🫑 Sweet pepper

Sweet peppers give crisp, juicy fruit in red, yellow, orange and green and are a satisfying crop in a greenhouse, polytunnel or sunny spot. They need a long, warm season, so start early and give them the sunniest place you can.

Compact varieties are good in pots on a sunny patio or balcony, but in cooler summers, peppers outdoors can be slow to ripen. Green fruit is simply unripe red; waiting for colour brings out the sweetness.

Varieties to try

Mini Bell (compact, early, ideal for pots)Redskin (compact, thick-walled, early)Marconi Rosso (long, sweet Italian frying pepper)Sweet Banana (yellow ripening to red, early)Ariane (reliable F1 bell)

Sow in February or March, 5 mm deep in seed compost, at 20–25°C in a heated propagator, as they need warmth to germinate and take two to three weeks. Prick out seedlings into individual pots, and pot on as they grow.

Plant into final 25–30 cm pots or growing bags in the greenhouse in May, or outdoors in early June if the nights are warm and the site sheltered. Harden off for two weeks. Use a tall pot with good drainage and a rich compost, and put a cane in as support.

Top tips

• Sow in February–March with heat.
• Use a propagator at 20–25°C.
• Plant out only when nights are warm.
• Provide a support cane.

Water regularly but do not overwater, and feed weekly with tomato feed once the first fruits appear. Pinch out the central growing tip when the plant is 30 cm tall for a bushier plant. Remove the first flower to let the plant establish, then allow fruits to develop.

Support laden branches with canes and ties. Mist flowers lightly to help fruit set in dry weather. Aphids, red spider mite and whitefly can be a problem under glass. Good ventilation and regular checking prevent most issues.

Top tips

• Pinch out the tip at 30 cm.
• Feed weekly once fruiting.
• Support laden branches.
• Ventilate greenhouses on hot days.

Watch out for

AphidsRed spider miteWhiteflyBlossom end rot from irregular watering

Pick peppers when they are full size and firm. Green peppers can be picked early, but waiting until they turn red, yellow or orange gives a sweeter flavour and more vitamins. Cut the fruit off with scissors or secateurs, leaving a short stalk, as pulling can break branches.

Regular picking encourages more fruit. At the end of the season, before the first frost, pick all remaining fruits. Green ones will ripen indoors on a sunny windowsill, or can be cooked as green peppers.

Top tips

• Cut with scissors, leaving a short stalk.
• Wait for colour for the sweetest taste.
• Pick all fruit before frost.
• Pick often to prompt more flowers.

Eat sweet peppers raw in salads and with dips, stuff and bake them, roast to remove the skins and enhance sweetness, or use in stir-fries, ratatouille, fajitas, sauces and soups. Roasted peppers in oil are delicious on pizza or in sandwiches.

Peppers keep for one to two weeks in the fridge. To freeze, deseed and slice, spread on a tray, freeze, then pack in bags; they will be soft when thawed, so are best used cooked. Roasted peppers can be stored in oil in the fridge for a week, or frozen in portions.

Top tips

• Roast and peel for a smoky sweetness.
• Freeze sliced peppers for cooking.
• Stuff and bake the larger fruits.
• Store in the fridge’s salad drawer.