While it may not yet be time to get outdoors and plant your garden, it is the perfect time to plant seeds indoors. We’ll show you how to easily get started by growing peppers from seed.
Growing up, I can clearly remember my mom planting seeds in the early Spring in preparation for her bountiful outdoor garden. The seeds ranged from peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini and much, much more. And to this day, every Spring, her windows are lined with potted seedlings happily poking through the soil.
Growing Peppers from Seed
There are so many benefits to growing peppers from seeds. Here are just a few:
- Easy. There’s really not much to it. Any one can get started simply and easily.
- Inexpensive. A whole packet of seeds that produces several plants is considerably less than one potted pepper plant. Furthermore, you can even take the seeds from the harvested peppers and store them for planting next year.
- Quick. In no time at all, the seeds are planted and the germination period begins, allowing you to get garden preparation done sooner.
- Greater varieties to choose from. Depending on where you live, the local nurseries are often limited in their offerings. My husband loves, loves, loves his jalapeno poppers and since jalapeno peppers are not sold at all the garden centers, we’ll be planting those hot pepper seeds as well. To get your outdoor garden ready, check out our how to build a simple raised garden bed instructions.
While it looks like I haven’t inherited my mother’s green thumb, I have gratefully learned a lot about planting seeds over the years. These steps can be applied to all seeds but keep in mind the seed starting requirements have some differences between the varieties.
Materials needed for growing peppers from seed:
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- Planting pots (I love these biodegradable seed starter trays but I’ve also seen my mom re-use anything from flower pots to washed yogurt containers)
- Potting soil
- Pepper seeds (we planted bell pepper seeds here but you can plant any variety you like)
- Plastic wrap
How to grow peppers from seeds:
To help the seeds germinate faster, soak them overnight prior to plating.
Add a good amount of soil to the inside of your pot until it’s about ¾ full.
Soak the soil with water.
Poke shallow holes in the soil about 2″ apart. Place 2-3 pepper seeds into each hole.
Cover the seeds with a layer of soil approximately 1/4” thick. Lightly press down the soil over the seeds.
Water well and keep the soil moist. You don’t want the soil to be soaking wet, just evenly moist.
Cover the top with plastic wrap to help keep the heat and moisture in to quicken the germination period. The length of time for germination can range from 7-21 days.
Keep the covered, planted seeds in a warm place in a darker spot until the shoots start sprouting from the soil. Check the soil frequently to ensure it is still moist while germinating.
Once the pepper seeds start to sprout, remove the plastic wrap and move them into a fully sunlit area. Give the soil a full watering at least once a week (or sooner if it dries out quickly) with room temperature water.
As the seedlings begin to grow and thicken, thin away the excess sprouts with a pair of scissors (don’t pull them out or else you’ll disturb the neighbouring roots).
Let the shoots grow for another 2-3 weeks until four leaves have grown on each shoot. Then it’s time to transplant the shoots to individual containers!
Transplant to warm sunny location outdoors when the temperature outside is warm enough for planting and gardening. Continue to care for your plants outdoors until they are they are ready for harvesting which can be as soon as 20 weeks from when you first sowed the seeds.
If you’re still in need of some motivation, check out these delicious recipes fresh from our gardens, such as this Yellow Pole Bean Salad; No-Fuss Summer Strawberry Salad, and this First Harvest Spring Leaf Salad.
What types of peppers would you like to plant?
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