The Year I Almost Gave Up on Peppers

One summer I walked out to the pepper bed and just about turned around and went back inside. The leaves were curled, sticky, and chewed. A few plants were lying flat, gnawed clean through at the base. Overnight, I had gone from “best peppers yet” to wondering if it was worth planting them at all.

That season taught me something every gardener eventually learns: pests aren’t a fluke — they’re part of the deal. The good news is, once you learn how to keep them in check, you can protect your harvest without resorting to harsh chemicals.

Why Pepper Pests Show Up

Peppers are tender, heat-loving plants. That makes them magnets for anything that likes soft, juicy leaves and fruit. Aphids thrive on fresh growth, cutworms lurk in warm soil, spider mites show up when the weather gets hot and dry, and hornworms seem to know the exact night you stop checking the plants.

If you’re in USDA Zone 7–10, pest pressure is higher because of your long growing season. If you’re in cooler zones, you may see fewer pests — but don’t skip prevention. Healthy soil, steady watering, and weekly scouting make the difference between losing a crop and staying ahead.

1. Aphids

Aphids are tiny, soft-bodied insects — green, black, or red — that cluster on the undersides of leaves. You’ll usually notice curled leaves, a sticky substance called honeydew, and sometimes a line of ants farming them for sugar.

How to Control Aphids

1. Blast with Water: A strong spray knocks them off and keeps numbers down.

2. Soap Spray: Mix 1–2 teaspoons of liquid castile soap per quart of water and spray every few days.

3. Bring in the Ladybugs: Plant flowers like dill and alyssum to attract ladybugs and lacewings.

💡 Pro Tip: Avoid heavy nitrogen fertilizing — lush, tender growth just invites aphids to feast.

2. Cutworms

Cutworms are fat caterpillars that come out at night to chew through pepper stems at soil level, leaving a row of plants wilted and dead.

How to Prevent Cutworm Damage

1. Use Stem Collars: Slip a cardboard or foil collar around each transplant so worms can’t wrap around the stem.

2. Keep the Bed Clean: Remove weeds and plant debris where larvae hide.

3. Scout at Night: Go out with a flashlight and hand-pick them if needed.

⚠️ Avoid This Mistake: Skipping collars on young transplants. One night can wipe out an entire row.

3. Pepper Weevils

These tiny snout beetles bore into buds and fruit, causing premature fruit drop. If you pick up a pepper and see a tiny exit hole, you’ve got weevils.

How to Manage Pepper Weevils

1. Scout Weekly: Shake plants over white paper to spot adults.

2. Remove Infested Fruit: Destroy dropped fruit right away.

3. Rotate Crops: Don’t grow peppers in the same bed year after year.

👵 Grandma’s Tip: “Never trust a perfect-looking pepper that drops early — there’s always trouble inside.”

4. Spider Mites

Spider mites love hot, dry weather. You’ll notice tiny yellow speckles on leaves and fine webbing if you look closely.

How to Stop Spider Mites

1. Mist Foliage: Keep plants rinsed — mites hate humidity.

2. Spray Neem Oil: Apply every 7 days until gone.

3. Use Predatory Mites: If it’s a recurring issue, beneficial insects can keep them in check.

💡 Pro Tip: Mulch well to keep soil moisture even. Stressed, dry plants are mite magnets.

5. Hornworms

These massive green caterpillars can strip a plant in a matter of days. Their droppings (frass) are usually your first clue.

How to Control Hornworms

1. Check Daily: Inspect plants for frass and chewed leaves.

2. Hand-Pick: Drop hornworms into soapy water to kill.

3. Leave Parasitized Hornworms: If you see white cocoons on a hornworm, leave it — parasitic wasps are doing your pest control for you.

⚠️ Avoid This Mistake: Don’t use broad-spectrum insecticides. You’ll kill the very wasps that prevent the next generation.

Organic Pepper Pest Prevention Checklist

I put together a simple printable checklist you can hang in your garden shed. It includes:

• Weekly scouting reminders

• Simple spray recipes

• Crop rotation tips

• Space to note what you saw and when

👉 [Download the Checklist Here] and put it where you’ll see it.

Stewardship and Growing Peppers Well

Jeremiah 29:5 says, “Build houses and settle in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” Stewardship is about more than planting — it’s protecting what you’ve grown, using methods that don’t destroy the soil or harm pollinators.

Take Back Your Pepper Patch

Pests can take over fast, but with weekly checks and a few organic tools, you can win. Download the checklist, get in the habit of looking closely at your plants, and share it with a neighbor. Healthy peppers are worth protecting — and they’ll thank you with baskets of fruit all summer long.