In times past, gardeners who wanted to grow some of the bright, colorful bell peppers now commonplace in the supermarket had to have patience and source for seeds. In times past, gardeners who wanted to grow some of the bright, colorful bell peppers now commonplace in the supermarket had to have patience and source for seeds. A few varieties still must be grown this way, including the big, blocky orange sweet peppers developed by the Dutch and grown commercially in California. But these days many colorful peppers are available as seedlings from garden centers and other retail sources.
Hot peppers are abundant and relatively quick to produce.
By contrast, bell peppers, also called sweet peppers, generally grow languorously and ripen during long, hot summer days when the sun brings out all their flavor. The trick is to harvest this bonanza in late August rather than late September, when cooler nights will rob the peppers of their color and sweetness. Sweet peppers are a bit picky about temperatures. They won't grow at all in cold, wet weather. Mulching helps, especially if mulching with black plastic, which will not only heat the soil, but radiate heat upward into the pepper bush itself.