Nutrient and Soil Requirements

• Green peppers grow best in moist but well-drained soil that's heavy on organic matter. Use a balanced organic fertilizer or one with slightly more nitrogen and phosphorus to give growing peppers well-balanced levels of nutrients. Optimal soil pH for growing green pepper plants is between 5.5 and 7.5.
  
  

Organic Options

• Before transplanting pepper plants, add composted manure or organic compost to the soil. When plants begin fruiting, add side-dressings of kelp for potassium deficiency, bone meal for phosphorus or calcium shortfalls, or additional manure. In the June/July 2006 issue of "Mother Earth News," Steve Solomon recommends an organic fertilizer recipe for green peppers and other vegetables consisting of seed, bone and kelp meals, agricultural and dolomitic lime, and gypsum, along with a layer of compost or steer manure.
  
  

Signs of Nutrient Imbalance

• Look for signs of soil nutrient imbalance. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer results in lush pepper plants but few peppers. Calcium deficiency causes blossom-end rot in peppers, which breaks down their tissue, according to the University of Florida Extension.