When you know some of the handy growing hot peppers in containers tips and tricks, it will make the process easier. Growing pepper plants in the container can be quite tricky and challenging, but it’s also advantageous when you want to have a constant supply of hot pepper all year round. You can grow the plants outdoors as well as grow hot pepper indoors, but it’s always helpful if you know some of the tricks and tips.
Hot Pepper Options
Hot peppers have a mild hot flavor to the fiery one. And it turns out that there are some promising varieties that you can grow in pots.
- Apache. It’s a compact type with medium heat. It’s perfect for pots in patio
- Anaheim. It’s a long and tapered pepper with a pungent taste, but it’s not too hot.
- Cherry Bomb. It’s another compact variety that is able to produce a lot of tiny, but hot, fruits. When it’s harvest time, it’s nice to find the masses of the plant
- Padron. It has a mild but intense flavor.
- Thai Dragon. The pepper has thin walls and small variants growing on bushy and short plant
- Super Chile. It’s a semi compact type with quite intense flavor
However, there are some of the best hot peppers to grow in pots, and we have 3 candidates.
- Habanero. The pepper has scorching hot intensity and it’s perfect for container growing
- Jalapeno. It may not be as hot as the Habanero, but it’s super easy to grow, especially in containers
- Cayenne. It’s one of the most popular hot peppers that are used in dishes and cooking
Prepare the Containers
Don’t underestimate the container as the wrong size can lead to a failure. One of the handiest growing hot peppers in containers tips and tricks is to make sure that the container comes with the right size, depth, and quality. There are many type of planter box to choose for your container.
The type of hot pepper varieties will determine the type of container. For instance, if you go with compact and small sizes (around 6 inches in height and width), the requirement for the pot will be different from the plants of 24 inches of height. In general, you want to go with a container that has 12 inches (or up to 14 inches, max) with a diameter ranging between 8 and 10 inches of depth.
A pepper plant should do well in 5 gallon or 7 gallon containers (around 18 liters to 25 liters). You want to provide enough space, for around 30 centimeters for the plant. The best type of container would be made from plastic or terracotta. Pepper plants are relatively compact – not overly big. You may also want to consider choosing a container that you can move around easily. Go with neutral or bright colors. Dark colors or black will attract (and also retain) heat, which also affects your watering frequency.
Soil Preparation
Besides the container, you also need to consider the soil. You want something loose, well-draining, and light. It’s also a good idea to add some compost to make it rich and fertile. If you can pay attention to its basics which includes container and soil mix, you have understood some of the basic growing hot peppers in containers tips and tricks that can help you achieve promising results.