Peppers are one of the easiest plants to grow in a container. Pepper plants are popular in home gardens because they take up very little space and yet reward you with so much fruit! As a matter of fact, cultivating peppers is second only to growing tomatoes in terms of popularity.

Nothing beats hot peppers picked from the garden to spice things up in your kitchen. If you are an avid fan of hot sauce and salsa, you would definitely love to grow your own Chili peppers.

All types of peppers like hot weather, so make sure to give them full-sun. But they are averse to strong winds, so staking your potted peppers are a good idea. It will also help support the plant once those fruits get too heavy for the branches to hold.

Fertilize pepper plants weekly. While plants are still young, use a high nitrogen fertilizer, sprayed on the leaves. Fish emulsion is a good organic choice. After the plant sets blossoms, switch to a complete, low nitrogen fertilizer.

Pick hot peppers once they're large enough to use. Frequent harvesting encourages a steady supply. Cut the fruit from the plant instead of tearing it off; you might damage the root system which stay rather shallow.  Pick hot peppers carefully. The capsaicin oil, which makes peppers hot, can feel very hot on your fingers, or worse, you might rub it in your eyes.

There are many varieties of hot peppers with tastes ranging from mild to extremely hot.  A pepper's pungency depends on the amount of capsaicin it contains. It's most concentrated in the seeds and membranes inside the fruit. Letting the peppers ripen and mature longer results in a hotter and spicier taste.

You can harvest mature, fully-ripe peppers for seed. The good news is that pepper seeds are easy to grow. Although they do need moisture, they hate being over-watered. To provide the best environment for the successful germination of your seeds, use HOMEGROWN Soil-less Seed-Starting Mix. Then continue to grow the maturing pepper plants in ENRICO Soil-less Potting Mix. Be careful not to overpot; transplanting a plant into a pot too big for the plant can lead to root rot.

Chile peppers are rich in vitamins C and A, and are a good source of most B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron. The vitamin C content also increases the longer the fruits are allowed to ripen on the plant. Capsaicin is likewise said to have many beneficial effects on health. 

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