How to Prepare your Soil to Grow Peppers for your Home Vegetable Garden

They can be as sweet as sugar or as hot as lava and are used for everything from salads to the sauce you spread over your buffalo wings. They are called peppers. Peppers are what are known as cultivar plants which mean that they can be grown in a variety of colors. Their earliest traces can be found in Mexico and South America and later in Spain then moving its way through Europe.

Peppers are a versatile vegetable in the way it can be used in various recipes. Because you can get them very sweet to very hot, there is sure to be a pepper out there that you will love. If you like home vegetable gardening like I do, then you need to add some peppers to your home vegetable garden. You won’t be sorry. Here are some tips to get your soil in tip top shape to ensure that your pepper plants will produce an abundant harvest.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether or not the pH level of your soil is in the appropriate range for pepper seeds to germinate as well as pepper plants to grow properly. Pepper plants love acidic soil. They do well when your soil is closer to 5.5 as opposed to neutral of 7.0. Invest in a $4 soil testing kit from your local home or garden center and test the soil to make sure it is acidic enough. If not, follow the instructions that come with the tester so you can make the necessary adjustments.

Next is to understand the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous requirements for peppers. Peppers make it easy on you since your soil levels should all be in the high range. You can best satisfy these requirements by making sure you add in plenty of good compost before, during and after the growing season. Your grass clippings make for good compost as does your food left overs. You can visit our website for tips and tricks on creating quality compost.

The final step is to make sure the soil temperature is correct. Pepper seeds like the soil to be very hot in the 80 to 85 degree Fahrenheit range. You can warm up your soil by putting down some plastic before you plant the seeds. Test the soil temperature with a soil thermometer and when you hit the right level, remove the plastic and plant your seeds.

If you are a fan of eating peppers then you should definitely become a fan of growing them. You can easily grow and harvest all of the peppers you will need right in your own backyard.

About the Author
Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC is the exclusive home of the seeds of the month club where you can sign up and receive 4 packs of vegetable, fruit and herb seeds every month.