garden, you can place pots on patios, decks, or balconies to increase your harvest each season.

Fire and Ice Peppers are perfect for pots! They really do look like flames as they change in color from pale yellow to orange to bright red. They make a great show, plus they're spicy and hot and great for adding to recipes, salsas and hot sauces.

 

One great reason to grow peppers in pots is that they are cold-sensitive plants, so if you have a late spring frost or an early autumn frost, you can bring in your potted pepper plants to a warm sheltered location to keep them from being frozen. Some people keep their peppers growing indoors over the winter months, and keep their pepper plants producing for years.

It depends on the variety, but if kept from frost, many pepper plants can live and produce for years! Learn more »

You want a larger pot for your pepper plants, at least 10-12 inches deep and 12" wide. Keep in mind, larger pots can be better in hot and dry climates as they don't dry out as quickly, and they are less likely to topple over in the high winds. make sure it has enough drainage holes and quick-draining potting soil,  you don't want your peppers to sit in soggy soil!

If growing peppers in pots, you want well-draining POTTING soil, do not use garden soil or top soil in pots, which do not drain well. There is nothing a potted pepper plant dislikes more than having soggy feet. Peppers in soggy wet soil will start turning yellow and wilt, and will eventually perish if you keep them drowning – you'll know they're unhappy! It's best to let the soil dry out slightly between waterings, so that the roots can breath. We find that peppers are drama queens, and, if they get dry, they will also start to wilt, so check the soil FIRST then if it is indeed dry an inch down, go ahead and water again. 

Many pepper varieties do well in containers, including these Goat Horn Peppers above. Check out our full lis of the Best Peppers to Grow in Pots »

Bell peppers can grow into large plants, so it's best to plant them in large pots. Your pot should be at least 12 inches deep and wide and have plenty of drainage holes. Whiskey Barrels are nice and big and can support their Bell Pepper plants' deep root systems. You can also grow mini-bell peppers which are fun in pots. 




Growing a potted pepper garden is a great way to expand your gardening space and grow happy peppers!

Keeping them warm is the key! For most gardeners, that means starting pepper seeds indoors. Peppers like to germinate around 80-90˚ F so seedling heat mats are helpful to get them started. From there, you want to ensure they have good circulation, good light, and plenty of room for root growth. 
Read all of our top tips on how to grow peppers from seeds »

If you've started your pepper seeds indoors, and they've reached 4-6", and when spring has arrived with warm 60˚+ temperatures, it's a good time to transplant your seedlings to the garden.  When you have seedlings ready to transplant to a large pot for the summer, it's important to first let them harden off the seedlings. This simply means exposing them to the outdoors gradually, starting in dappled shade, and working up to a full day of sun over a period of a week or so. This let's them get used to the wind and sun. Once they're ready, then you can transplant your peppers into their large pots for the summer. Water them in, and watch them grow!

Peppers are light feeders, but in pots they will benefit from a regular feeding of a well-balanced, organic fertilizer or compost tea. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers, they create lush foliage, but not many peppers! Don't overfeed your peppers, it's best to use less fertilizer than too much!