Banana Pepper in Container?

[Midnight Reiter Too]

Will I be able to grow a sweet banana pepper in a pot? I ran out of garden space.

[Chris_W]

Yes, you can grow them in pots. Last year we had peppers and tomatoes on the deck all summer and they performed really well. Keep them cool, water often with a little fertilizer. Last year we worked a couple tablespoons of Tomato fertilizer into the pepper plants and didn't have any trouble. Use a well-draining potting soil to avoid potential fungus problems.

One thing I forgot to do was pinch the first few peppers that formed. I've read that you should do that to encourage more peppers further out on the branches. But we still had a lot of peppers

[newtohosta-no more]

I remember seeing your pots, Chris. They were overflowing with produce!!

[Midnight Reiter Too]

Thanks, Chris! Thank you for the tip about pinching. I didn't know that. Last year my peppers in the garden didn't do anything at all...they just stayed as little plants with no peppers. However, I have a never-give-up attitude about gardening. BUT...how do you keep them cool?

[lazygardner]

Ref: Keeping them cool...I thought peppers liked to be hotter than most plants (temperature wise that is.)

[Midnight Reiter Too]

Ref: Keeping them cool...I thought peppers liked to be hotter than most plants (temperature wise that is.)

They don't like temperatures below 50 degrees at night. Here's additional info I found online:

1. Q. Why do my pepper plants often bloom but fail to set fruit?
A. Peppers, like tomatoes, are sensitive to temperature. Most peppers will drop their blooms when daytime temperatures get much above 90 degrees F. in combination with night temperatures above 75 degrees F. They will also drop their blooms in the early spring if temperatures remain cool for extended periods. Hot peppers, such as jalapenos, withstand hot weather fairly well and can often produce fruit through the summer in most areas. Optimum temperatures fall between 70 degrees and 80 degrees F. for bell-type peppers and between 70 degrees and 85 degrees F. for hot varieties.

2. Q. If I remove the first few blooms on a pepper plant, will my overall production be increased?
A. Maybe. Occasionally, if a bell pepper plant sets the first bloom that flowers, the plant will be stunted as it matures that fruit. This is likely to happen if the plant is growing under marginal conditions which might include low fertility or perhaps low moisture. With the first bloom removed, the plant will grow larger before setting fruit which often does result in higher total yields. However, if the plant is grown under satisfactory cultural conditions removing the first bloom should not affect subsequent yield.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/pepper.html

[lazygardner]

I had no idea. Thank you Chris!!! Excellent information which explains why the last couple years I have only been getting one pepper per plant while growing them in a hot microclime. Previously I grew them in the back yard which is more shady and I had better results.

[PennyG]

You sure can, i have ran out of space as well, and some of mine are in pots.

[Ginger]

I grew peppers in pots last year, and they did really well. I did have to water more as Chris said once it got hot, but I got lots of peppers. I also grew a Tobasco pepper plant in a pot for decorative purposes. I loved the color phases of the
peppers. If you decide to grow a Tobasco be sure to wear gloves and use sissors to cut the peppers from the plant. They are hot and will burn the skin.

Ginger

[Midnight Reiter Too]

I grew peppers in pots last year, and they did really well. I did have to water more as Chris said once it got hot, but I got lots of peppers. I also grew a Tobasco pepper plant in a pot for decorative purposes. I loved the color phases of the
peppers. If you decide to grow a Tobasco be sure to wear gloves and use sissors to cut the peppers from the plant. They are hot and will burn the skin.

Ginger

Thanks for the info, but I only grow sweet peppers.

[beautifulgardens]

Peppers for the most part do just great in pots. You can even grow them in pots now, and if you get to free up any room in your gareden then you can transplant them later.

[govgirl75]

I have had great luck in planting peppers in large pots. They are vinyl or plastic pots and hold about 2 cubic feet of potting material. They are at the end of our driveway, on concrete, in front of a white picket fence facing south. I put 3 or 4 plants per pot. I water them at least once a day and sometimes twice. I fertilize them with a foliar feeding of Rapid Grow at 1/2 strength about every 10 to 14 days. I keep the mature fruit picked and we have new peppers right up until a freeze. I have planted an Italian mild pepper and a gourmet pepper in the last couple years. They did great. I also throw in a couple cherry or grape tomatoes for the neighborhood kids to help themselves. I would try the pots for sure. Less weeding and no bending to pick the fruit.
Gloria