Learn How to Grow Jalapeños in Pots and Care to enjoy the fresh supply in a limited space like a balcony or patio!
Learn all about How to Grow Jalapeños in Pots and relish them fresh in smoothies, smoke them in dishes, toss in pizzas, add in tacos, omelets, and much more!
Jalapeno Pepper
Jalapeños come from the nightshade family and are frost-tender perennials, mostly grown as an annual.
Originated in Mexico, a jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Jalapeño’) is a mid-size hot pepper fruit. It is grown throughout the world for its famous flavor, which is pungent, slightly sour, and spicy with a hint of smokiness. They have a green hue, but if left on the plant for long, they turn red, making them spicer.
The best thing about it is its preservability and versatility. It is also ideal for stuffing and pickling.
Other Names: Chile Gordo – “Fat Chili Pepper,” Cuaresmeño, Huachinango – the ripe red jalapeño, Chipotle pepper- smoked jalapeño pepper
Size of Jalapeno Plants
Jalapeños can grow up to 24-36 inches tall and 12-24 inches wide. With regular pruning, the plant can stay on the shorter side, making it perfect to grow in small spaces.
Growing Jalapeños in Pots
Start jalapeños in an 8-12 inches pot. Make sure it has a drainage hole at the bottom. You can also plant them in grow bags and window boxes.
Best Jalapeño Varieties for Containers
Early Jalapeño, Chilipeño Hybrid, NuMex Pinata, Conchos, Mitla Hybrid, and Jalafuego are some of the best varieties for containers. They are ready to harvest in 65-70 days and also stay manageable.
For a family of 4, all you need are two plants, and you are sorted with a nonstop supply all year round!
Propagating Jalapeños
Growing jalapeño peppers from seeds is quite easy, and you can do it in small pots and even cups! Start when the weather is warm.
You can start to sow seeds around 6-8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. You can grow it anytime until the weather is warm. Use a seed starting medium that’s rich in coconut coir or peat.
Keep the soil moist all the time and locate the seeds where they get plenty of bright light.
The seeds will germinate in 7-14 days.
Requirements for Growing Jalapeños in Pots
Location
Place the pots in full sun, where they get lots of warmth. Remember, if you want the best jalapeños, ensure the plant gets a minimum sun exposure for 5-6 hours every day.
Soil
Use a fertile and well-draining soil rich in organic matter. The growing medium has to be slightly acidic to neutral in pH. Add well-rotted cow or chicken manure or compost. If you want to improve the soil texture–also mix peat moss/coco peat.
Mix 1/4 to 1/3 of sterilized garden soil along with a handful of vermiculite or perlite, and you will have the best DIY potting mix, which will save the money you would otherwise spend on the commercial potting medium.
Water
Jalapeños do best in slightly moist soil. However, you have to make sure that the soil is not very soggy all the time. And, always water slowly and deeply without wetting the foliage as it may cause fungal infection.
Temperature
For best growth, keep the plant above 60 F (15 C). Jalapeño plants perform best in temperatures up to 95 F (35 C) and down to 50 F (10 C) easily. The ideal growing range is between 70-90 F (21-32 C).
Jalapeño Plant Care
Fertilizer
Jalapeños are heavy feeders and you will have to side-dress the pots with compost or aged manure. If you’re not using the organic fertilizer, ensure to fertilize them once in 2-4 weeks, using a balanced liquid fertilizer like 10-10-10. Do refer to the label for instructions or apply 1/2 of the recommended dose.
Occasionally, apply Epsom salt by diluting 2 teaspoons in 2 liters of water and use it at the time of watering, every month.
Sprinkling crushed eggshells around the base of the plant and mixing them in the soil every once in a while will also help the plant to fruit better.
Adding a handful of bone meal in the planting hole also helps at the time of transplanting. We have an informative article that you must check out here.
Pruning
Pinch the young plants to remove the top tips when they are several inches tall. Once grown more, prune the plants after they’re 6-8 weeks old to boost growth. Use clean shears and cut the stems just above the leaf node.
Keep the dense areas trimmed so that all the parts of the plant get equal sun exposure. Make sure not to cut more than 1/3 of the plant at a time.
Pests and Diseases
Aphids can be a trouble for your jalapeños. Use a solution of neem oil or insecticidal soap. You can find natural ways to kill aphids here.
To keep most of the potential diseases at bay, avoid wetting the foliage and overwatering the plant.
How to Harvest Jalapeños?
Jalapeños are ready to harvest when they are 3-4 inches long, which is around 60-70 days after sowing seeds. The pods need to be firm and dark green in color. If the jalapeños are left on the plant longer, they’ll become spicer.
Use a knife to cut them cleanly. Do not harm the plant in the process.
How to Preserve Jalapeños?
You can add fresh jalapeños to hot sauces, tacos, nachos, soups, and pepper chilly. Preserve them for later use by dehydrating, freezing, and pickling.
