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When to plant
peppers in the UK
Start early — they're slow growers. Pinch out the first flower to encourage bushier growth and more fruit overall.
Work out your own dates
Starts from the recommended sow date for your area. Sowed on a different day, or planted out late? Adjust below and the harvest moves with it.
Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it
Growing journey
22 weeks from planting out to harvest · Start indoors 13 weeks before planting out
Get peppers seeds
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What peppers need
Full sun. Warmth. Sheltered spot or greenhouse. They sulk in the cold.
Spacing
45cm between plants
These are larger plants — give them plenty of space for air circulation.
Varieties worth growing
Bell Boy
commonThick-walled, glossy, and reliable even in UK conditions. Starts green, ripens to red if you're patient (and your summer is warm enough). The sweet pepper that just works.
Stuffed peppers
Halve, fill with a mixture of rice, herbs, feta, and pine nuts. Bake until the pepper is soft and the filling is golden. The thick walls hold everything together perfectly.
Sweet Banana
uncommonLong, pale yellow peppers that are milder and sweeter than bell types. Brilliant for frying, stuffing, or eating raw. The Italian nonnas grow these and char them on the barbecue. Follow their lead.
Charred banana peppers with burrata
Grill whole until the skin blisters and chars. Pile onto a plate, tear open a burrata, drizzle with olive oil and a scatter of basil. The sweet, smoky peppers against the creamy cheese is a summer essential.
Lipstick
uncommonA tapered, thick-walled pepper that ripens early to a vivid, glossy red. Named for the colour, and the colour delivers. Sweeter than most, with thin skin that chars rather than going leathery. Excellent raw, even better roasted.
Romesco sauce
Roast the peppers until blistered, blitz with toasted almonds, garlic, smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, and olive oil. Smoky, nutty, and goes with everything from grilled spring onions to fish.
Marconi Rosso
rareA long, tapered Italian pepper that ripens to brilliant red and has a sweetness that you only get from properly vine-ripened peppers. The walls are thin enough to char on a griddle and the flavour is concentrated rather than watery. The one Italian gardeners grow.
Peperonata
Slice the long peppers, slow-cook with onions, garlic, and tomatoes in olive oil until everything collapses into a sweet, jammy stew. Serve warm on bread, cold as a side, or stirred through pasta. Gets better the day after.
Peppersdrink heavily through summer — a good soak at the roots beats a daily sprinkle. How I water, and the lance I use →
When to sow peppers
Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.
Where to buy peppers seeds
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What you'll need for peppers
The stuff beginners wish they'd bought sooner.
These crops need 24-30°C to germinate — a cold windowsill won't cut it. The difference between success and failure in the UK.
More in our equipment guide →High-potash liquid feed. Once the first fruits form, feed weekly — it makes a real difference to yield.
Pepper plants get top-heavy with fruit and snap. A short cane and soft tie prevents heartbreak.
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Get your exact dates
Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for peppers.