How To Grow Peppers From Seed

Growing peppers can be difficult and they can take awhile to grow. Here are my best tips on how to grow peppers from seed.

I live in zone 5 and we have short summers that are cool compared to other climates. This makes it a little bit more difficult to grow plants like tomatoes and peppers.

I haven’t given up on peppers and I have finally figured out how to grow lots of peppers even in a cool climate. In fact, I start all my own pepper plants from seed for my garden.

Here is my step by step guide to growing peppers from seed.

Step 1: Choose The Right Variety

If you live in a northern climate like I do then you will want to grow peppers better suited for your region.

Peppers with a low number of days to maturity is what you want to look for. Peppers can range from 60-150 days to maturity.

Definitely look for pepper plants on the lower end of this scale. I have also found that bell peppers are great for beginners and cool climates alike.

Step 2: Start Your Pepper Seeds

I like to start my peppers indoors 10 weeks before my last frost. This is very early in the year to start pepper plants, but I have the most success starting them early.

I start my pepper seeds in seed starting cells. I use my own DIY soil recipe for my peppers which they thrive in!

I place these seed starting cells in a tray over a heat mat. Heat mats are really important when starting pepper plants and you can learn more about them here.

I keep my heat mat around 75^oF until all my pepper plants sprout. I also keep the soil moist with a spray bottle until the plants emerge.

Once my pepper plants are up, I turn the heat mat off and keep the grow light close to the plants. This will prevent the seedlings from getting leggy.

Step 3: Pot Up

Potting up is when you take a seedling in a small pot and move it into a bigger pot with more soil. Since I start my seedlings in the seedling cells they will need more space before they move to the garden.

I pot my peppers up when the roots start to peak out the bottom of the seed starting cells. I also wait until my pepper plants have true leaves.

When potting up, make sure to plant your seedlings deep so they stay short and strong.

Step 4: Planting Your Peppers

I always wait until the threat of frost is well past before I plant my peppers outside. Pepper plants love heat and hate cool weather.

Unlike tomatoes, I do not plant my peppers deeply. I have found that that they do better when planted around the same depth as they are growing in the pot.

When you plant your peppers, choose the sunniest part of your garden. Plant them in well draining soil as they don’t do well with too much water.

I like to throw a handful of well aged compost in the hole before I plant my peppers. This is almost all the nutrients they will need for their entire lifetime.

Step 5: Getting Your Peppers To Produce

Over fertilizing peppers can cause them to grow lots of leaves and little fruit. I never recommend using a high nitrogen fertilizer for pepper plants. Here is what I do instead.

I use homemade compost that has been well aged. Older compost is better because it does not have as high a nitrogen content.

I add some of this compost in the hole when planting. I will also give my pepper plants some fish emulsions mixed with water.

I wet the entire plant with fish emulsions once or twice before they produce fruit. Once my pepper plants start producing, I stop all fertilizer applications.

Step 6: Harvesting Peppers

Peppers can be harvested at almost any stage in their development. If you pick red bell peppers early they are just green bell peppers.

For colored peppers wait until the fruit has completely changed to the desired color. It may take some time for the whole pepper to change color and this is normal.

I like to use a pair of pruners to harvest my peppers as this prevents damage to the rest of the plant. Harvest those peppers and enjoy them!

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