Bell Pepper Plant Growth Stages (Day 1-120 w/Pictures)
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We have grown a lot of bell peppers in our many years as gardeners (this might be obvious, given the name of our website…). Ranging from beautiful red, yellow, purple, and even striped sweet bell peppers, we’ve grown a ton!
One thing that would have been helpful as a beginner is knowing the bell pepper plant growing stages. In this article, I’ll share the main growth stages of sweet bell peppers so you know exactly what to expect.
For each stage, I’ve given a rough timeline or approximate age of the plant. However, this will vary based on the specific bell pepper variety, as well as the plant’s growing conditions.
Seedling Stage (Weeks 1-4)
Every bell pepper starts off as just a tiny seedling. This stage begins as soon as a seed sprouts until about 2-4 weeks of growth.
During the seedling stage of growth, pepper plants grow quite slowly. However, they still like lots of light, up to 16 hours per day. Pepper seedlings are also small and delicate, requiring proper care practices. For example, the seedlings are vulnerable to animals, so they should always be kept elevated when outdoors.
If you have used seed starter mix, you may need to fertilize your seedlings after the first week of growth. I recommend using an all-purpose water-soluble fertilizer at 1/4-1/2 the recommended concentration.
Bell peppers tend to grow taller than some other peppers in their earliest stages. To help strengthen the young stems, I always use a small fan to blow a gentle breeze across the seedlings.
Early Growth Stage (Weeks 4-6)
As a bell pepper plant continues to grow, it will primarily produce leaves and branches. This early form is known as the growth stage.
The main goal of a bell pepper plant at this stage is to prepare for the future. The plant will focus on becoming large and bushy with strong branches to support fruits later on in its life.
Tip: Many gardeners top their peppers, but we have not found it to be beneficial for bell peppers. So my advice is to skip pruning your young bell pepper plants!
Maturation Stage (Weeks 6-8)
After bell peppers are transplanted into a large container or into the ground outdoors, they will begin to mature in size. This can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks or longer depending on growing conditions.
More sunlight, better quality soil, and a the right nutrient quantities in the soil all contribute to healthy growth during this stage. During the transition outdoors, I always pluck early flowers and fruits to help the plant focus on growth, not fruiting.
It is normal to see stunted plant growth for 1-2 weeks after transplanting outside. Also, remember to gradually harden off your bell peppers to the outdoors to avoid sun scald on the leaves.
How tall do bell pepper grow? Most bell pepper plants will grow between 3-4 feet tall when mature. However, this can vary by variety, and certain growing techniques can lead to plants that are 10′ or taller!
Flowering Stage (Weeks 8-10)
As the plant continues to grow and mature, it will begin forming flowers along its stems. This is the beginning of the reproductive stage of growth.
Bell pepper plants are self-fertile, meaning that each flower is capable of self pollinating. This makes growing bell peppers easy, even if you have just 1 plant.
I typically allow flowers to grow and mature after our plants have been outdoors for at least 2-3 weeks in spring. This allows the plants to set roots and establish in their new home (in ground or in large pots) before starting to flower.
Note: Once your plants begin to flower, it is best to reduce the amount of nitrogen you are feeding the plants. Excess available nitrogen may cause flower drop or lower fruit production.
Fruiting Stage (Weeks 10-14)
Shortly after a flower forms, it should begin forming a small bell pepper! Not all flowers will form a pepper, and that is completely normal.
With enough sunlight and nutrients, bell peppers grow quickly once they begin to form. You should notice growth every day or two until the fruits reach their mature size.
Tip: When harvesting bell peppers, they can be picked green or red. Don’t pick before the peppers reach their mature size or the flesh will be bitter and bland.
If your plants are smaller than average, then you may want to prune away some of the fruits to encourage larger peppers. If a plant has too many peppers growing simultaneously, it is common to see smaller fruit size.
How many bell peppers per plant?
While your results can vary significantly based on growing conditions, most bell pepper plants can produce 6-8 full-sized peppers per plant at any given time. A longer growing season, more sunlight, more fertile soil, and regular harvesting can all contribute to higher yields.
Ripening Stage (Weeks 14+)
Not everyone knows this, but green bell peppers will eventually turn red. In fact, red bell peppers are just the ripe form of green bells.
So, if you prefer the flavor of a red bell (as I personally do), you can leave your green bells on the plant a few extra weeks to turn color. Bell peppers will usually change from bright green to a darker green, and finally to bright red.
Bell peppers also come in yellow and orange ripening varieties. Growing a few of each can lead to a colorful and vibrant garden.
Note: Red bell peppers not only taste sweeter, but they are more nutritious! Ripe peppers contain more vitamin C and beta-carotene than green ones.
Keep in mind that waiting for bell peppers to ripen leaves them vulnerable to pests and disease for longer. While I prefer harvesting when fully ripe, bell peppers are edible at any stage of ripeness.
Watching bell peppers go through their growth stages is magical. It is amazing that we can take a tiny seed from a bell pepper and grow it into dozens more! I hope this guide helps you understand the full life cycle of your bell pepper plants.
Calvin
One of the original Pepper Geeks! When Calvin isn’t gardening or learning more about peppers and botany, he might be traveling new places or playing some music.
Pls my dragon pepper plant has started flowering but the flowers keep falling off
What should I do
Usually best to simply wait for the heat of summer to pass and the plants will begin fruiting. There is a very small chance that a plant can be sterile, meaning it won’t produce any pollen, hence pollination can’t happen. You can still pollinate it using pollen from another pepper, though.
Very informative for beginners
I am in my final reading on agriculture and my project is on bell peppers. I want to find out when it is suitable to transplant? Two weeks after sowing enough? or better two developed leaves is good for transplanting?
Best to let the peppers grow a more mature root system – 4-6 weeks from sprouting is ideal.
Hello,
I’ve been stewing and fretting over my 2 pepper plants. Finding your article has helped me A LOT! THANK YOU!
Tricia
I’m glad we could help, Tricia!
I planted seeds probably 10 plus weeks ago in quality potting soil. I’d say I’m still at the maturation stage at this point,it’s not even close to flowering. I figure I won’t get anything until late August at this rate, if I’m lucky. I water them daily too and I think they get adequate sunlight, but I’m sure it could be better. Is there anything I can do or is this normal?
Hi and thank you for the help. Right now here in our part of Northern California. We are experiencing a heat wave 100s every day for weeks. Can I protect them? Or will they all sunburn?
In that type of heat, shade cloth can be a life saver – it will reduce the temperature around the plants allowing them to potentially set fruits. But, I’d still expect some flower drop since the heat wave is expected to last so long!
Hello, this is so helpful, thank you. When it starts growing tall, does it need support stakes or a cage like tomato plants do?
Thank you!
Yes, I highly recommend using a tomato cage for bell peppers. The heavy fruits will weigh down the plants later in the year, so the cages keep the branches supported. In fact, tomato cages are probably better suited for peppers than tomatoes!
I am new to vegetable gardening. I recently purchased 2 orange bell pepper plants. I put them in an elevated box 2 weeks ago using Veggie and herb garden soil mixed with potting mix & now have some flowers on them. Should I be fertilizing them? If so, what should I use? Thank you for your help.
The potting mix and soil mix should have nutrients pre-added, so at this time I wouldn’t bother fertilizing. For now I would just focus on watering and keeping the plants upright until they get established. If you notice leaves turning yellow, that may indicate a nutrient deficiency. In general I’d say that I start fertilizing about 1-2 months after transplanting potted peppers.
Thank you. I did learn a lot from you,I was worried about my bell peppers grow very tall ,they producing in July until November
That’s great! Hope you have a great season this year
I was told to let two seedlings to grow together. Hence getting a stronger stem and branch network. Any truth to this
We always keep our plants growing as singles, but I have heard a few people say they “like to grow together.” It probably won’t hurt to have multiple plants near each other, but I would expect similar harvests from a single plant.
Interesting. i wish we do have the variety of bell pepper in my region.
I will like to plant in my Small garden.
I started growing my peppers late in the spring and they are finally starting to flower. Now that it’s starting to get colder out and move into fall here in PA should I move them inside so I can ensure I have pepper growth? Do you have any suggestions for moving them indoors, grow lights, area, etc?
Is it advisable to thin the bell pepper plant of flowers if there are a lot of flowers
We usually keep about 8-10 bell peppers on each plant at any given time. This will give you a larger average fruit size (but fewer fruits overall).
Hello,
I just started about 12 seeds now transplanted. They are growing very slow. The new crop caught up with the old crop. What type of soil do I need? Low or medium nitrates> I have organic potting soil with a lot of bark and low soil compound. Should I put rock pieces under the soil for drainage? Thank you for your advice.
I have 2 tiny bell peppers on two different plant foe over a week now but they are not getting any bigger. Should I pluck them?
What size of pot is ideal to transplant? Thanks
Best final pot size for bells is around 10 gallons. You’ll get the biggest yields from this amount of soil. However, you can still get a decent harvest in a 5 gallon size. For the biggest peppers, prune off all but 5-10 peppers to develop at once, otherwise each pepper will be smaller
We have bell peppers ready to harvest. What is the best way to remove them? cut or break off? Should this be done at the stem node connection? Love your site for my bell peppers, my grandson (12) specializes in Jalapeños and loves your expert info.
I prefer to cut them off since the stems can be a bit more stubborn to remove. That way you can avoid damaging the rest of the plant by yanking on it – simple snip anywhere on the pepper’s stem.