Planting pepperoni: location, requirements & procedure

More and more people are growing their own hot peppers. Everything you need to know about planting the chili, from location to care, can be found here.

Pepperoni count, like chili also, to the plant genus der paprika (capsicum) and thus also belong to the large family of nightshade plants (Solanaceae). Basically, hot peppers are just hot varieties of sweet peppers (Capsicum annum). The many different varieties differ mainly in fruit size, shape, color and degree of spiciness. The actual hot peppers are in the seeds. We explain how you can grow the delicious and healthy vegetables and what you need to consider.

Hot peppers originally come from Southeast Asia and therefore only tolerate the cool weather conditions here to a limited extent. If you pay attention to the special requirements of the pepperoni in terms of location and soil, you can even grow the spicy fruits outdoors.

Location and requirements when planting pepperoni

Hot peppers prefer a warm, sunny spot. Good light conditions ensure that the plant develops many flowers. You can plant the peppers in a bucket or in a garden bed. A well-ventilated greenhouse offers ideal growth conditions. But the plants also do well outdoors. A place on a warm house wall protects the peppers from rain and wind.

Special soil for pepperoni

Hot peppers prefer nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with even moisture. The pH should be in the slightly acidic to neutral range (6.5 to 7). Poor soil can be enriched with natural fertilizers, such as compost or rotted manure. Commercially available substrates for growing vegetables are suitable for pot culture. Also our peat-free Plantura Organic tomato & vegetable soil is ideal for growing hot peppers.

Planting pepperoni: instructions on how to proceed

Hot peppers are relatively easy to grow yourself from seeds. Under optimal conditions, the seeds germinate after 1 to 2 weeks, after another 2 to 4 weeks the small plants can then be pricked out. But you can also buy pre-grown young plants in the garden center. When grafted, tasty, high-yielding varieties with high resistance to leaf diseases are grown on rootstocks put on, which are less susceptible to or even resistant to soil-borne diseases or a particularly good root development and vigour exhibit. In this way, positive properties of two plants can be combined in one pepper plant.

However, pepperoni should not be planted out too early, preferably from the end of May, as they do not tolerate cool temperatures below 5 °C. To protect the plants, you can plant the peppers in the greenhouse in cooler locations from the end of April. The pepper plants can grow up to 80 cm high. Smaller varieties are also suitable for cultivation in tubs or large pots. Plant the peppers in a suitable substrate as far as they were in the pot before. Then water the plant little by little. A support provides the plants with additional support. You can later tie the side shoots here so that the shoots do not break off due to the heavy weight of the fruit.

This is the best way to go about planting pepperoni:

1. loosen the soil
2. dig planting hole
3. Put the plant in and fill it up with soil
4. Water enough
5. Provided with a support

tip: You will receive complete equipment including a mini greenhouse when you purchase our Plantura Chili Grow Kits. You can easily grow the hot pods on the window sill.

Plant pepperoni in the bed

If cool night temperatures are no longer to be expected, pepperoni can be planted in the garden bed from the end of May. A sheltered location is important because hot peppers do not tolerate drafts or rain. The best place is on a warm south wall of a house. The bed can be prepared as early as autumn. Loosen the soil well and work in some manure or compost if necessary. When planting in spring, care should be taken to ensure a sufficient distance of about 40 to 50 centimeters between the individual plants. A mulch film can be used to cover the soil. This warms the soil and reduces the effort involved in weeding.

You should pay attention to this when planting pepperoni in the bed:

• Don't plant too early
• Choose a protected location
• Loosen soil and work in compost
• Maintain a planting distance of about 40 to 50 cm
• Mulch film protects against weeds

Plant peppers in pots

Low-growing peppers can also be cultivated in pots on the balcony or terrace. The best location is a sunny spot on a south-facing wall. A protective eaves or canopy also protects the plant from rain. The bucket should be big enough and excess water should be able to drain off easily so that there is no waterlogging. It is best to place only one plant per pot so that it has enough space to grow. It is best to fill the planter with a suitable substrate such as ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil on.

These points should be considered when planting hot peppers in pots:

• Use a sufficiently large planter
• Excess irrigation water should be able to drain away
• Plant one plant per pot
• Use a suitable substrate
• Choose a sheltered, sunny location

Caring for hot peppers after planting

In order for the pepperoni to thrive and produce many fruits, they must be well cared for. In the following we have summarized the most important information for the care of pepperoni for you.

Pour hot peppers

Regular watering is important, especially before and during fruit set, since pepperoni require a lot of water. Too little water can cause flowers and buds to fall off. The root ball should only be slightly damp, because hot peppers also do not tolerate waterlogging very well. When watering, also make sure that as little water as possible gets on the leaves to prevent diseases.

Fertilize pepperoni

Especially in the early days, the peppers need a lot of nutrients. It is best to work some fertilizer into the soil when planting. Organic long-term fertilizers, such as ours, are particularly suitable Plantura organic tomato fertilizer. This gradually releases the nutrients, making them continuously available to the plant. In addition, organic long-term fertilizers promote soil life and thus improve the soil structure in the long term. When the first fruits are visible, fertilizing should be stopped.

Overwinter pepperoni

Due to their sensitivity to low temperatures (below 5 °C), hot peppers are usually only cultivated once a year, but they can also be overwintered without any problems. Bring the peppers inside in good time in autumn. Pepperoni that have been planted out must first be relocated to planters. A bright, not too warm room is suitable for hibernation - temperatures around 10 °C are ideal. Ventilate regularly and do not water too much in winter, the root ball should not be too damp so that the roots do not rot. In February you can cut back the peppers and repot them. After new shoots, the plant can go outside again from the end of May.

More care tips for hot peppers

Unless you use mulch film, you should regularly remove the weeds when cultivating in the bed. If necessary, side shoots can be cut back to about three centimeters so that the plant can put all its strength into the fruit shoots. Also pests, like aphids, can sometimes give the peppers a hard time. Therefore, as a preventive measure, ensure sufficient planting distance. Regular ventilation in the greenhouse also reduces the risk of fungal diseases.

Once they have reached their final colour, the pepperoni can be harvested between August and October. The riper the fruits are, the sharper they are and the more intense their taste. In some years, the ripening takes a little longer, then you can either unripe the fruit condition or you can bring the peppers indoors early enough in the fall to continue growing them there cultivate.

Here we give you more Tips on how to get your chillies really hot.