• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Naples Botanical Garden

Naples Botanical Garden

    • OPEN DAILY
      9am – 5pm*
      8 – 9am Members Only

  • VISIT
    • Plan Your Visit
      • About the Garden
      • Ways to enjoy the Garden
      • Fogg Café
      • Berger Shop in the Garden
      • Tour Options
      • Private Events
      • Photography Policy
      • Policies
    • Gardens
      • Collections
    • Exhibitions & Special Events
    • Students & Teachers
    • Contact Us
  • Learn
    • Adult Programming
    • Children & Families
    • Meet Me in the Garden
    • Nature Journaling
    • Notes From the Garden
  • Conservation
    • The Center for Nature-Based Solutions
    • Protecting Wild Plants
    • Conservation Collections
    • Prescribed Burns
    • Seed Collecting & Conservation Horticulture
    • Global Contributions
  • SUPPORT
    • Donate
    • Membership
    • Royal Palm Society
    • Sponsor
    • Volunteers
  • Calendar
  • Reserve Tickets
Show Search
Hide Search
  • VISIT
    • Plan Your Visit
      • About the Garden
      • Ways to enjoy the Garden
      • Fogg Café
      • Berger Shop in the Garden
      • Tour Options
      • Private Events
      • Photography Policy
      • Policies
    • Gardens
      • Collections
    • Exhibitions & Special Events
    • Students & Teachers
    • Contact Us
  • Learn
    • Adult Programming
    • Children & Families
    • Meet Me in the Garden
    • Nature Journaling
    • Notes From the Garden
  • Conservation
    • The Center for Nature-Based Solutions
    • Protecting Wild Plants
    • Conservation Collections
    • Prescribed Burns
    • Seed Collecting & Conservation Horticulture
    • Global Contributions
  • SUPPORT
    • Donate
    • Membership
    • Royal Palm Society
    • Sponsor
    • Volunteers
  • Calendar
  • Reserve Tickets

Pining for Peppers

March 6, 2024 by Renee W

Simple to grow and delicious to eat, peppers are perfect for container gardening at home. These plants like the long, warm growing season of sunny Southwest Florida. Many varieties of peppers, from sweet bells to spicy chiles, can be grown easily in your backyard or on your patio.

Pepper history

Peppers are one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world, originating out of central Mexico 7,000 years ago. The word chili comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word “chil” and refers to all plants in the Capsicum (pepper) genus. Indigenous people considered peppers to be a staple of their diets. Starting in the 14th and 15th centuries, Portuguese and Spanish traders saw an opportunity to capitalize upon the plant and spread it across Europe and Asia.

Did you know?

The chemical responsible for hot peppers’ burning sensation is capsaicin. It functions as an irritant to mammals and as a deterrent against eating the plant’s fruit. Birds, however, do not feel the sting of capsaicin. Unlike mammals, who chew and grind the seeds thoroughly while eating, birds swallow the fruit whole, and pass the seeds unharmed.

For those wanting a sweet snack, the ‘Red Knight’ bell pepper and ‘Sweet Banana’ pepper cultivars will fill that need. Be warned, if you are starting your pepper seeds in the summer, you may have to wait until nights become longer and cooler to see your bells swell and change color. If you instead desire a spicy kick, you might try ‘Big Chile II’ and ‘Long Cayenne’ varieties. Hot peppers are generally more heat-and drought-tolerant than sweet peppers and can produce an astounding amount of fruit once established. You can find a more extensive list of recommended Florida pepper cultivars on the University of Florida’s Gardening Solutions website.

Grow Your Own Peppers

STEP 1: Choose nutrient rich, well-draining soil for your peppers. If you start from seed, most seedstarting mixes available at your local nursery will work just fine. Keep the soil moist and in a sunny spot.
STEP 2: Once the peppers have grown three inches, step them up into a larger container. Replace the seed-starting soil with an organic all-purpose container or raised bed mix. If you want to make your own mix, one-third soil, one-third mulch, and one-third sand works well. If you are growing multiple plants in one container, space them 18 to 24 inches apart.
STEP 3: As your peppers grow, lay down mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. A continuous-release fertilizer will help boost the nutrient uptake. Place the fertilizer under the mulch around the base of each plant, and water thoroughly.
STEP 4: As the plants grow and start to bear fruit, you may have to stake or tomato cage them to help support their weight. Avoid pulling the peppers by hand as you can easily snap a branch.

Light + moisture is key

Place the plants in a sunny spot. Peppers need six to eight hours of sunlight per day. All that sunlight is drying, so be certain to water every two to three days to maintain pepper production. Feel beneath the soil to check moisture levels. With these gardening tips in mind, you will be able to grow and enjoy delicious peppers in your own home.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of Cultivate, the Garden’s magazine.

About the Author

Kyle Possai is the Youth and Family Program Supervisor.

    Filed Under: Plant Care Tips

    Footer

    Contact Us

    Join Our Email List

    Return To The Blog

    Location

    4820 Bayshore Drive
    Naples, FL 34112

    239.643.7275

    Return To The Blog

    Hours of operation

    9am – 5pm daily

    8 – 9am, Members-Only

    Return To The Blog

    Tickets

    Adults: $27
    Children (4 – 17): $12
    Children 3 & Under: FREE
    Members: FREE

    Buy Tickets

    Return To The Blog

    Quick Links
    • Fogg Café
    • Berger Shop in the Garden
    • Hats in the Garden
    • Blog
    • Volunteers
    • Members
    • Employment
    • Executive Staff
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Private Events
    • Website Accessibility

    Copyright © 2025 Naples Botanical Garden All Rights Reserved.

    en Englishfr Frenchde Germanht Haitian Creolept Portuguesees Spanish
    en en