Bell Pepper
Capsicum annuum
Sweet, crunchy fruits that ripen from green to red, yellow, or orange. Needs warmth and a long growing season.
Overview
Companion Planting
Basil
Carrot
Onion
Parsley
Marigold
Fennel
KohlrabiToxicity
Bell pepper fruit is non-toxic to humans, dogs, and cats; however, leaves and stems contain small amounts of solanine and may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets if ingested in large quantities.
Planting Tips
1 cm of water per m² equals 10 liters. Use the Watering Calculator for exact amounts.
Care Tip: Mulch with straw or grass clippings to retain moisture and suppress weeds; stake or cage plants once fruit develops to prevent branches from breaking.
Common Pests
Aphids
Symptoms: Curled or yellowing leaves, sticky honeydew residue on foliage, and presence of small green or black insects on leaf undersides.
Treatment: Spray plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge aphids, or apply insecticidal soap; encourage natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings.
Prevention: Use reflective silver mulch to repel aphids, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization, and inspect transplants before planting.
Flea Beetles
Symptoms: Numerous small, irregular holes (shot-holes) chewed in leaves; severe infestations can stunt or wilt young plants.
Treatment: Apply kaolin clay or spinosad-based insecticide; use floating row covers on young transplants to exclude beetles.
Prevention: Remove crop debris after harvest, rotate crops annually, and use row covers during early growth when plants are most vulnerable.
Spider Mites
Symptoms: Yellow or white stippling on leaves, bronzed or pale discoloration, fine webbing on leaf undersides, and premature leaf drop in heavy infestations.
Treatment: Spray leaf undersides with water or insecticidal soap; apply horticultural oil or release predatory mites for biological control.
Prevention: Maintain adequate watering to reduce plant stress, avoid dusty conditions, and avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill natural predators.
Common Diseases
Bacterial Spot
Symptoms: Water-soaked spots on leaves that turn brown and necrotic, with small raised scab-like lesions on fruit surrounded by a greenish-white halo.
Treatment: Apply copper-based bactericides at first sign of infection; remove and destroy severely affected plants to limit spread.
Prevention: Use certified disease-free seed and resistant varieties, practice 2-3 year crop rotation, and avoid overhead watering to keep foliage dry.
Blossom End Rot
Symptoms: Sunken, leathery, dark brown to black patches on the blossom end of immature fruit that enlarge as fruit ripens.
Treatment: Maintain consistent, even soil moisture through regular watering and mulching; a calcium foliar spray can help but does not replace proper watering.
Prevention: Ensure adequate soil calcium by testing and amending soil before planting, water consistently without letting soil dry out, and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer.
Mosaic Virus
Symptoms: Mottled light and dark green mosaic patterns on leaves, leaf curling and distortion, stunted growth, and misshapen fruit.
Treatment: No chemical cure exists; remove and destroy infected plants immediately to prevent spread to healthy plants.
Prevention: Control aphid vectors with reflective mulch and insecticidal soap, use virus-resistant cultivars, disinfect tools between plants, and avoid handling plants when wet.