Seed to Seed Guide: Peppers
By Hannah Brown
Bell Pepper
Peppers belong to the Nightshade family of plants, a diverse family of plants that not only include things like the inedible and toxic belladonna and tobacco, but also our favorite garden vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants. Native to Central Mexico and first cultivated by the indigenous people of the area, peppers, both spicy and mild have become an integral part of many international cuisines, from the Cajun and Creole “Holy Trinity” of onions, celery, and bell pepper, to the famously fiery dishes of Thailand, and beyond.
Delicious and varied in size, shape, and color, as well as heat levels, it can be a lot of fun to figure out what kind of pepper works best for your family. Just keep in mind these are tropical plants, so they’ll need warm weather and a lot of water and sunlight. As for cooking, the possibilities are endless. Slice them to serve as a garnish, stuff them, stir fry them, add them to curries, salsas, soups, and sauces, dry them for winter use, or ferment them into hot sauce. Just don’t touch your eyes when slicing up the hot ones!
Seed Starting:
When starting your Peppers from seed, it’s best to start them indoors for six to eight weeks before planting them in the ground outdoors. In Minnesota, this means that you should sow seeds into indoor pots or trays in mid to late February or early March.
Plant the seeds ¼th of an inch deep into sterile potting soil about ½ an inch apart. To help you estimate what this looks like, the distance between the first and second knuckle on your middle finger is approximately 1 inch. (Check yours against a ruler to ensure accuracy.)
After planting, cover the seeds with a thin layer of potting soil and moisten them with a spray bottle filled with water.
Place the seeds in a warm, bright spot either in a sunny window or positioned under a grow light placed 5 to 6 inches above the soil. (Keep in mind when germinating under a grow lamp that you must move the lamp upwards as the plants grow to prevent burning them. The tops of the plants should never be any closer than 4 inches away from the grow light.)
Moisten with the spray bottle or watering can whenever the top layer of soil dries out. You can check this by inserting a finger into the soil to gauge the dampness.
Optionally, you can cover the pots and trays with clear plastic to hold humidity and stretch out the time between waterings and/or place them on top of a heating mat set to between 80 to 90 degrees to encourage germination.
Under ideal conditions, the pepper will begin to sprout within 10-18 days of planting. The first leaves, called cotyledons, will look very different from the “true leaves” that will emerge later. This is normal.
14-22 days after planting the first true leaves will emerge. Once all true leaves have emerged, thin the seedlings by removing and discarding all but the largest, healthiest plants.
When the plants are around 5 inches tall, or about 6-8 weeks old, slowly reduce the number of times you water per week. If you have been using clear plastic wrap to hold in humidity, discard it now, if you haven't already.
As the weather gets warmer start bringing your peppers outside during the day to “harden them off.” Place them in a warm, sunny spot outside protected from wind and wild animals for a few hours every day, gradually increasing the amount of time they spend outside over the next week or two. Peppers cannot tolerate low temperatures, so bring them indoors if the daily or overnight forecast is lower than 55 degrees F.
Transplanting:
You can transfer the seedlings into in-ground gardens or containers once the threat of frost has passed, around mid-April. Peppers need lots of sunlight, so find a spot in your garden that gets full sun exposure for up to 14 hours a day. Peppers are also “heavy feeders” meaning they need a lot of organic material or other types of fertilizer to ensure ideal growth.
Before planting, thoroughly mix in compost or manure into the base soil to provide vital nutrients and water each seedling thoroughly.
Dig a hole deep enough to bury the seedling's root ball completely, spacing each hole 18 inches apart to prevent crowding
At this point, you can optionally mix in a little extra plant food into the soil at the bottom of the hole.
Gently remove the plant from its container, place it into your prepared hole, fill in the hole with the surrounding soil, pack it down securely, and give it a good soak to water it in. Make sure to add a trellis, stake, or tomato cage to support the plant as it grows.
If you are growing peppers in containers, the larger the pot, the better. One plant per container is best. Five Gallon buckets with holes poked in the bottom are an excellent low-cost option. Follow the same procedure for in-ground planting, and be aware that you will likely have to feed and water container peppers more often than their in-ground counterparts.
Ongoing Care:
Peppers, like other members of the nightshade family, are very thirsty plants. If they aren’t getting a good rain every week, make sure to soak them thoroughly to ensure they are getting enough water.
As your peppers start to grow, some will need extra support. Make sure you tie or otherwise fasten the main stem of the pepper plant to its related trellis or stake to prevent it from tipping over and possible breakage. Keep in mind that the stem shall continue to grow in thickness, so don’t tie it too tight!
You can encourage fruit growth by feeding your pepper plants. There are several over-the-counter options available in gardening stores. Make sure to read the directions thoroughly before using, as too much concentrated fertilizer can burn your plant's roots and leaves, stunting its growth.
Seed Saving:
If you want to save seeds from your peppers, keep in mind that they will need to keep ripening on the plant until about two weeks past the ideal harvesting stage. You will know this stage has been reached when your ripe peppers change color and grow somewhat soft when squeezed. If frost will be an issue, pull the entire plant up by its roots, brush off the soil, and hang it in a cool, dry location like a basement or unused closet until the fruit has finished maturing
On a clean, dry cutting board, cut around the top of the pepper and pull out the core by the stem
Transfer the core to a plate and separate the seeds from the white pithy, core. Use gloves and do not touch your eyes or nose if the peppers are a spicy variety
Once all the seeds are separated, spread them into an even layer on a plate or baking sheet and let them dry, undisturbed, in a cool, dry place for 5-7 days. A small fan set to low may be positioned nearby to improve airflow
Once the seeds are completely dry, place them in an envelope labeled with the variety and date of storage and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, like a cupboard or basement. Pepper seeds can remain viable for up to 3 years.
Check out these sources from the University of Minnesota and The Seed Savers Exchange for more information:
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-peppers and
https://www.seedsavers.org/grow-pepper
For starting with seeds and saving seeds check out our Youtube channel under growing resources for 2023!
What kinds of Peppers are you growing? Share with us on our Instagram or Facebook at Como Community Seed Library!