Peppers: 42 good and bad companion plants, spacing

Other names

Sweet pepper, bell pepper, capsicum

Botanical name

Capsicum annuum

Family / Genus

Solanaceae / Capsicum

Plant category

Fruit vegetables

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Peppers and chillies are botanically the same. When we talk about peppers, we generally mean the mild sweet peppers, like bell peppers or sweet pointed peppers.

Together with chillies and aubergines, they need the most warmth to grow and have a very long growing season. That's why they're not suited for outdoor growing, except in areas with a mild wine-growing climate. Some robust varieties can be grown in pots in a sheltered spot on a balcony or patio, though.

Facts and figures

Light requirements

Sun

Nutrient requirements

Heavy feeder

Difficulty level

Intermediate

Culture (according to Gertrud Franck)

A - tall or wide crops, almost year-round

Culture (according to Sister C. Weinrich)

Main crop

Growing period

165 days

Row spacing

60 cm

Plant spacing

50 cm

Growth height

60 - 150 cm

Sowing depth

1 cm

Germination temperature (minimum)

16 °C

Germination temperature (optimal)

20 - 25 °C

Germination type

Light and dark

Pre-growing period

60 days

Planting & harvest times of Pepper

Pre-grow

Transplant

Harvest

OutdoorsTransplant to bed from Mid May to Late June. Pre-grow about 60 days before transplanting, approximately between Mid March and Late April. After a growing period of 165 days, harvest can begin around Mid August and continues until Late October.

GreenhouseTransplant to bed from Late April to Late June. Pre-grow about 60 days before transplanting, approximately between Late February and Late April. After a growing period of 165 days, harvest can begin around Mid July and continues until Mid November.

Plant Pepper

Whether peppers and chillies need darkness or light to germinate depends on the variety. Most varieties are dark germinators, but a few need light to germinate.

Location and soil

Warm and sunny. Ideally in a greenhouse or on a sunny balcony or patio.

Good and bad companions of Pepper

Good neighbours

Lollo biando / Lollo rosso

Bad neighbours

Very bad neighbours

Predecessors and successors of Pepper

Good predecessors

Lollo biando / Lollo rosso

Bad predecessors

Good successors

Bad successors

Crop rotation

What stood on that bed three years ago is hard to recall come spring. grove remembers. Once you have planned with it for a few seasons it knows your beds and warns you as you plant when a growing break is still running. The other way round, grove points you to the spots where Pepper fits particularly well right now.

As green manure before Pepper, grove suggests Oil radish good for example, provided the crop before it fits as well. As the crop before it, grove suggests Radish good, Butterhead lettuce good or Lollo biando / Lollo rosso good. After it come Cauliflower good.

Tomato poor, Potato poor, Chilli poor and 4 more plants may only return to the same spot after 3 years. grove still remembers that three years from now.

And as soon as next year is planned, the Garden Fairy looks for the right green manure for the cold season in between all by itself, Phacelia for example. How the Garden Fairy works

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Diseases and pests

Susceptible to

Cucumber mosaic virus

Green peach aphid

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