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Peppers were domesticated in Mexico. As early as 6,000 years ago, red peppers were used in tropical South America as a spice to disguise the taste of bland or unpalatable food. Chili peppers are called chile in Mexico and Central America and aji in South America and the West Indies. Columbus took peppers back to Europe where they rapidly became popular.

Pepper cultivars, which number in the hundreds, are usually classified as sweet or hot. Peppers also vary by fruit shape, flavor, pungency, color, and culinary use. Pickling, grinding, roasting, drying, and freezing can influence flavor.

Planting Guide

Peppers are a warm-weather crop and need a long season for maximum production. Yields are reduced when the temperature goes below 55°F. On the other hand, blossoms can drop if the thermometer reaches above 90° F.

Even under warm indoor conditions, seeds can take up to two weeks to germinate, so Most gardeners buy young plants instead of starting their own. However, though peppers are slightly more difficult to grow from seed than, say, tomatoes or even eggplants, cultivating seedlings offers a gardener a wide choice of varieties.

Spacing Your Peppers

Higher plant stand densities usually result in greater pepper fruit yields. While the impact of stand density on yield has been studied for bell and non-bell peppers, but very little information exists regarding implications on pesticide efficacy. The objective of these studies was to determine the effect of plant population density and pesticide application techniques on fruit yield and control of key insect pests and diseases of peppers in Ohio. Plant population density was investigated at different within-row spacing for single- and twin-rows on commercial (2004) and research (2005) farms. The 2004 trials were treated using the local grower¿s equipment at recommended pesticide rates. Pesticide applications were made using half the recommended rates in the 2005 research farm trials using air-assist and conventional boom treatments applied at 4 mph. In the 2004 commercial bell pepper farm trials, there was no clear relationship between fruit yield and plant stand density. Greater yield was obtained at higher stand density in commercial jalapeño farm trials. Bell pepper fruit yield increased proportionally with plant stand density in the 2005 trial. Weight per bell pepper red fruit was lower at the highest than at the middle or lowest stand densities. Stand density did not influence weight per fruit in banana peppers. Phytophthora blight damage was more prevalent in twin-rows than in single-rows. Greater bell pepper fruit damage by caterpillars in single-rows compared to twin-rows might have been related to greater amounts of fruit in single-rows. Producers can use these results to better plan their pepper production system and pest management schemes.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=211935