If you’re lucky enough to have space for a garden, you know that space is at a premium. While it’s tempting to try to pack as many poblano peppers into your garden as possible, is that really for the best?
Poblano peppers should be spaced 18 inches apart with three feet between rows when planted in the ground. Likewise, they should be planted 18 inches apart with three feet in between rows with double staggered rows in raised beds. When growing poblano peppers in a pot, use at least a 5-gallon pot with only one plant per pot.
Keep reading to learn how much space poblano peppers need to grow properly – and why!
Spacing requirements for poblano pepper plants
In order to have happy plants and optimal yields, you need to give your poblano pepper plants enough room to grow. But how much room is enough?
The spacing requirements for poblano pepper plants differ slightly based on where you’re planting them.
- In the ground – Poblano peppers should be planted a foot and a half apart with three feet between them
- In raised garden beds – Poblano peppers should be planted a foot and a half apart with three feet between them and the rows should be double staggered
- In containers – Only one poblano pepper per pot – and the pot must be at least 5 gallons
If you like a little bit of spice (but not too much!), then the poblano pepper may be your best friend. Originating from Puebla, Mexico, poblano peppers have become a favorite among home gardeners.
You should plant your poblano peppers somewhere that tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplants, or tomatillos haven’t been grown for at least three years. This is because plants in the same family need similar nutrients, so the nutrients your poblanos need will likely have already been taken out of the soil by these plants.
Likewise, plants in the same family have similar pest and disease problems, so the chances of your poblanos running into pests or diseases from past plants would be increased.
While you may not realize it when you buy a young poblano pepper plant, this breed can reach up to four feet tall! This requires an extensive root system along with room for the branches to spread.
Let’s talk about some different places you might want to plant poblano pepper plants and how to do it correctly!
In-ground
Many gardeners prefer to plant directly in the ground. Depending on where you live, it’s a fantastic option!
In the ground, poblano peppers should be planted 18 inches apart with three feet in between the rows. You can grow your peppers closer together if the temperatures where you live are relatively low. Closer spacing requires more fertilization.
Eighteen inches and three feet may seem like a lot, but poblano peppers can reach up to four or five feet high! This calls for an extensive root system. Both the above-ground bushes and below-ground roots need plenty of room.
Raised garden beds
Other gardeners swear by raised garden beds. If the natural soil in your backyard isn’t ideal, if you have trouble bending down, or if you just like the aesthetic – raised garden beds are a great choice!
In raised garden beds, poblano peppers should be planted 18 inches apart with three feet in between rows. It’s a good idea to use double staggered rows in raised garden beds to create more room and fully utilize your available space.
If you’re using raised garden beds, you should use double staggered rows to create more room.
Double staggered rows are a technique where you use the same dimensions that the rows would typically have – 36 inches apart – except you plant your poblano peppers staggered instead of in a direct row.
This means there will be a plant in the first row, a plant in the second row diagonal to it, and another plant in the first row…and so on.
Double staggered rows fully utilize the available space and are your best bet for raised beds where space is limited.
Pots and planters
Maybe you don’t have room for an extensive garden, or you like to have some plants in pots along with your garden. So how do poblano pepper plants fare?
Poblano peppers must be planted in 5-gallon pots or larger.
There will only be space for a single poblano pepper plant for most pots.
Can you plant poblano peppers in 3-gallon pots?
You can not plant poblano peppers in 3-gallon pots.
According to the University of Maryland, pepper plants need well-draining soil in 5 gallons or larger containers.
Can you plant poblano peppers in 2-gallon pots?
You can not plant poblano peppers in 2-gallon pots.
According to the University of Maryland, pepper plants need well-draining soil in 5 gallons or larger containers.
Can you plant poblano peppers in 1-gallon pots?
You can not plant poblano peppers in 1-gallon pots.
According to the University of Maryland, pepper plants need well-draining soil in 5 gallons or larger containers.
4 Potential problems if poblano peppers are planted too close together
Now that you know how much space your poblano peppers need to grow properly, let’s discuss why it’s important to follow these guidelines.
Here are some things that can go wrong if you plant your peppers too close together:
- Competing for nutrients
- Larger chance of pests and diseases
- Hard to maintain adequate moisture levels
- Lower yields
Time to dig a little deeper (get it?) into these problems!
Competing for nutrients
Nutrients are one of the most important factors in plant growth. So it’s obviously a bad thing if your plants need to compete!
One problem you will run into if your poblano peppers are planted too close together is that your plants will be competing for nutrients. This means your plants won’t get all the nutrients they need. Additionally, they’ll waste energy searching extra hard for those nutrients.
Plants need enough mineral elements and nutrients in order to grow well. When your poblano peppers are planted too close together, they won’t have their own soil to get nutrients from and will be competing with neighboring plants.
Macronutrients are needed in large amounts for adequate plant growth. Some macronutrients include, but aren’t limited to:
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorous
- Potassium
Micronutrients are still vital to plant growth but aren’t needed in such large amounts. Some micronutrients include, but aren’t limited to:
- Iron
- Manganese
- Zinc
Larger chance of pests and diseases
Pests and diseases are the banes of any gardener’s existence. So the last thing you want is a higher chance of dealing with them!
One problem you will run into if your poblano peppers are planted too close together is that there will be a larger chance of pests and diseases. Fungal diseases are common in overcrowded gardens because of poor air circulation. In addition, pests and diseases can spread more easily between plants that are too close together.
Fungal diseases are a huge problem in overcrowded gardens due to poor air circulation.
Likewise, both pests and diseases can more easily spread from plant to plant if they’re right next to each other!
Hard to maintain adequate moisture levels
Adequate moisture levels are vital for optimal plant growth. Your poblano peppers will suffer without the right moisture levels!
One problem you will run into if your poblano peppers are planted too close together is that it’s hard to maintain adequate moisture levels. It’s difficult to correctly water your plants when they compete for the water rather than having enough space to be watered as individual plants.
As you may be gathering by now, they’re forced to compete for resources when plants are too close together. One such resource is water.
For example, when you have 6 poblano pepper plants where only 3 should fit, and you water your garden as if there were only 3 plants, the soil will dry out twice as quickly.
Lower yields
Everyone wants high yields from their garden. Unfortunately, planting your poblano peppers too close together will result in lower yields, even if you have more plants.
One problem you will run into if your poblano peppers are planted too close together is that you will have lower yields. This is due to multiple factors, including that your pepper plants will have to compete for nutrients, a larger chance of pests and diseases, and difficulty maintaining adequate moisture levels.
Ultimately, when you combine all the problems we’ve discussed, your poblano pepper plants will have lower yields.
When they don’t get enough nutrients, have a higher chance of diseases and pests, and don’t have adequate moisture levels, there’s no way your peppers will thrive!
You’re better off having fewer poblano pepper plants with large yields than you are having double or triple the amount of plants with little to no yields.
