Have you ever thought of growing your poblanos indoors? We’re big proponents of it.
Growing poblano peppers indoors protects them from the elements and allows you to have peppers all year round. Poblano peppers are indeterminate perennials, meaning they can grow for years on end under the right conditions. Your biggest roadblock will likely be providing your peppers with enough light so investing in a grow light will be worth it.
Keep reading for the only guide you’ll ever need!
Can poblano peppers be grown indoors?
Poblano peppers can be grown indoors quite successfully!
Growing poblanos indoors is a great way to have peppers all year round. Germinating, transplanting, fertilizing, and watering are all the same indoors as outdoors. The main difference is that you will probably need to provide grow lights in addition to a sunny window.
Poblano peppers can be grown indoors. For the most part, growing poblano peppers indoors is the same as growing them outdoors!
One of the biggest differences is that you’ll need to worry more about light. While placing your poblano in a sunny window might seem like enough, it will really need supplemental artificial light to succeed.
The best part of growing poblano peppers indoors is that you can grow them all year round, for multiple years!
Do poblano peppers need full sun?
If you’re growing indoors, proper sunlight is probably going to be your biggest pain point.
Poblano peppers need 8-10 hours of full, direct sun. Sunlight helps create energy for plants through a process called photosynthesis. Poblano peppers need so much sun because they use up a lot of energy due to their size and high yields.
Poblano peppers need 8-10 hours of full sun to thrive.
This is because poblanos are such large, heavy producers. Sunlight provides energy through photosynthesis – and poblanos need a lot of energy!
How to grow poblano peppers indoors
Now let’s break it down!
To grow poblano peppers indoors:
- Germinate
- Transplant
- Put in full sun
- Fertilize
- Water
- Prune
Read on to learn all about each of these steps in detail!
Germinate
Germination is one of the trickiest parts of growing poblano peppers.
To grow poblano peppers indoors, germinate seeds at 70-80°F. Using a heat mat can help keep the temperature warm enough.
Poblano peppers need temperatures between 70-80°F to germinate.
This specific temperature range tells the seeds that it’s time to “wake up” and will start a chain of protein and enzyme reactions. Eventually, the seeds will grow a root and a stem!
Transplant
Transplanting requires a gentle touch!
To grow poblano peppers indoors, carefully transplant them into 5-gallon containers once the seedlings have developed 3-5 sets of true leaves.
Transplanting is a very delicate process that requires a lot of care. Wait to transplant until your seedlings have developed 3-5 sets of “true leaves.”
Carefully remove the seedling from the tray. Gently shake out the roots.
Fill a five-gallon container with soil. Dig a hole a bit larger than your seedling’s root system.
Hold your transplant suspended in the hole and fill in around it with soil.
Put in full sun
As discussed earlier, sunlight is very important.
To grow poblano peppers indoors, put them in the sunniest window you have. Your poblano will do best if you also use grow lights.
Keep your poblano pepper in a window that gets a lot of sun. Poblano peppers need full sun!
Truthfully, you should probably use grow lights as a supplementary light source. Grow lights are common for indoor vegetable gardening because it’s nearly impossible to provide enough light just from windows alone.
Fertilize
Fertilization is the key to happy and healthy plants!
To grow poblano peppers indoors, fertilize them at ½ strength upon transplant. Then fertilize your plants 2-3 times throughout the season or with an extended-release fertilizer. Poblano peppers prefer fertilizers with a 5-10-10 NPK value.
Fertilize your poblano pepper with ½ strength 5-10-10 fertilizer when you transplant it.
Fertilize again 2-3 times throughout the season if not using an extended-release fertilizer.
Extended-release fertilizers are great because you don’t have to keep applying them and they release nutrients evenly and consistently so levels don’t fluctuate.
Water
Without water, your poblanos will quickly wither away!
To grow poblano peppers indoors, water them 1-2 inches of water per week. You will probably need to water it even more than this because pots drain quickly.
Poblano peppers need 1-2 inches of water per week.
Since you’re growing your poblano in a container, you will likely need to supply at least 2 inches, if not more. This is because containers drain quickly.
To test if you need to water your poblano or not, stick your finger in the soil. It should be damp a few inches down. If you take your finger out and no dirt is stuck to it, the soil is too dry and your plant needs to be watered!
Prune
Knowing how to prune properly can make all the difference!
To grow poblano peppers indoors, prune your plant to encourage high yields, healthy root growth, and a pleasing aesthetic.
Pruning your poblano pepper can greatly increase yields. It can also help encourage healthy root growth.
And even if you don’t care about that stuff, pruning your plant can help it look great!
To get even more specific, pruning poblano pepper plants:
- Improves fruit production
- Shapes your plant
- Promotes plant health
- Promotes branching
- Creates air movement
- Encourages a healthy root system
- And more!
Clearly, pruning is the way to go.
Can I grow poblano peppers indoors all year round?
You can grow peppers indoors all year round because they will be protected from the elements.
In the north, the winters get too cold and will kill your plants. Meanwhile, in the south, the summers get too hot!
Growing indoors is a good solution to this problem.
How long will indoor poblano pepper plants produce?
Indoor poblano pepper plants will produce for multiple years because poblano peppers are perennial, indeterminate plants.
The only reason poblano pepper plants stop producing is environmental.
