Plant Spacing – General Guidelines – Pepper Varieties – Companion Plants – Plant Spacing Benefits – Raised Bed – Best Soil – Summary – FAQ
Just like caring for the soil where the plant is growing, knowing the best spacing between plants is the next big step up. It’s only really relevant when you are growing on freeland. In pots or containers it doesn’t really matter since the roots of the plants will never interact with each other.
Below we will learn more about the best plant spacing for pepper plants. This can be incredibly important as the health of it can begin to deteriorate if there is too much competition around it. Which normally results in a worse harvest.
What Is Plant Spacing
Plant spacing is just like the name suggests, the ideal spacing between plants to give them their own spot to grow and flourish. If you grow them too close to each other then you run the risk of them starting to stress too much. There can only be one winner really so you will most likely lose out on quite a lot of harvest too.
General Guidelines For Pepper Plant Spacing
There are some general guidelines when it comes to growing and caring for a pepper plant. The spacing between the plants will depend on the variety that you have growing. Some are large and will require more space, while some are smaller and require less spacing.
With thai chilis for example, keeping about 2 feet apart from each other will be sufficient. The plant is not very large and keeping them this amount apart will make them able to grow on their own, without one stealing nutritions from the other. It should be noted as well that this spacing is the same if you are growing another plant besides it too. Even a basil plant should be kept 2 feet away.
Difference Between Pepper Varieties
There are some differences between varieties of peppers of course. Some will do better with plants closer by while some want them further away. It’s really worth it to do your own research before deciding how to plant them.
Bell Peppers
Since bell peppers are among the largest varieties of peppers available they will require more spacing between each plant. Thankfully they grow more or less like a tomato plant, meaning they grow tall instead of wide. So about 1 – 2 feet will be sufficient,
Jalapeno Peppers
A jalapeno pepper will grow smaller than a bell pepper plant for example. But it tends to grow wider so we would recommend spacing them about 2 feet apart at least to be able to have a good level of growth and health.
Best Companion Plants To Pepper Plants
There are a number of different companion plants out there for pepper plants. But let’s list the 5 best ones we have found for it. These will help benefit the health of the plant and won’t be too competitive either.
Basil
Basil is universally a great companion plant for basically all plants. It’s not a very competitive plant and won’t require too much attention to care for. The roots aren’t too invasive to the space of other plants. But the biggest benefit is that it helps keep insects away which might otherwise harm pepper plants.
Chives
Chives are a part of the onion family. It is also one of the best plants to grow if you don’t want to spend too much time caring for it. Its extermy hardy plant is also a perennial plant. Being in the onion family it can help keep insects away quite effectively too.
Garlic
Garlic is both easy to grow and care for. It has the potential just like chives to keep harmful insects and bacterias away because of the smell it has. Watering it is basically all that is required when it comes to caring for it.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes and peppers really go great together. Here the benefit is more that they won’t compete with each other too much and they also like the same environment to grow in too.
Oregano
The oregano plant is a perennial herb that will come back just as strong the next year too. But it has the added benefit of not just being strudyr and resilient, but also keeping harmful insects and bacteria away.
What Does Plant Spacing Help With
Plant spacing can help with a number of different things, but the most prominent one is about the competition between the plants. If there are too many plants competing for the same amount of nutrients then you will have some winners and some losers.
With proper plant spacing you will only have winners in your garden. You won’t risk losing out on potential harvests. On top of lowering the competition it also increases the amount of air traveling through the plants. More space means more ventilation abscially. This lowers the risk of there being humid places where mold and bacteria could be benign to grow.
Pepper Plant Spacing Raised Bed
In a raised bed the same principle applies when it comes sto spacing. For a bell pepper plant you want something closer to about 2 feet or so. But if you are growing something smaller like a thai pepper plant for example then it will be enough with about 1 feet. Since the size of the plants are different they require different amounts of space to be able to grow and flourish.
Best Soil For Pepper Plants
The ebay possible soil for pepper plants will be a slightly loamy soil where water can easily drain away. This makes it a lot easier for the roots to not experience root rot. If the soil is too compact the roots can easily grow larger and deeper, but oxygen will also have a tougher time getting to the roots.
Summary
In short, pepper plant spacing is all about creating the ideal environment for the plants to grow in. Spacing means that the plants aren’t competing with each other. It makes the plants able to grow in harmony with each other instead. But the spacing that the plant will require will be different depending on the variety of pepper you have growing.
FAQ
How Far Should Pepper Plants Be Apart
In general the ideal spacing between pepper plants should be about 1 – 2 feet or so. That will help them not compete too much.
Can You Plant 2 Pepper Plants Together
You can definitely plant 2 pepper plants together but would want some spacing between them. Planting 2 plants in the same container or pot might cause some issues such as competition.
How Far Apart Do You Plant Peppers In A Raised Bed
Just like on freeland the ideal distance between pepper plants is generally about 1 – 2 feet. This will give the plants enough space to grow on their own.
