Bell Pepper
Capsicum annuum (Grossum group)
Warm-season fruiting vegetable in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), grown as an annual in temperate climates (Zones 4-11) from transplants set out after the last spring frost and after soil temperature 3 inches below the surface reaches 60F. The Grossum cultivar group produces blocky, non-pungent fruit (0 SHU on the Scoville scale); ripening progresses from green through yellow, orange, red, purple, brown, or black depending on cultivar. Fresh-market production is dominant in the United States; bell peppers also have established processing channels (dehydrated, frozen, brined). Drip irrigation with plastic mulch is the standard fresh-market system.
Crop Snowflake Score
Overview
Plants are tender perennials cultivated as annuals; light frost will kill the crop. Optimal growing temperature range is roughly 70-84F. Mature green peppers are the largest single market segment, but colored peppers (red, yellow, orange) command a price premium because field losses are higher and per-acre yields are lower when fruit is held on the plant to fully ripen. National average yield in 2017 was 380 cwt/acre (~38,000 lb/acre) for fresh-market bell peppers; greenhouse hydroponic yields can be substantially higher. Crop is sensitive to blossom-end rot under inconsistent moisture, sunscald on exposed fruit during heat waves, and bacterial spot in humid conditions. Rotate at least 3 years away from other solanaceous crops (tomato, eggplant, potato) to suppress soilborne disease. Per-capita U.S. consumption of fresh bell peppers averaged 11.4 lb in 2017 (up 6% from 2015) and chile peppers 7.7 lb (USDA ERS 2018, via AgMRC).
Growing Season
- Plant
- late spring – early summer
- Harvest
- mid-summer – first fall frost
- Frost-free days
- 100+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,500 – 2,200
Yield
- Typical yield
- 380 cwt/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 350 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Scoring data for this axis is being loaded.
Climate Fit
Scoring data for this axis is being loaded.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Scoring data for this axis is being loaded.
Equipment Requirements
general
Utility tractor for bed prep, mulch laying, cultivation, and spraying. Often shared across multiple vegetable enterprises.
Per-acre roll-cost. Provides 2-4°F frost protection at transplanting, excludes early-season aphids and flea beetles. Remove at flowering to allow pollination.
planting
Lays raised beds with embossed black or reflective plastic mulch and drip tape in a single pass. Strongly recommended for commercial peppers — improves stand, suppresses weeds, repels aphids (with silver mulch).
Punches holes in plastic mulch, delivers starter water, and aids hand placement of transplants. Reduces labor 30-50% versus hand-punch transplanting.
irrigation
Per-acre estimate for filter station, fertigation injector, mainline, and seasonal drip tape (T-tape 5-8 mil). Drip is strongly preferred to overhead to limit foliar disease pressure.
spraying
For protectant fungicide and insecticide programs (Phytophthora, bacterial spot, aphids, lepidoptera). Calibration and PPE compliance per label.
cultivation
Between-row mechanical cultivation in non-plasticulture systems, or hooded sprayer for in-row banded herbicide between plastic-mulched beds.
harvesting
Multiple hand-pickings over a 6-10 week harvest window. Plastic lugs preferred over waxed cardboard for sanitation and reuse.
post_harvest
Removes field heat from freshly harvested fruit to extend shelf life. Target pulp temperature 7-10°C (45-50°F) within hours of harvest.
Short-term holding before market. Hold at 7-10°C; avoid lower temperatures which cause chilling injury (pitting, decay). Keep separate from ethylene-producing crops (apples, tomatoes).
Manual or roller grading table for size/color sort; some operations wax-brush to enhance shine. Most direct-market growers grade and pack at field-side.
Finance Fit
Scoring data for this axis is being loaded.
Risk Fit
Scoring data for this axis is being loaded.
Known Risks
disease
Soilborne oomycete causing crown rot, fruit rot, and rapid plant collapse, especially after warm wet periods and in poorly drained soils. The most economically damaging pepper disease in many growing regions.
Caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and related species. Produces water-soaked leaf lesions, defoliation, and fruit spotting. Spreads rapidly during warm humid weather and is seedborne.
Fungal fruit rot producing sunken, water-soaked lesions on ripe fruit, often with concentric rings of pink-orange spore masses. Causes major postharvest and field losses in warm humid conditions.
Aphid- and thrips-vectored viruses (Tobacco etch, Pepper mottle, Cucumber mosaic, TSWV) causing mosaic, leaf distortion, stunting, and unmarketable fruit. No effective curative control once infected.
pest
Green peach aphid, melon aphid, and others colonize new growth and serve as primary vectors of mosaic viruses. Direct damage from feeding usually secondary to virus transmission.
Small dark snout beetle whose larvae develop inside flower buds and immature fruit, causing fruit abortion or premature ripening with frass-filled cores. Established in southern regions; periodic incursions further north.
Lepidopteran larvae bore into fruit and cause direct feeding damage. ECB enters through the calyx, leaving entry holes and internal feeding tunnels; armyworm feeds on foliage and fruit surface.
weather
Peppers are sensitive to temperatures below 10°C (50°F) and killed by frost. Cold soils at transplanting cause stunting and uneven stands; chilling injury during fruit set reduces yield.
Night temperatures above 24°C (75°F) and day temperatures above 32°C (90°F) during flowering cause flower drop and reduced fruit set. Sunscald of exposed fruit also increases under heat with sparse canopy.
environmental
Dark sunken rot at the blossom end of developing fruit caused by localized calcium deficiency, usually induced by fluctuating soil moisture rather than absolute Ca shortage. Common on first fruit set in stressed plants.
market
Bell pepper prices fluctuate significantly with supply gluts from Florida, Mexico, and California production windows. Smaller-scale growers without contracted buyers can face thin margins or unsold inventory in peak supply months.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Bell Pepper against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from USDA Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) Bell and Chili Peppers commodity profile (revised May 2024) — https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/bell-and-chili-peppers — and Penn State Extension Pepper Production guide — https://extension.psu.edu/pepper-production. Yield, price, and per-capita consumption figures from AgMRC; soil-temperature transplant guidance, harvest interval, and Mid-Atlantic agronomic context from Penn State Extension.
11 tracked changes across 3 data categories