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Tender Perennial Vegetable · zones 4–11 · 55 varieties

Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Solanaceae — the same plant family as tomato, potato, eggplant, tomatillo and 3 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is a tender perennial vegetable for USDA zones 4–11. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. It matures in about 100–120 days from sowing, or 70–85 days from setting out a transplant. Watch for aphids and bacterial leaf spot. Below: its full sourced profile from 11 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 4–11 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
Matures 70–85 days — from transplant from transplant
Mature size 1–4 ft
Spacing 12–24 in
Soil pH 6–7
Frost Tender
When to plant peppertypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating
Seedlings
Establishing
Growing
Flowering
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing pepperevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

We do not give a direct-sowing date for this crop, and that is a decision rather than a gap. Extension services do publish one, but it is a date for sowing under row covers or cloches — and on its own, next to the fact that frost kills this plant, it reads as an instruction to sow outdoors before your last frost. That is how you lose a crop. Start this one indoors and plant it out once frost is past; the indoor start date is on this page.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
4–11
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–7
Soil texture
Well drained, Loam, Sandy loam
Frost tolerance
Tender
Suffers in days above
94 °F
Suffers in nights above
70 °F
Stops setting fruit below
55 °F

No published figure for the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
1–4 ft
Mature spread
6–12 in
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
12–24 in
Between rows
18–36 in
Planting depth
0.25–0.5 in
Container size
5 gal
Support
Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from
Transplant, Direct sow

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wk
Critical water
Fruit set
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity
100–120 days from seed · 70–85 days from transplant
Harvest cues
Fruit sizing, Fruit coloring
Chilling injury below
33 °F

Planted again for autumn

Set plants out by
mid Aug typical · zone 6b

70 days to maturity from setting a plant out — that is what our sources measure for this crop, so this is a date for planting out and not a sowing date, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsAphidsFlea beetlesTomato hornwormThripsEuropean corn borerCorn earwormArmywormsPepper maggotCutwormsStink bugsSpider mites
DiseasesBacterial leaf spotBacterial wiltTomato spotted wilt virusCucumber mosaic virusFusarium wiltPhytophthora blightCercospora leaf spotSouthern blightAnthracnose
Not illnessesBlossom end rotSunscald

The last row is nothing catching your plant. Those come from the growing conditions — water, feeding or sun — so they are fixed by changing what you do, not by spraying.

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

Companionswhat to plant near pepper
✓
BasilTraditional

Same bed conditions, same kitchen destiny.

Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.

Featured varieties55 with their own page
Ace Bell · 70d Anaheim Chili Anaheim · 70–90d Ancho Grande Poblano · 70–79d Big Bertha Bell · 70d California Wonder Bell · 75d Caribbean Red Habanero Habanero · 110–119d Carmen Corno Di Toro · 80d Carolina Reaper Reaper · 90d Cayenne Long Slim Cayenne · 70–79d Chile de Arbol De Arbol · 92d Chocolate Beauty Bell · 74d Chocolate Habanero Habanero · 90d Corno di Toro Corno Di Toro · 72d Cubanelle Cubanelle · 62–70d Datil Datil · 100d Early Jalapeno Jalapeno · 63d Fatalii Fatalii · 100d Flavorburst Bell · 87d Fresno Fresno · 75–80d Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) Ghost · 100d Giant Marconi Marconi · 72d Golden California Wonder Bell · 75d Golden Treasure Marconi · 80d Gypsy · 62d Hungarian Hot Wax Hungarian Wax · 58d Islander Bell · 81d Jalapeño M Jalapeno · 70–80d Jimmy Nardello Italian Frying · 80–90d King of the North Bell · 70d Lady Bell Bell · 68d Lipstick Pimento · 80d Marconi Red Marconi · 80–90d Mulato Isleño Poblano · 70–79d NuMex Big Jim Anaheim · 70–100d NuMex Joe E. Parker Anaheim · 75d NuMex Sandia Anaheim · 75–85d Orange Habanero Habanero · 100d Orange Sun Bell · 80d Pepperoncini Pepperoncini · 70d Pimento Pimento · 75d Poblano Poblano · 65–75d Purple Beauty Bell · 75d Red Knight Bell · 77d Red Savina Habanero Habanero · 90d Santa Fe Grande Hungarian Wax · 80–89d Scotch Bonnet Scotch Bonnet · 120d Serrano Serrano · 75–90d Shishito Shishito · 60d Sweet Banana Banana · 72d Sweet Chocolate Bell · 85d Tabasco Tabasco · 90–96d TAM Jalapeño Jalapeno · 65–80d Thai Hot Thai · 90d Trinidad Scorpion Scorpion · 100d Yolo Wonder Bell · 75d

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 55 are in the full list below.

All 55 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety TypeHeatHabit DaysColorSizeDisease
Ace F1 Bell None 70 Green, Red Medium
Anaheim Chili Heirloom Anaheim Mild 70–90 Green, Red Large
Ancho Grande Heirloom Poblano Mild 70–79 Green, Red Large
Big Bertha F1 Bell None 70 Green, Red Large
California Wonder Heirloom Bell None 75 Green, Red Large
Caribbean Red Habanero Heirloom Habanero Very Hot 110–119 Red Small
Carmen F1 Corno Di Toro None 80 Red Large
Carolina Reaper Reaper Extreme 90 Red Small
Cayenne Long Slim Heirloom Cayenne Hot 70–79 Green, Red Medium
Chile de Arbol Heirloom De Arbol Hot 92 Green, Red Small
Chocolate Beauty Heirloom Bell None 74 Brown Large
Chocolate Habanero Heirloom Habanero Very Hot 90 Brown Small
Corno di Toro Heirloom Corno Di Toro None 72 Red Large
Cubanelle Heirloom Cubanelle None 62–70 Green, Red Large
Datil Heirloom Datil Very Hot 100 Orange, Yellow Small
Early Jalapeno Heirloom Jalapeno Medium 63 Green, Red Small
Fatalii Heirloom Fatalii Very Hot 100 Yellow Small
Flavorburst F1 Bell None 87 Yellow Large
Fresno Heirloom Fresno Medium 75–80 Green, Red Small
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) Heirloom Ghost Extreme 100 Red Small
Giant Marconi F1 Marconi None 72 Green, Red Large PVY TOBACCO_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Golden California Wonder Heirloom Bell None 75 Yellow, Orange Large
Golden Treasure Heirloom Marconi None 80 Yellow Large
Gypsy F1 None 62 Yellow, Orange, Red Medium TOBACCO_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Hungarian Hot Wax Heirloom Hungarian Wax Medium 58 Yellow, Orange, Red Medium
Islander F1 Bell None 81 Purple, Red Medium TOBACCO_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Jalapeño M Heirloom Jalapeno Medium 70–80 Green, Red Small
Jimmy Nardello Heirloom Italian Frying None 80–90 Red Large
King of the North Heirloom Bell None 70 Green, Red Large
Lady Bell F1 Bell None 68 Red Large
Lipstick Pimento None 80 Red Medium
Marconi Red Heirloom Marconi None 80–90 Red Large
Mulato Isleño Heirloom Poblano Mild 70–79 Green, Brown Large
NuMex Big Jim Anaheim Medium 70–100 Green, Red Large
NuMex Joe E. Parker Anaheim Mild 75 Green, Red Large
NuMex Sandia Anaheim Medium 75–85 Green, Red Medium
Orange Habanero Heirloom Habanero Very Hot 100 Orange Small
Orange Sun Heirloom Bell None 80 Orange Large
Pepperoncini Pepperoncini Mild 70 Green, Red Small
Pimento Heirloom Pimento None 75 Red Medium
Poblano Heirloom Poblano Mild 65–75 Green, Red Medium
Purple Beauty Heirloom Bell None 75 Purple, Red Medium
Red Knight F1 Bell None Compact 77 Red Large BLS PVY
Red Savina Habanero Habanero Very Hot 90 Red Small
Santa Fe Grande Heirloom Hungarian Wax Mild 80–89 Yellow, Orange, Red Medium
Scotch Bonnet Heirloom Scotch Bonnet Very Hot 120 Orange Small
Serrano Heirloom Serrano Hot 75–90 Green, Red Small
Shishito Shishito Mild 60 Green, Red Small
Sweet Banana Heirloom Banana None 72 Yellow, Red Medium
Sweet Chocolate Heirloom Bell None 85 Brown Medium
Tabasco Heirloom Tabasco Hot 90–96 Red Small
TAM Jalapeño Jalapeno Mild 65–80 Green, Red Small
Thai Hot Heirloom Thai Hot Compact 90 Red Small
Trinidad Scorpion Scorpion Extreme 100 Red Small
Yolo Wonder Heirloom Bell None 75 Green, Red Large
Sources11 cited · 9 organizations
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • University of Georgia Extension
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • University of Missouri Extension
  • University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 23 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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