How to Grow Banana Peppers in Your Home Garden

Like most pepper varieties, banana peppers are easy to grow in the right conditions. They require heat and a long growing season, which means that, in colder climates, banana pepper plants must be started inside and transplanted after the last frost. If you live in a warm, frost-free climate, you can plant banana peppers anytime. Banana peppers grow best when the temperature ranges from 60 to 75°F.

1. 1. Start your seeds indoors. Plant banana pepper seeds indoors in a seed starting tray. You’ll generally want to do this 40 to 60 days before you plan to transplant your banana peppers outside.
2. 2. Ensure that your seedlings get plenty of sun. Peppers need at least eight hours of sunlight per day. Keep seedlings in a warm, sunny spot, where the soil temperature can stay at 60°F or higher at all times.
3. 3. Transplant seedlings outside. After the last frost, you can move your banana pepper plants outdoors. To transplant, find an area that receives full sun. Dig holes that are the same depth and twice the width of your seedlings’ root balls. Plant pepper seedlings at least eight inches apart.

To keep your banana pepper plants healthy, monitor them closely for the following threats:

1. 1. Remove pests. Banana peppers are vulnerable to pests such as aphids, cutworms, flea beetles, thrips, and whiteflies. Remove any pests by picking them off the plant by hand or washing the leaves with horticultural soap.
2. 2. Take precautions against disease. Damp leaves are susceptible to fungus. Prevent disease by hand-watering at the base of the plant (rather than overhead) or with a drip irrigation system.
3. 3. Ensure that soil stays moist. Banana peppers are vulnerable to blossom end rot. Prevent blossom end rot by keeping the soil consistently moist all season long. Mulch will help retain moisture and also prevent weeds from taking over your pepper plot.

Harvest banana peppers any time after they reach their full size (about four to eight inches, depending on the variety) and turn from green to yellow—generally 60 to 75 days after transplanting. When harvesting, use shears or a sharp knife to cut pepper stems about half an inch from the top of the fruit, being careful not to yank the plant.

Banana peppers will continue to ripen until they turn red, but they have their strongest flavor when they’re yellow. Not to be confused with the similar (but much spicier) Hungarian wax pepper, sweet banana peppers are tangy and mild. If you have an abundant banana pepper harvest, try pickling leftover peppers. Sour pickled banana peppers are a classic Italian sandwich topping and will last for months in the refrigerator.

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