How to Grow Peppers That Actually Set Fruit

Warmth, feeding and the flower-drop problem, in eight steps for sweet peppers and chillies alike.

The steps

1. Start Early Indoors. Sow eight weeks before planting. They need a long season.
2. Wait for Warm Soil. Cold soil stalls them. Plant well after frost.
3. Full Sun. Six to eight hours daily. Sun drives the fruit.
4. Pinch First Flowers. Remove the earliest blooms. The plant builds a frame.
5. Feed Low Nitrogen. High nitrogen gives all leaf. Switch once flowers open.
6. Water Steadily. Dry spells drop the flowers. Never let it wilt.
7. Support Heavy Plants. Stake once fruit sets. Loaded branches snap.
8. Pick to Keep Picking. Green picks give more fruit. Leave them on to ripen red.

Pro tip. Peppers drop their flowers when nights stay hot or the plant is thirsty. Steady water and a little afternoon shade in a heatwave will save a crop that otherwise sets nothing.