Bell pepper

Typical timeline

• the plantMID-FEB – MAR

  Sow indoors

  Needs real warmth (24–29 °C) to germinate — one to three weeks. Slow and patchy below 20 °C.

  Keep it warm and cozy — seeds crack within a couple of weeks.

  see it on the strip ↑
• the plantAPR – OCT

  Leafing

  Bushes out through spring; harden off over a week before it moves outdoors in May.

  Bushing out — watch the branch forks for the first white stars.

  see it on the strip ↑
• the plantNOV

  Season's end

  Frost ends the annual's run. Harvest everything — or cut back hard and overwinter indoors for a second year (a stretch goal!).

  Harvest what's left — or bring it inside and try for year two.

  see it on the strip ↑
• floweringJUN – AUG

  Flowering

  Self-fertile white stars — every pollinated one sets a pepper.

  Little white stars mean peppers are on the way.

  see it on the strip ↑
• fruitingJUL – OCT

  Fruiting

  Pick green anytime, or wait for the colour turn — red is sweeter. Regular picking makes more fruit.

  Green peppers sizing up — leave them on and watch them turn red.

  see it on the strip ↑
• undergroundAPR – JUN

  Roots race ahead

  Underground, the root system races weeks ahead of the canopy. Steady moisture now decides the whole season — a checked pepper never quite catches up.

  see it on the strip ↑

Care milestones

• sowMID-FEB – MAR

  Sow indoors

  Sow the seeds indoors on a warm windowsill or a heat mat, and pot the seedlings up when the first true leaves appear.

  see it on the strip ↑
• repotMAY

  Harden off

  Harden the plant off with a week of gradual outdoor time before planting it out — skipping this step shocks it.

  see it on the strip ↑
• feedJUN – SEP

  High-K feed

  Switch the feed to a high-potassium mix once flowering starts — a balanced feed makes leaves, not peppers.

  see it on the strip ↑
• watchEARLY JUL

  Stake it

  Cage or stake the plant before the fruit gets heavy enough to bend the branches.

  see it on the strip ↑

Botanical drawing

Bonelli, Hortus Romanus Tab. 88 "Peperoni di Spagna" (NYPL scan)