Growing Red Hot Cherry Peppers

Amend the planting soil with organic matter two to three weeks before sowing seeds. Spread 2 to 3 inches of organic matter, such as grass clippings or dried leaves, on top of the soil. Mix the organic matter into the ground to a depth of 8 to 12 inches with a shovel. This improves drainage and adds nutrients to the soil.

Sow your red-hot cherry pepper seeds on the soil and cover them with one-eighth to one-quarter inch of soil. Peppers are warm-weather plants, frost sensitive and should be planted after the threat of frost is over and nighttime temperatures are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Space the seedlings 18 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart. The plant grows tall with an 18-inch span.

Water the red-hot cherry plant regularly maintaining evenly moist soil to a depth of 6 inches. During fruit set and development, the pepper plant requires more water and should not experience periods of dry soil.

Fertilizing your pepper plants monthly with a fertilizer lower in nitrogen than phosphorus produces more peppers than foliage. Too much nitrogen, particularly during the beginning of the growing season, develops leaves and delays fruit development.

Use a hoe to keep weeds down around the pepper plants. Do not cultivate deeper than 2 to 3 inches so the roots of the pepper are not damaged.