Choosing a pot size for pepper plants?

4 years ago

Early on I found just about every vegetable I wanted to grow grew so much better in the ground that I never tried to grow in pots anymore and have almost no experience in container gardening.

Now I am seeing pepper plants growing just brilliantly in pots in peoples gardens, decks and balconies. I would like to try to grow a few peppers in pots this season.😁

This is what I gathered. Keeping in mind the mature size of the specific pepper plant, you can choose bigger and bigger pots to get a bigger plant and more peppers...But the bigger the pot size the longer the plant's roots will take to fill the soil volume. Until the roots, more or less, fill the soil the plant will not put on any significant shoot growth and fruit set. So you effectively delay fruit set and get a smaller harvest if you dont have a long enough growing season when you choose a *big* pot.

Is this true? Will you delay fruit set by choosing a bigger pot?

And what is the best way to go about this? Do you gradually pot up to slightly larger pots as the plant grows or do you plant the seedling into the final pot size? Could gradually potting up mitigate the fruit set delay?

Of course I dont want to delay fruit set if I can help it. And of course I dont want to pot up multiple times.

I would be very grateful if you comment what works for you when growing peppers in pots?

Thank you!

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

4 years ago

"But the bigger the pot size the longer the plant's roots will take to fill the soil volume. Until the roots, more or less, fill the soil the plant will not put on any significant shoot growth and fruit set."

Think about this a minute. And then apply that same theory to planting in the ground. The ground soil volume is virtually endless and there is no way the pepper's roots would "fill the soil" so theoretically, it would never have significant shoot growth or fruit development. And we all know that's not true :-) There is no reason to assume the response would be any different in a container.

Like Kate, I pot up my seedlings into the finished size container I choose. Generally, a 5G (or thereabouts) pot for a single pepper plant and a 15-20G pot for indeterminate tomatoes.

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Comments (12)

CA Kate z9
4 years ago
I grow exclusively in pots. I buy baby plants and put the one pepper each in a pot that is about 12" x 12" or more. I don't think the size of the pot advances or delays fruit set.

I grow chili peppers only... never Bells.
katyajini thanked CA Kate z9
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robert567
4 years ago
I wouldn't worry about it much, just try to grow healthy plants. A big pot probably will get you a bigger plant, and it might produce more in the end. Or maybe you want smaller plants in smaller about 12" pots to keep them manageable. Your choice.

A stressed rootbound plant may well produce quicker, but I would think it would be always better to just grow better plants and get quality peppers.
katyajini thanked robert567
katyajini
Original Author
4 years ago
@CA Kate z9. I think I too will be growing only chilli peppers, or at least very small peppers, in pots. From what I have seen its the chilli pepper plants that look the most healthy and beautiful in containers.

@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) Thank you for the pot sizes.

@robert567 thank you...I just might try a small experiment if I have enough plants.
BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
4 years ago
I grown almost all my fruits/vegetables in pots. For peppers, I only grow sweet peppers, though not often bells. My pots generally range in size from 11" to 14", though I've done as small as 8" and had good success. My peppers come in come cold weather ...

That's about a 14" pot, and the pepper plant is 'Cornito Giallo.' (Picture taken Friday)
katyajini thanked BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
4 years ago
FWIW, I have outdoor pots/containers and peppers do not like hot roots. Large pots help keep the roots cool, and I never experienced any delays in fruiting or branching. They did much better in large containers than in small ones, and they did better in containers than in the ground.
katyajini thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
katyajini
Original Author
4 years ago
@BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA Wow! your pepper plant is still looking so lush after being inside for so many weeks. The indoor winter dryness does not seem to be bothering it. I have only seen people on YT go about 'overwintering' their pepper plants inside and they do a lot of cutting and chopping and defoliating... Depending on how it all goes I might want to bring a pepper plant or two inside. 😁 Its heartening to know that you can grow all your veggies in containers. Gives me some hope. Thank you for that picture.

@carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10 thank you too! Maybe roots getting too hot wont be a problem where I am. Its getting the roots hot enough thats a problem. Its good to know you dont see any delaying in fruits set in your containers.
katyajini
Original Author
4 years ago
@BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA and @carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10: Would these tall 5 gallon or 7 gallon grow bags work well you think? I might get the 7 gallon then and fill to the top. I just want to know if fabric grow bags work for peppers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LH6PZW6/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_9?smid=A3CI7QKBEUFXIA&th=1

@BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA since you keep your pepper plants for at least several seasons do you have to take the plants out, root prune and refresh with fresh soil from time to time as people do with their long time house plants?

Thanks!
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
4 years ago
I don't see a difference between pots and grow bags, if heat is not an issue.
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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
4 years ago
In principle, one advantage of grow bags is you never end up with over-wet soil. Overly wet soil can be a serious problem for peppers.
katyajini thanked daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
Donald V Zone 6 north Ohio
4 years ago
I do not think you will deny fruit setting, or your first harvest by anything more then a day or 2. No doubt almost everything I grow in containers never does nearly as well as in the ground - and bigger containers do better. The biggest are for potatoes, I have used those for peppers and still wished they were bigger.
katyajini thanked Donald V Zone 6 north Ohio
BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
4 years ago
We don't bother ... we just let them decide how long to live. We could probably get more seasons if we refreshed the soil, etc etc., but we're not that ambitious ... My fruits and veggies get very little loving ... I mix up a gallon of aerogarden fertilizer (because I have many little bottles, and it's easy) maybe a total of 3-5 times in a season, for like 6-7 peppers and 10-12 tomatoes ... basically, some plant has to start looking lathargic or colorful before I use fertilizer, if I use any ... For years we used none, but i think we had a bad batch of potting soil one year that started me mixing some when some plant turned purple.
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