We’ve put together a list of all our recommended supplies for growing peppers. For each category, we’ll provide a few options depending on your garden type, material, or personal preference. Any of the options we suggest will get the job done, but we want to give a few choices.
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Be sure to get anything else you may need from the suggestions below.
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Fertilizer
Organic Slow Release
Excellent “set it and forget it” option for use in raised beds, containers, or in-ground beds.
Miracle Gro Organics
Good water-soluble organic fertilizer for vegetative growth. Switch to lower nitrogen for fruiting stage.
Fox Farm’s Trio
Best all around non-organic option. Simple instructions on when to use which fertilizer for best yields.
Keep in mind…
Container gardening (in pots or in raised beds) is where fertilizers are essential to healthy plants. For in-ground peppers, the best food always comes from natural, organic ingredients like compost. Plants will produce tastier, healthier pods as well. Amend your ground soil with fresh compost annually, and your peppers will have everything they need.
Learn much more about fertilizing peppers in our dedicated article here.
Containers
Seedling Cells
We use Bootstrap Farmer’s thick plastic seedling cells for planting our pepper seeds. They will last many years, though traditional cells are easier for transplanting.
Seed Trays
Bootstrap Farmer makes the highest quality growing equipment that we have tried. Buy it for life and reuse your seed cells and trays.
Grow Bags
We have had great results using grow bags for our peppers. They are easy to use, collapsible, and produce healthy root systems.
Learn more about choosing a container for growing peppers here. The most important things are size (ideally 3+ gallons) and good drainage.
Soil
Seed Starter Mix
Seed starter mix contains no nutrients. It is made up of highly aerated materials, perfect for germination and starting off pepper plant root systems strong.
Potting Soil (Best)
Happy Frog is an excellent potting soil for growing peppers. Our potted plants love this stuff, and it is ready to use out of the box. It also comes in a smaller size online if you need less.
Organic Compost
Make your soil happier with this organic humus compost derived from fish manure. This natural amendment adds beneficial bacteria to your soil.
Note: Potting soil is best sourced from a local nursery to avoid high shipping costs. If you can’t find high quality soil near you, ask other gardeners what they use, or buy online.
Grow Lights
Viparspectra Pro (Budget)
Save with code “PepperGeek”
A great budget LED series with several size and power options. Very useful features include dimmer knob, heat sink and water resistance.
Spider Farmer (Best)
Spider Farmer makes high-quality LEDs with top-shelf components. Built to last, and perfect for seedlings or fully fruiting plants.
Mars Hydro TS
Alternative light – we have seen many positive reviews of Mars Hydro LED panel products. Surrounding reflective dome helps direct light.
Read more about choosing the best grow light in our article here. We detail everything you should know about LED lights and the different features of each of our recommended grow lights for peppers.
Highly Recommended
Seedling Heat Mat
This increases germination success dramatically. Keep the soil around 80°F until seeds sprout.
Thermometer
Essential for monitoring your indoor grow space. Cheap way to keep an eye on temp and humidity!
Pruning Shears
Shears are great for getting clean cuts when pruning your plants. Also great for bonsai!
Spray Bottle
During germination, we use a spray bottle to keep seeds moist until they sprout.
Nitrile Gloves
If you are growing any hot pepper varieties, you’ll want a pair of these to avoid skin burns!
Plant VelCro
Plant Velcro is perfect for securing your plants to stakes and keeping them secured in windy conditions.
Looking for more information about growing peppers and the supplies you’ll need? Read our article about growing bell peppers in pots here for an in-depth guide! Also, come see what we’re up to on YouTube.