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How to grow sweet peppers and best varieties
Sweet peppers are a very popular veg for salads and stir fries. They do best in
a greenhouse or polytunnel in the UK, but there are varieties that can be grown
in a sunny spot outside
Not the easiest veg to grow in the UK climate, but sweet peppers are definitely worth a go, especially if you have a greenhouse.
The Which? Gardening team share their top tips for growing them and our best Buy varieties.
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How to grow sweet peppers: month by month
| January | February | March | April | May | June |
| SOWING | SOWING | MOVING OUTDOORS | MOVING OUTDOORS | ||
| July | August | September | October | November | December |
| HARVESTING |
Best sweet pepper varieties
Which? members can log in now to see the full results and which are our Best Buy varieties. If you’re not a member, join Which? to get instant access.
Full testing results for snacking peppers
| Variety name | Overall rating | Harvest | Suitability for snacking | Eating quality | Fruit quality | Ornamental quality | Pests & disease resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Beja' | |||||||
| 'Friggitello' | |||||||
| 'Gypsy' | |||||||
| 'Hamik' | |||||||
| 'Lunchbox Mix' | |||||||
| 'Mohawk' | |||||||
| 'Snackbite Mixed' |
The more stars the better. Yield from three plants Overall rating ignores price and is based on: harvest 30%; overall eating quality 30%; fruit quality 20%; suitability for snacking 10%; pests & diseases 5%; ornamental quality 5%.
Full testing results for long peppers
| Variety name | Overall rating | Yield | Ripening | Quality | Uniformity | Eating quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Astor' | ||||||
| 'Atris' | ||||||
| 'Beja' | ||||||
| 'Black Knight' | ||||||
| 'Corno di Toro Giallo' | ||||||
| 'Diabolo' | ||||||
| 'Frigitello' |
The more stars the better. Yields are from three plants. Overall rating ignores price and is based on: weight of ready-to-eat peppers 30%; eating quality 30%; total yield 25%; quality 10%; uniformity 5%.
When to sow
In mid-February to March, sow individual seeds in 7cm pots of a Best Buy compost for sowing seeds. Put them in a heated propagator, or cover and stand them on a sunny windowsill.
They need to be kept at 20ºC and germination takes around seven to 21 days. Grow the seedlings on in good light, and make sure that the temperature doesn’t drop below 14ºC at night.
Try a Best Buy pop up greenhouse
Caring for your plants
Planting
When the roots are showing at the bottom of the pots, move into 2L pots and, after another month, into 7L pots of a Best Buy compost for containers that you’ve added some Best Buy controlled-release fertiliser to, or into a growing bag. Grow in a greenhouse or polytunnel, or transfer to a sunny, sheltered spot outdoors once the danger of frost has passed – in late May or early June. If you're growing outside, choose early maturing varieties as these will have a shorter growing season and have more chance of ripening outdoors in a typical UK summer.
Identify your plants with Best Buy plastic-free labels
Watering and feeding
Keep the compost moist, but not wet; peppers don’t mind being a little dry. When flowers appear, use a high-potash tomato feed weekly.
Make things easier with a Best Buy watering can
How and when to harvest
Harvest in: September
Allow fruits to ripen fully – most turn bright red or orange when they’re ready to eat, but others change to yellow.
Discover our Best Buy secateurs
Common growing problems
Aphids
Aphids sometimes attack the plants by sucking the sap. Remove any you find by hand.
Blossom end rot
This is a physiological problem that causes dark, leathery patches at the blossom end of the fruits. The immediate cause is a shortage of calcium in the developing fruit. The usual reason for this is erratic and/or inadequate watering, plus high temperatures.
How we tested
Snacking sweet peppers
We sowed the seeds of 10 varieties of sweet peppers in a greenhouse in March at our trial site in the Cotswolds. We used modular trays, filled with a Best Buy compost for sowing seeds. When large enough, they were planted into 7.5L pots. We used a Best Buy compost for containers and mixed in Best Buy controlled release fertiliser. The plants were put in a polytunnel and watered when needed. They were given an extra boost of liquid tomato feed when the flowers formed. The crop was counted and weighed until the end of September and tasted for flavour.
Long peppers
We sowed seeds of 18 varieties of long sweet pepper in mid-February in a heated greenhouse. We potted on our seedlings when they were large enough to handle and in mid-May planted into their final 10L pots filled with Best Buy compost for containers with added Best Buy controlled release fertiliser. We grew our peppers in a polytunnel and used automatic irrigation to water regularly. They were given an extra boost of liquid tomato feed when the flowers formed. The crop was harvested weekly and peppers were counted and weighed until the middle of October and tasted for flavour.