Chilli peppers are fun to grow from seed with the many shapes and varieties available but seedlings can sometimes be tricky to get off to a good start. You may often ask yourself “why aren’t my peppers growing?” » and be tempted to throw the whole bin into the compost.
I’ve been starting chili peppers indoors for a few years and have finally figured out the best ways to avoid the biggest problem growing chili peppers and get the results everyone wants – good lateral growth and strong stems and thick.
First of all, be aware that peppers can take a long time to germinate. Don’t expect to see green until about 2 weeks after sowing the seeds.
Discover 5 secrets to growing chili peppers from seeds below:
1. Sow two pepper plants per pot:
Peppers grow well on their own but are more productive if you plant two together. I started the peppers separately in pots and then grouped them together when it was time to move them to larger pots.
Stem growth is not affected and the plants will be very healthy.
Growing chili peppers from seeds is not an impossible task! Even a beginner can grow a lot of peppers in his vegetable garden, put the odds in your favor with seeds and good quality soil.
2. Start chili peppers from seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost date:
When is the best time to start chili peppers? Ideally, you’ll start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date, harden them off to survive outdoors the week after your last frost date, then plant them in the ground the following week.
Chili peppers have a longer growing season, so if you garden in areas with fairly short warm spells, you should start them within that time frame. This often means starting mid-February early March, hardening them off mid-May, then putting them in the garden in late May or even early June.
Of course, they will get quite large and you will have to maintain them but you will be able to harvest peppers throughout the season, as opposed to one pepper at the end of summer.
