How to Grow Indoor Banana Peppers
Banana peppers grow to about 2 or 3 inches long with a curved, elongated and banana-like shape. Banana peppers come in either sweet or hot varieties, both of which enjoy warm temperatures and lots of sunlight. One of the easiest-to-grow pepper varieties, banana peppers are often grown in gardens during the summer months, but they can also grow well indoors in containers with the right care. You can grow banana peppers easily from seeds or from nursery-raised baby plants.
Fill a 3- to 5-gallon pot that has drainage holes in the bottom with a mixture of equal parts composted cow manure and organic potting soil. Carefully remove the banana pepper plant from the nursery container and plant it at the same depth into the new pot.
Position the pot in a warm, sunny spot where the banana pepper plant can receive at least eight hours of bright, preferably direct, sunlight each day. Keep air temperatures around the plant above 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Banana peppers grow to about 2 or 3 inches long with a curved, elongated and banana-like shape.
- One of the easiest-to-grow pepper varieties, banana peppers are often grown in gardens during the summer months, but they can also grow well indoors in containers with the right care.
Water your indoor banana pepper plant deeply and thoroughly whenever the top 1 inch of potting mixture feels slightly dry to the touch.
Feed your banana pepper plant once every two weeks with a liquid vegetable fertilizer at half the recommended dosage rate. If you want to fertilize the banana peppers organically, you can use fish emulsion, seaweed extract or blood meal to deliver nitrogen and bone meal to provide phosphorus, following the instructions on the packages.
Harvest your banana peppers when they ripen and develop an even red color. You can also harvest the peppers earlier, when they’re green or yellow, but they won’t be as sweet or hot.
Tip
If you’re growing the banana peppers from seed, plant two to three seeds about 1/4 inch deep into the soil. When the seedlings are about 2 to 3 inches tall, thin out the weaker ones and allow the single strongest seedling to remain.
Warning
Keep your banana peppers away from pets or children and don’t touch the fruits with bare hands if you’re growing a hot variety. Hot banana pepper varieties can burn the eyes, mouth and skin.
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Tips
- If you're growing the banana peppers from seed, plant two to three seeds about 1/4 inch deep into the soil. When the seedlings are about 2 to 3 inches tall, thin out the weaker ones and allow the single strongest seedling to remain.
Warnings
- Keep your banana peppers away from pets or children and don't touch the fruits with bare hands if you're growing a hot variety. Hot banana pepper varieties can burn the eyes, mouth and skin.
Writer Bio
Sarah Terry brings over 10 years of experience writing novels, business-to-business newsletters and a plethora of how-to articles. Terry has written articles and publications for a wide range of markets and subject matters, including Medicine & Health, Eli Financial, Dartnell Publications and Eli Journals.
