Banana peppers get their name from the yellow, banana shaped fruit produced by the pepper plant. Ranging from sweet and mild to spicy hot, banana peppers offer a tasty treat to many dishes created in the kitchen. Whether you choose hot or mild, care of banana pepper plants is generally easy for the home gardener.
Plant banana pepper plants at least 18 inches apart to ensure plenty of room for the pepper plants to reach maturity. Pepper plants bush out as they grow. Inadequate spacing makes plants compete for nutrients in the soil.
Add compost or other organic matter into the soil during planting to allow the soil to retain moisture and add any necessary nutrients. Banana pepper plants prefer a pH level of 6.5 for optimum growth. Check the soil to determine your garden's pH level.
Harvest banana peppers when they are the desired ripeness. Banana pepper plants are edible at all stages of growth. This makes them an excellent specimen for fresh eating, canning, and dry storing. Make a clean cut with the pruning shears to remove the pepper and ensure the plant keeps producing all season long.
Cover the banana pepper plants with a shade cloth if temperatures reach above 90 degrees. Extremely hot weather or a lack of water causes the pepper plant to drop blooms and buds during the growing season.
Water the banana pepper plants on a daily basis to ensure adequate moisture in the soil. Proper moisture conditions keeps the pepper forming properly.
Plant hot peppers and mild peppers separate from each other to keep cross-pollination from occurring. Cross-pollination may cause the taste to vary in the mild peppers.