Bell Pepper (California Wonder)

📖 About This Plant

The classic blocky bell pepper with thick, crisp walls. Starts green, ripens to red with increased sweetness. One of the most widely grown pepper varieties in home gardens.

📊 Quick Facts

📅 When to Plant in Your Area

🌱 Care Tips

Start California Wonder indoors 8–10 weeks before last frost — bell peppers need a long head start. Maintain seed-starting mix temperature at 75–85°F (a heat mat is very helpful); germination at lower temperatures is slow and erratic. Transplant outdoors only after nights are reliably above 55°F and soil has warmed to 65°F. Cold soil permanently stunts pepper development, and plants set back by cold transplanting rarely recover to full productivity. Space 15–18 inches apart in rows 24 inches wide. Full sun is non-negotiable — peppers in partial shade produce half the fruit of plants in full sun. Water deeply and consistently at 1–1.5 inches per week; irregular watering causes blossom drop and blossom end rot. Feed with a balanced fertilizer at transplanting; switch to a low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertilizer once the first flowers appear to shift the plant from vegetative growth to fruiting. California Wonder is determinate and does not require suckering. Support main stems with tomato cages — heavily loaded plants can topple. For green peppers (the flavor most associate with fresh bell peppers), harvest when fruits are full-sized and firm. For red peppers (sweeter, higher in vitamin C and lycopene), leave on the plant until fully red — this takes 2–3 additional weeks and one less green harvest, but red California Wonder fresh from the garden is spectacularly good.

🤝 Companion Plants

These plants grow well alongside Bell Pepper:

🌿 Related Vegetable

More vegetable that grow in similar conditions:

❓ Frequently Asked Questions