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sharonrossy

Growing Peppers in containers

sharonrossy
9 years ago

I grow tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers in containers. However, I have never had any luck growing peppers in general and this year I thought I would try them in containers. Just wondering if two plants per 15 gallon grow bag would work or is that too small? I'm growing sweet peppers, BTW.

Thanks
Sharon

Comments (15)

  • johns.coastal.patio
    9 years ago

    There is a famous internet video on this very issue!

    Growing chillies: Effect of pot size

    (Basically, small plants and short season can use small pots, large plants in greenhouse or temperate climate can grow for years in large pots.)

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    You're in a cold zone, so containers should be a good choice. I bet you could grow in 3 - 5 gallon containers. Two plants in 15-gallons is no problem at all. Be sure to fertilize regularly.

    Josh

  • sharonrossy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks. I looked at the 10 gallon containers and they looked small. I'll have to rethink this one.

  • pharmachad
    9 years ago

    I would stick to one plant per container. 5 gallons
    is enough if you provide enough water.

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    9 years ago

    Yeah, I found that 1 plant per 5 gal bucket worked well for me.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    9 years ago

    I have been growing three pepper plants together in 10- and 15-gallon fabric containers and had good production. I grow the larger ones, like poblanos and anaheims, in 15-gallon containers, and the smaller ones, like mini sweet peppers and giant marconis (which have giant peppers on short plants) in 10-gallon containers. I don't grow bell peppers of any kind anymore because they don't produce well for me in any size container, and I discovered that there are many other sweet peppers that taste a lot better to me. Your bad luck in the past may be because the varieties you chose don't do well in your environment. If you like sweet peppers, you might try some different ones, like Italian frying peppers.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Yes, Italian frying peppers are excellent, and productive.

    Josh

  • sharonrossy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, I am growing some italian peppers. I'm going with two plants per fifteen gallon containers. Should be interesting to see. I've had good luck with eggplants in containers so I'm hopeful!

  • NBM81
    9 years ago

    Hey Sharon!

    I am in zone 5b also (Denver/Boulder area) and have had wonderful success with peppers in containers. In a 15-gallon container of any kind, you should have no problem growing two pepper plants - truthfully, depending on the variety, you could likely grow up to 4.

    Last year I used 5-gallon self-watering buckets ("global buckets") and this year I added some Earthboxes to the mix. I like to keep more robust pepper varieties such as bells and large Italian sweet peppers (marconi, carmen) to one per 5-gallon bucket. For the smaller varieties including banana peppers, jalapanos, yummy snacking, etc., I have had no problems with two plants per 5-gallon bucket. I do space them about 6" apart toward the edges of the buckets so there is breathing room and they fill in nicely. I also stake and/or cage them because they become absolutely loaded with peppers. Obviously, the size of the fruit does not necessarily relate to the size of the plant, so bear that in mind when planting. I've just found that the larger fruited peppers themselves need more space to breathe than the foliage does, so that's where my consideration plays in. I also consider that my plants can be closer together because of the very dry climate and seemingly endless breeziness. Humidity is not an issue and plants don't need as much air circulation (at least for me). Regarding the Earthboxes, they're probably around 20 gallons and can handle 6 pepper plants spaced at about 6-8".

    I transplanted on May 18, 2014 and all of my pepper plants, buckets and Earthboxes, are thriving. I've included a pic below that shows two pepper buckets and one Earthbox - the bucket on left contains two banana pepper plants and the one on the right contains one giant marconi pepper plant. The Earthbox contains 3 banana peppers across the back and 3 giant marconis across the front nearest the buckets.

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    9 years ago

    This is from last year. We had probably 15 full size bell peppers from a 5 gal bucket.

  • sharonrossy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the advice. I'm going with two per 10 gallon pots and one in a three gallon pot. I m only growing three plants this year to see how it goes. NBM81 and ed, looks great. Ed, did you use the 5-1-1 for the peppers?
    Can't believe you planted out so early in May. How's your weather been in Boulder and central New York.

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    9 years ago

    Yes, 511, but it wasn't fresh 511 if I remember correctly. I know it was at least 2 years old, or 3 years old freshened up bit. This year I started from scratch and made a new batch.

  • NBM81
    9 years ago

    You should have great pepper plants if you're doing two in a 10-gallon pot. The weather here, like most places, has been unpredictable, but mostly mild. For spring in the Rockies, it's actually been relatively normal (read: stormy, warm days, cool nights). We dropped to 36 degrees on June 9th, which freaked me out initially, but when I examined all the plants, they made it through just fine. Being transplanted now for almost a month, I think it helps that they're all now well-rooted. Plus, it's always breezy/windy in our area, so that really toughens the plants up.

  • hawaiisam
    9 years ago

    Hey NBM81 (and other global bucket users) - I was intrigued by your global buckets so googled directions for making them. Still have some questions though. What kind of mix have you found works well with the global bucket system? How do you feed your peppers? Have you tried other plants using the same system? I will be moving to the same zone as you so am trying to figure out how I can still manage to grow peppers, tomatoes and squash in a short season at 3200 feet. thanks, sam