A GreenStalk changes the pepper math. Every pocket contains its own plant, so you can grow a full flight, from sweet to screaming-hot, salsa to hot sauce, right on a porch or patio. We built out a 13-variety flight to jumpstart your pepper obsession, or at least discover some exciting new flavors.
Why Peppers Are Made for Vertical Growing
Pepper plants are naturally tidy growers that grow upright, self-contained, and as compactly as you shape them. With 18 - 42 pockets of growing room in your Vertical Planter, you can alternate different varieties and companion plants on each tier. And, the consistency of the GreenStalk watering reservoir helps to avoid the leading cause of blossom drop and stalled production, irregular watering.
For planting depth, watering cadence, and pest prevention, our How to Grow Peppers in a Small Space guide has you covered — this post is just the fun part: deciding what to grow.
Cowhorn peppers growing in the GreenStalk Original Vertical Planter
Build Your Pepper Flight
What do you love to eat, prepare, and share around the table? While the usual suspects like bell peppers and jalapenos can be bought at the grocery store, there are tons of pepper varieties best enjoyed fresh from your own garden. Below are 12 varieties we’ve grown here at GreenStalk HQ, which we taste-tested in this video.
If you’re craving Salsa & Pico
Jalapeño — 20-30" plant, ready in 70-80 days, medium heat. The workhorse of fresh salsa and pico de gallo.
Serrano — 24-36" plant, same 70-80 day timeline, smaller and thinner-walled with a brighter, sharper heat than jalapeño.
Grow both and you've got layers of heat to work with in the same bowl.
Small but productive, chili peppers thrive in a vertical garden.
For those who love Stir-Fry & Sauté
Marconi — 24-30" plant, 75-90 days, sweet Italian frying pepper with pods stretching 6-10 inches.
Thai Chili — compact, often under 24", 80-90 days, dozens of tiny fiery pods per plant.
One pocket brings the sweetness, the other brings the heat. Between them you've got an entire stir-fry sauce covered.
Don’t sleep on Roasting & Stuffing
Bell — 18-24" plant, 70-90 days for full color, thick walls and a wide cavity built for stuffing.
Cowhorn — up to 3' tall, 75-90 days, curved 8-10" pods with enough wall thickness to hold a char.
Anaheim Chili — 24-30" plant, 75-80 days, the classic mild roasting pepper for chile rellenos and salsa verde.
These three fill out the "main course" end of the flight. Essentially, anything you'd blister, roast, or fill.
Left: purple bell peppers, right: habanero peppers
If you want to try your hand at Hot Sauce & Fermenting
Cayenne — 24-36" plant, 70-80 days, thin narrow pods built for drying and blending.
Habanero — 18-24" plant, 90-100 days, fruity heat that needs the extra time to develop.
Ghost Pepper — 3-4' plant, 100-120 days, the longest season in the flight and the hottest pocket in the tower.
Give this trio your top tier and an early start. Trust us, they're worth the wait.
Keep it easy by Pickling & Snacking
Banana Pepper — 24-30" plant, ready in as little as 65-70 days, mild and tangy.
Hungarian Hot Wax — 20-24" plant, 60-70 days, one of the earliest and most prolific peppers you can grow.
Lunch Box Orange & Red — 24-36" plant, ready in 60-75 days for green harvest (up to 85 for full color), zero heat, sweet and fruity. They sweetest snacking pepper ever!
These three will be the first pockets you're harvesting from, often weeks before anything else in the flight is ready.
Banana peppers are one of the quickest peppers to mature, making them a great addition to your GreenStalk pepper planter.
Plan Your Plate
A pepper flight is just one of countless ways you can curate your GreenStalk into a kitchen companion or cuisine experience! If you’re curious for more inspiration on growing to suit your tastes, check out our post on Growing a Full Meal in Your GreenStalk Garden.
