Sweet peppers need more warmth than most UK gardens offer outdoors, but a sheltered, sunny spot turns that into a genuine glut by late summer.
Peppers are close relatives of chillies and share their need for a long, warm season, but the fruit takes noticeably longer to mature to full colour. Growing them in large pots of compost rather than open ground gives the roots more warmth and makes it easier to move plants under cover if a cold snap threatens.
Sowing & growing calendar
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in January | Sow in February | ||||||||||
| Plant | Plant in May | Plant in June | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in July | Harvest in August | Harvest in September |
Care details
- Sow January – February
Sow indoors on a warm windowsill or in a propagator — germination is slow in cool compost.
- Plant May – June
Move into a greenhouse, polytunnel or the sunniest sheltered spot once nights are reliably mild.
- Harvest July – September
Pick green for a milder flavour, or leave longer on the plant to ripen and sweeten.
Growing tips & common problems
- Sow early indoors — peppers need a long season to ripen from green to their final colour.
- Pot on into progressively larger pots of compost rather than planting straight into the ground; the extra root warmth speeds things up.
- Feed with a high-potash tomato feed once the first flowers open, and pinch out the growing tip early to encourage a bushier plant.
Grows well with
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