How to Grow Peppers | The ultimate Guide

Welcome to the most extensive article about growing peppers from seed! In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about growing peppers from seed; from sowing methods and the best spots to put them, to how much watering they need and what kind of fertilizers they require. We will also touch on common diseases that may arise, as well as soil quality and what to be careful about when buying seeds. By the end of this guide, you will be an expert on growing peppers from seed!

Choose the wright pepper seed

Let’s get started! The first thing you need to do is choose the right type of pepper for your garden. There are many different types of peppers out there, so it’s important to pick one that will thrive in your climate. So let’s say that you concluded on what type of peppers you will grow, hot or sweet. The next thing you need to do is decide the right type of pepper for your garden.. So grab your laptop or tablet and google what is the best varieties of pepper for your region. Example. If you live in Uk and want to grow a Chilli pepper just type : “best chillis to grow in uk” and take your time deciding which is best for your region.

Buy your Seeds

Choose to buy seeds from a reputable supplier that is well established in the seed market. This is critical because you want to make sure that the seeds are of high quality and have a high germination rate. You can find these reputable suppliers by doing a quick search online or asking around at your local gardening store. Once you’ve found a reputable supplier, it’s time to buy your seeds!

Prepare to sow the Seeds

So you did your homework and you already have in your hands the fresh seeds of the pepper you want to grow! Yoo-hoo !! So let’s dive into specifics and all the sowing methods that you can use.

When to Start

Peppers are a warm-season crop and are very sensitive to light frost and cool temperatures. With that said they perform best at temperatures between 65 – 80F, 18 – 28C and poorly when temperature fall bellow 60F – 15C. In extreme heat the plants tend to keep more defensive character and produce smaller odd shaped fruits. So with those in mind and depending on where you live and the climate, here are some general tips that will cover most cases.

1. Start 6-8 weeks indoors. Even though peppers are capable of growing themselves in warm climates, starting them indoors give them a head start and will result in bigger plants with earlier harvests.
   
2. Keeping temperature steady. You don’t want to shock your seedlings with abrupt temperature changes. So make sure to sow them in a warm place with consistent temperature above 18C – 54F and near a south window if this is possible. You can also use a heating pad and a growing led if you want to be more professional.

Sowing Methods

There are five sowing methods you can use. One more traditional than the other, but all will give you great results.

1. The first one is to sow the seeds individually in small pots filled with quality potting mix. This method works best if you sow the seeds indoors and then transplant them later on, when they are big enough outside. To do this, fill your small pots with good quality potting mix and make sure you don’t use last year’s unwanted soil because that will result in poor drainage and soggy conditions that will lead to seedlings rotting. Also, bacterial diseases and pests may arise from old used soil. Sow the seeds about 0,25 inches or half a centimetre deep and water them gently with a watering can or preferably spray them and keep them moist but not wet. You should see the first seedlings popping up in about two weeks time.
   
2. The second method is to sow the seeds directly into your garden bed. This method is the most traditional one, but using this method requires that you will ensure that there is no risk of frost or wide temperature deviation between night and day. If you are using this method, i suggest you start when there is no risk of night frost at all. So given the situation, this type of sowing will delay your harvesting maybe to around 70-100 days. Overall, if you have a well organized garden or you have a greenhouse its the method that once the pepper grows big enough, you will have the less work to do.
   
3. The third method and my personal favourite is to sow the seeds in small pots as described in the first method. But then once they germinate, i transplant them into biodegradable pots (you can find these at any gardening shop) that will go directly into your garden bed.
   
4. The fourth method is simple and quick, and it’s called the soaked paper method. What you do is you simply take a plastic container, and soaked paper and put your seeds on the paper. You then cover the whole container with plastic wrap and follow the temperature rules we advised above. That’s it! The seedlings should sprout in the next weeks to come.
   
5. The fifth and final method is done with seed soil pellets. These compressed soil disks are ideal for sow peppers because they are easy to use and will give you great results. All you need to do is to put the pellet in a small container with lukewarm water until it expands, sow your seed and then follow the temperature rules from above as well. This method also offers high germination rates most of the time.

According to your situation and where you live, pick one of the methods that suit you best and continue your peppery journey!! I consider method number four, as the most beginner-friendly because it doesn’t require extra materials when starting, and it achieves high germination rates most of the time.

Important Details

So now you have your seeds and choose your preferred sowing method, you should avoid making common mistakes that beginners do, that will endanger your pepper growing journey!

• Be Careful no to heavily bury your seeds with much of soil, they just need a thin layer of soil and just a “LIGHT” press do not submerge the seeds heavily on the soil, or they will find difficulty germinating.
• Try to capture the general idea, for peppers to grow from seed we need the soil to be moist, and if it’s possible all the time. Moist DOES NOT mean wet or soaked. So we want to provide the moist, a pepper seed needs to sprout, but no more. This is critical, as if you have your seeds soaked wet, chances are that they will fail to germinate. If it happens, and you get your seeds wet, try to damp the excess water and put an air fan to gently dry the soil with time.
• In case you choose the fourth method, remember not to crumble the seeds between the paper, or the seeds will rot and not germinate. Just soak the paper and gently put them on top of it.
• Finally when your seedlings appear, DO NOT overwater them. They don’t need much water, just a little to keep the moist in the soil. Overwatering will make your seedlings to fall over, and it will damage them.

After Sprout time

So your baby pepper plants successfully sprouted, Yikes! What are we doing now? You are halfway there, my good friend! As you can understood seedlings are very sensitive, like all babies, they require a lot of love and care. Things you should do to grow them stronger:

• Pinch the first top blossom heads of the seedlings, this will force the plants to grow lateral branches and will become bushier, also this way they can put more energy in growing peppers rather than trying to blossom.
• You should also transplant your seedlings if you haven’t done so into bigger pots or directly into the garden bed. You can identify when it’s time for a transplant when you see the first set of well-developed branches and the general image of the plant gives the impression of being “pot-bound”.
• To ensure your pepper plants have the best chance to grow and thrive, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding sun, water, and soil quality. When it comes to sun, peppers love it! They need at least six hours of direct sunlight every day in order for the plant to grow strong and complete its destiny of producing great quality peppers!
• As we said before, peppers hate been soaked. So water them regularly,but try to establish a watering routine and check the soil every day. If the surface feels dry, it’s time to water the plant. The goal is to keep the soil moist but not wet or soaked as this will damage the roots and might kill your plants.
• When it comes to soil quality, make sure to use nutrient-rich soil. Peppers perform best with pH of 6.5 to 7. Apply Phoshphorus (P) and Potassium (K) solutions to enrich your soil. Avoid too much Nitrogen fertilization as this leads to bushier plants with slower bearing fruit times.
• Avoid weed killer solutions as they may harm your plants and even completely destroy them.
• Improve your soil by adding well rotted manure or compost. Avoid fresh manure as it may contain harmful bacteria.

General Tips

• Peppers like all plants are subject to pollination. So plant other flowers near your pepper plants. Although they can self pollinate through wind , inviting some pollinators will seal the deal.
• Its better to use gloves when picking your seeds, especially if its hot pepper seeds.
• Peppers benefit from black plastic mulch that warms the soil, decreases weed competition and keeps soil moisture.(link)
• Mulching with herbicide-free grass clippings, weed-free straw or other organic material to a depth of three to four inches can help prevent weed growth, decreasing the need for frequent cultivation.(link)

Expert Pepper Grower Certificate!

If you reached to this line, i proudly attribute you with the certificate of “Expert Pepper Grower” !! I hope this article will help you in your gardening wanderings and that you will find success growing your pepper plants. If you did, please share the article and comment below, or sends us some photos of your lovely garden!