How to maximize your pepper harvest

A month or so before the COVID-19 quarantine began we started a project that is going to be epic! We planted over 200 pepper plants. All of these pepper plants are ranked in the top 15 in the world. More on that later.

I thought it would be a good time to share with you a couple quick tips on maximizing your pepper yield.

Topping off your peppers

When the pepper plant is young (generally 6-12 inches tall or at least 9 leaves on the stem) I like to top off the plant by pinching off the shoot tip (the new growth from the very top of the stem). You don’t have to pinch it off as cutting the top completely off at an angle with some clean plant trimmers will accomplish the same results.

Doing this will redirect the energy of the plant towards the stem and the growth nodes. This will cause new branches to form giving you a fuller and bushier pepper plant. More branches = more peppers. In addition to more peppers you will also get a stronger and thicker stem. It’s a win win.

Pinching the flower blossoms

This trick comes a little later once your plant gets a little bigger. You pepper plant will naturally want to redirect it’s energy to producing fruit. You can slow that process down by pinching the first flower blossoms that you find on the plant. By doing this you are allowing the plants energy to be focused on root and foliage development. This will give you a much bigger plant with lots of new space for beautiful peppers.

Remember that peppers like full sun, well drained soil, lots of space, some well composted soil, and good air circulation. If you do all of these things and follow those 2 tips above you are sure to have a bountiful harvest!!

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