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How to grow sweet peppers and best varieties
Sweet peppers, also known as bell peppers and capsicum, do best in a greenhouse in the UK, but you could try a sunny spot outside
Ceri studied horticulture at the University of Reading and RHS Wisley. She edits Which? Gardening magazine and our online gardening content.
If you love to eat peppers in salads, stir fries and more, give growing your own a go.
Also known as bell peppers or capiscums, peppers can be grown from seed in spring, ready to crop the same summer. They can be put outside once the danger of frost has passed in mid-May to early June, depending on where you live.
The Which? Gardening team grew and tasted 18 varieties of bell peppers, 18 long, pointed peppers and 10 snack-size ones so you can grow the tastiest, heaviest cropping varieties.
If you'd like something spicier, take a look at our guide on how to grow chillies.
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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 |
Growing peppers from seed
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.
If you don't want to sow seeds, you buy pepper plants in spring.
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' | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | ||||||
| 'Friggitello' | |||||||
| 'Gypsy' | |||||||
| 'Hamik' | |||||||
| 'Lunchbox Mix' | |||||||
| 'Mohawk' | |||||||
| 'Snackbite Mixed' | |||||||
| 'Sweetonia' | |||||||
| 'Sweet Chocolate' | |||||||
| 'Topepo Rosso' | |||||||
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The more stars the better. Yield are 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, pointed peppers
| Variety name | Overall rating | Yield | Ripening | Quality | Uniformity | Eating quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Astor' | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | |||||
| 'Atris' | ||||||
| 'Beja' | ||||||
| 'Black Knight' | ||||||
| 'Corno di Toro Giallo' | ||||||
| 'Diabolo' | ||||||
| 'Frigitello' | ||||||
| 'Marconi' | ||||||
| 'Sakura' | ||||||
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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%.
Full testing results for bell peppers
| Variety name | Overall rating | Yield | Ripe yield | Ripening | Flavour/texture | Uniformity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Asti Rosso' | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | |||||
| 'Big Ben' | ||||||
| 'Californian Wonder' | ||||||
| 'Cardinal' | ||||||
| 'Ingrid' | ||||||
| 'New Ace' | ||||||
| 'Popti' | ||||||
| 'Red King' | ||||||
| 'Tequila' | ||||||
| 'Yellow Bell' | ||||||
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The more stars the better. Yields are from three plants. Overall rating ignores price and is based on: yield 25%, ripe yield 25%, ripening (percentage by weight) 20%, flavour/texture 20%, uniformity 10%.
How we test peppers
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, pointed 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.
Bell peppers
We selected 18 widely available varieties of sweet pepper, including those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), and some relatively new ones. We sowed our seeds in mid-February in module trays filled with a Best Buy compost in a heated greenhouse, potted on seedlings when large enough and planted into the final 10L pots in mid-May. We added controlled-release fertiliser to the Best Buy compost in our final pots and also used a liquid feed later in the season. We grew three plants of each variety in the polytunnel at our north London trial grounds. We harvested peppers every week or two once they started to ripen in July and continued picking until mid-October, recording the weight and number of peppers for each variety, and any problems on the fruits, such as blossom end rot. Then we tasted all the peppers, assessing them for taste and texture.
How to grow peppers
Growing peppers in a pot
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 to which you’ve added some Best Buy controlled-release fertiliser, 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.
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 one of the best watering cans from our tests
How and when to harvest peppers
Harvest in: mid-summer to autumn
Allow fruits to ripen fully – most turn bright red or orange when they’re ready to eat, but others change to yellow.
Discover the best secateurs
Common growing problems with peppers
Aphids
Aphids sometimes attack the plants by sucking the sap. Remove any you find by hand.
Read more about how to get rid of aphids.
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.