There is a wide range of pepper plants that range from hot peppers, bell pepper, sweet Italian, Jalapenos, Habaneros to mention a few. Let’s see how far apart to plant peppers.
This versatility of peppers may be confusing to a gardener especially when it comes to growing and caring of pepper.
The spacing of pepper plays a significant role in determining the final yield and should be planted 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart. The reason is that Pepper requires sufficient air circulation for fruit development and limiting the space could negatively impact the yields of the peppers due to the increased competition for oxygen and nutrients.
To better understand the answer to the question of how far apart to plant peppers can be answered based on three aspects; the row spacing, plant spacing and the distance from other peppers.
How Far Apart to Plant Peppers
There are a few different ways to gauge how far apart to plant your pepper seeds or seedlings.
Row Spacing
Some gardeners do not prefer planting their veggies in rows, which is also okay since the end result is what matters.
You can opt to plant your paper in a grid pattern or checkerboard instead of rows. However, I always prefer my veggies in rows since it makes my wedding and harvesting convenient.
The spacing between the rows should be between 24 -36 inches. This distance enables your pepper plants to sprout and develop maximum branches and fruits.
Pepper plants are self-pollinating; thus the wide distance does not have any impact since they don’t have to be too close to one another to produce fruits.
With this space, you will have enough room to walk through during weeding and harvesting.
Plant Spacing
Pepper plants in the same row should have a spacing of 18-24 inches. Since these plants spread to about 18 inches, the distance will be enough to allow the stem to develop while at the same reduce the competition of nutrients between the plants.
Regardless of whether your plants are in a row, grid or checkerboard pattern, the distance between each pepper plant should be a minimum of 18 inches.
Distance from Other Pepper Species
I believe that you are planning to plant various types of pepper per section and if that’s the case, it is important to consider the distance between one type of pepper to another. This will prevent creating hybrids which happen due to cross-pollination.
Hybrid peppers are created when a bee or any insect transport pollen from one species of pepper to another.
This will alter the fruit of the pepper plant which will affect the offspring. For example, if you plant bell paper near hot paper, there is a possibility you will end up with a hybrid of both in which case, your bell pepper will have a hot taste!
To prevent such occurrences, you should avoid panting varying pepper species in the same section of your garden. It is advisable to plant them in different raised beds or plant separate vegetables between them.
Why You Should Space out Your Pepper Plants?
Pepper, just like other plants, compete for oxygen and nutrients. These elements are essential in determining the yields obtained. Thus, when the spacing is done right, you are assured that the peppers will have enough nutrients to give forth more fruits.
Enough spacing increases air circulation and gives room for more branches and fruits to develop. This enhances the development of the plants.
It gives easy access for weeding and harvesting. You will not have to bend the plants when rooting out the weeds. It will also make your mulching more convenient. During harvest, it will be easier to locate the mature pepper on time.
In the case where there is a variety of pepper on the same garden, spacing them out will prevent the development of hybrid pepper.
Having your pepper loses its original taste is the last thing you would want. This is the reason why you should ensure that the different paper species are spaced out.
Final Thoughts
There are numerous techniques you can use to space out your pepper plants. Even though the availability of space is also a determining factor, the spacing highly influences your yields.
Plants that are closely spaced compete for nutrients and oxygen which leads to low yields. Thus, the spacing of the pepper plants is a significant factor that you consider before embarking on garden preparations for growing pepper.
Some of the key points to remember is that the spacing between the rows should be between 24 -36 inches while the space between plants should be 18-24 inches.
If you decide to settle for a grid or checkerboard pattern, make sure that the minimum distance between the pepper plants is 18 inches.
In the case where you have different pepper species, make sure that you separate the distance between them. For example, you can plant another type of vegetables to separate them or use raised beds.
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