When growing peppers from seed, it can take five or six months to get chillies. Here’s my ultimate guide to the complete growing process, from starting seeds to harvesting mature peppers.
I started growing peppers over a decade ago, and I remember feeling defeated because either: 1) I couldn’t get my seeds to sprout, or 2) my plants eventually died. That’s why I want to share what I’ve learned so that you can bypass a lot of beginner mistakes.
You can grow peppers from seed in many ways. For clarity, I’ll walk you through how to start pepper seeds indoors and continue growing your plants outside in pots.
- 1. Choose Pepper Varieties To Grow
- 2. Get Your Growing Supplies
- 3. Know When To Start Pepper Seeds
- 4. Plant Your Seeds
- 5. What To Do After Germinating Seeds
- 6. Transplant Pepper Seedlings
- 7. Pinch Off Pepper Flowers
- 8. Harden Off Plants
- 9. Transplant Pepper Plants Outside
- 10. Harvest Your Peppers
- Pepper Plant Care
- Common Problems Growing Peppers Indoors
- Growing Peppers From Seed FAQs
- What’s Next?
Keep reading to get started!
1. Choose Pepper Varieties To Grow
You can grow any type of chile that you want when you start seeds at home. By now, you might be wondering, What kind of peppers should I grow?
There is an unlimited number of pepper seeds you can buy. The following chart has examples of popular chile varieties in different categories.
Fastest Growing Peppers | Bell pepper, Early Jalapeno, Anaheim pepper |
Easiest Peppers To Grow | Cayenne pepper, Jalapeno pepper, Serrano pepper |
Sweet Peppers | Corno di Toro pepper, Mini Sweet pepper plants, Sweet Banana pepper |
Mild Peppers | Aleppo pepper, Espelette pepper, Poblano pepper |
Hot Peppers | Carolina Reaper pepper, Ghost pepper, Habanero pepper |
» Related: 113 Types of Pepper Plants That Will Make You Want to Grow Today
Another thing to look at is heat. The Jalapeno Scoville rating, for example, makes this a medium spicy pepper, but you can choose to grow a different Jalapeno variety that’s milder or hotter.
And, Can you use seeds from a fresh pepper to plant? Yep, but the pepper’s seed type (e.g., heirloom or hybrid) and origin determine what to expect when you grow out your seeds. Use mature peppers for the best chance at harvesting viable seeds.
grow tips
In general, it takes longer to grow hot peppers from seed than it does for sweet varieties. As a rough estimate, you might sprout sweet chilies in a few days, while hot peppers take a couple of weeks to even 100 days to germinate.
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2. Get Your Growing Supplies
Here’s what you’ll need to start pepper seeds indoors and continue growing them outside in pots.
- Seed Starter Kit + Plant Hat Mat (see notes)
- Seed-starting mix
- Plant labels
- T5 fluorescent or LED grow light (see notes)
- Worm castings or Fish emulsion fertilizer
- 3 to 4-inch containers for transplanting
- Potting mix
- 5-gallon container (or larger pot) for outside
- Neem oil (optional)
» Related: See All Our Recommended Pepper Growing Supplies
Seed Starter Kit: The Jump Start seed starter kit comes with everything you need to start seeds indoors: grow tray, seedling insert, lid and (essential) plant heat mat. If you already have some of these items, you won’t need an all-in-one product. Listed below are the individual growing supplies so that you can just get what you need.
PEPPER growing supplies
At a minimum, you’ll need a seed-starting propagator and plant heat mat. (The following products are some of the best sellers on Amazon.)
VIVOSUN HEAT MAT & DIGITAL THERMOSTAT
9GREENBOX 6-CELL SEEDLING STARTER TRAYS
(Alternative to the one-piece seedling tray that comes with most propagators.)
Grow Light: LED and T5 fluorescent grow lights both work well for indoor gardening. You might choose an LED because it’s more energy efficient, while a T5 can be cheaper.
LED GROW LIGHT
This LED light comes in a stand with adjustable legs and lamp. Hanging kit included.
T5 FLUORESCENT
This T5 light setup hangs over your seedlings. Available in 2-foot and 4-foot lengths.
Note: There are many grow lights that can fit your space and support the number of plants you want to grow. Here’s a link to Amazon’s best sellers in plant lighting for more options.
3. Know When To Start Pepper Seeds
Pepper plants need a long, warm growing season. They can’t live in freezing temperatures and you can lose them in a frost. That’s why it’s important to start seeds at the right time.
To get your ideal planting date, find your area’s last expected frost date and then count back 8 to 10 weeks to know when to start pepper seeds. You can use the tool below to get this information automatically.
Pepper Seed Starting Calculator
Enter your zip code or city and state to get your last expected date of frost and the best dates for starting pepper seeds.
Get the last expected frost and pepper planting dates for your area.
Note: Frost dates are just estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate. Always check your local weather report.
» Related – When to Plant Peppers: 11 Best Garden Zone for Chiles (+ Seed Planting Calculator)
grow tips
- Give yourself an extra couple of weeks to start super hot pepper seeds. Capsicum chinense varieties like the Scorpion pepper take longer to germinate and harvest.
- If it’s past your ideal planting time and you still want to give seeds a go, use the paper towel method to go faster.
4. Plant Your Seeds
In this section, we’re starting our pepper seeds indoors. Your pepper seedlings are going to be inside for the next 8 to 12 weeks.
- Soaking Your Seeds
- Preventing Gnats
- Planting in a Seed-Starting Mix
- How Often To Water Pepper Seeds
- How Long Does It Take Pepper Seeds to Germinate?
New to growing peppers?
Learn to start peppers from seed in this step-by-step, illustrated ebook. It’ll help you skip lots of beginner mistakes so that you can enjoy harvesting your first chillies!
Soaking Your Seeds
Soaking pepper seeds before planting softens the seed shell and makes it easier for the roots to push through. You don’t have to do this, but my seeds always sprout better this way.
- Brew a weak cup of chamomile tea and wait for the liquid to cool down to room temperature. (Chamomile is beneficial because it has anti-fungal properties.) Alternatively, you can just pour warm water in a glass.
- Drop the seeds you intend to plant in the cup of tea or water.
- Leave the seeds to soak for 24 to 48 hours.
grow tips
You’ll be sowing three seeds per seedling container so that you have backups in case some of the seeds don’t germinate.
Preventing Gnats
Fungus gnat eggs are usually present in the material (grow media) where you start your plants. If you don’t want tiny black flies all over your home, these steps will help get rid of them.
- Make an organic pesticide solution.
- Spray the inside of your trays and containers.
- Repeat this spray process every 3 to 4 days over a 10-day period.
grow tips
Alternatives (or backups) to the pest spray are yellow sticky traps and cups of apple cider vinegar. Set them around your growing area to help catch the gnats.
Planting In A Seed-Starting Mix
You have lots of choices when it comes to the growing media you use to plant your seeds. A seed-starting mix is a reliable way to get seeds started.
Supplies Needed:
- Moisten the seed-starting mix so that it’s wet but not soggy. (If you squeeze the wet mix in your hand, it shouldn’t be dripping.)
- Add the mix to the cells of the seedling tray. The cells should be 75% full.
- Add your plant labels with the pepper names and dates.
- Make a little indentation in the center of the mix and drop in three seeds. (The seeds shouldn’t be farther than ¼” away from the top.) Cover the seeds with a light layer of mix.
- Optional: Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the mix to help prevent surface mold. (This mold looks like a thin, gray film.)
- Put the lid on your tray and slide open the vents a little bit to allow for airflow. Place the tray on top of the plant heat mat.
grow tips
- Keep Capsicum chinese peppers separate from other varieties because they take longer to germinate. If you mix them, you’ll have seedlings that need light while your hottest peppers still haven’t sprouted.
- Use a small fan to help circulate the air in your growing environment. This helps prevent damping-off disease that affects seedlings.
How Often To Water Pepper Seeds
The schedule for watering peppers depends on your environment and the type of mix you’re using. You’ll need to water the seed pots when the mix starts getting dry.
The watering frequency is usually every day or every other day. Watch for the top of the mix to turn a lighter color, which lets you know it’s getting dry.
grow tips
Watering from the bottom helps prevent overwatering. When seedlings absorb moisture from below, the top of the mix turns dark when it’s fully hydrated. Be sure to dump out any leftover water.
For reference, I usually water pepper seed pots every 3 days. It usually takes about 15 minutes for the water to reach the top of the mix.
How Long Does It Take Pepper Seeds To Germinate?
It takes about 7 to 21 days for pepper seeds to sprout, while Capsicum chinense varieties can take 6 weeks or more. When growing peppers from seed, use a plant heat mat to provide the right temperature range (80°F to 90°F or 27°C to 32°C) that these seeds need for germination.
» Related – Germinating Pepper Seeds: 3 Tricks to Get Them to Sprout
5. What To Do After Germinating Seeds
When you see those green, upside-down “U” shapes, your pepper seeds have germinated — congratulations! This section covers what you need to do to take care of growing seedlings.
How To Use A Grow Light
After your pepper seedlings are standing upright, they need an indoor light source to keep growing indoors. Here’s how to use your light.
Supplies Needed:
- Take your seedlings off of the heat mat and out from under the lid.
- Position your plants under your grow light. Check the manufacturer’s instructions to know how far away the light needs to be from your plants. (A T5, for instance, is usually 6 inches high.)
- Follow a daily schedule of 16 hours on during the day and 8 hours off at night.
grow tips
- Use a plant timer if you want your grow light to turn on and off automatically each day.
- If your seedlings are growing very tall and thin (leggy), move your grow light closer to your plants. Leggy seedlings can easily flop over and not recover.
When To Fertilize Pepper Seedlings
Pepper seeds have enough energy to support the cotyledons (embryonic leaves). When seedlings grow the next set of leaves (true leaves), it’s time to start fertilizing peppers.
You can start feeding your pepper seedlings by giving them 1/4 strength fertilizer. Fish emulsion or worm castings are ideal choices because they won’t burn your seedlings.
grow tips
- After your pepper seedlings have at least 3 sets of true leaves, start giving them a foliar feeding for an extra boost. This helps with better uptake of nutrients, strong foliage and greener leaves.
- Cut any extra seedlings after they are about 1-inch high. You should end up with one plant per pot.
» Related: How to Care for Pepper Seedlings after Seeds Sprout
6. Transplant Pepper Seedlings
Transplanting (potting up) is when you transfer your seedling to a bigger pot so the root system has enough room to keep growing. Pepper seedlings are ready for transplanting when they are at least 2 inches tall and have about four leaves. You can transplant pepper seedlings in 3 to 4-inch containers filled with potting mix while they’re growing indoors.
grow tips
If your seedling wilts after the move, it’s likely going into transplant shock because the roots aren’t getting enough air. Carefully remove the plant, create a deeper and wider space in the pot and then gently transfer your plant back. Watch your seedling for another ½ hour to make sure it’s no longer showing signs of stress.
7. Pinch Off Pepper Flowers
Pinching pepper plants — specifically the flower buds and flowers — prunes them to grow stronger roots and produce more chilies. To pinch, hold the pepper flower between two fingers and nip it off. Pinch your plants while they’re indoors and stop after they’ve been in their outdoor containers for at least three weeks.
8. Harden Off Plants
When you harden off pepper seedlings, you give them a safe way to get used to outside elements like the sun and wind. If you don’t toughen them up, peppers can suffer from stunted growth, scorched leaves, snapped limbs and they may even die.
When To Harden Off Peppers:
- Seedlings are at least 8 weeks old
- Around 4 inches high
- Have a few sets of true leaves
Hardening off pepper plants takes about two weeks (inside and outdoors). The first week, you’ll run a small fan on your indoor seedlings for a set period of time. During the second week, you’ll slowly start leaving your plants outdoors.
Here’s a hardening-off process that explains each step in more detail.
9. Transplant Pepper Plants Outside
Pepper plants can move outside when the following is true:
- Plants are hardened off
- The last threat of frost has passed (ideally, it’s two weeks past this date)
- Nighttime temperatures are regularly above 55°F (13°C)
» Use the Pepper Planting Calculator to get the last expected frost and transplanting dates for your location.
After that, you can transfer pepper plants into pots that are at least a 5-gallon size or larger.
grow tips
- Transfer your pepper plants outside on a day with mild weather to make the move easier on your plants.
- If you want to conserve outdoor space, you can use a growing system like the Earthbox original. This container measures 29 inches by 13.5 inches and holds up to six chile plants.
10. Harvest Your Peppers
You can harvest Banana peppers, Jalapenos and other chilies in the immature green stage, when red, or once they’re the mature color for that pepper variety. You’ll also want to look at the pepper’s size. Here are some more tips for understanding how and when to pick peppers.
So those are the steps for growing peppers from seed! The following information covers topics that are important for ongoing pepper plant care.
Pepper Plant Care
Here’s what you need to know to take care of your pepper plants in pots.
Soil
The best potting soil for pepper plants has good airflow, drainage, is fertile and it has a neutral pH level between 6.0 to 6.8. When you’re starting pepper seeds, use a seed-starting mix to give your seeds a lightweight environment where they can easily sprout.
For mature peppers, choose a product like Ocean Forest Potting Soil. A potting mix — different from garden soil — is specifically designed for containers to prevent a compressed, soggy environment in the pot.
Water
How often to water pepper plants depends on your growing materials and local weather. For pepper seedlings, you’ll likely bottom-water them every 1 to 3 days. Mature pepper plants may be watered once a week.
When watering pepper seedlings, check after 10 minutes or so to see if the soil line is darker (fully watered) because you don’t want your plants to get too wet. (It’s very easy to overwater pepper plants!)
As for how to water pepper plants in pots, you can run a hose over the root zone. Stop when you see water coming out of the bottom of the container.
grow tips
- Make a note of when you water so you can create a consistent schedule that works for your plants.
- Water your outdoor pepper plants in the early morning or evening so you don’t get your plant wet when the sun is out.
Fertilizer
Start fertilizing your pepper plants after the seedlings grow their first set of true leaves. Younger seedlings should get a weekly feeding of ¼ strength fertilizer, while potted pepper plants get ½ strength.
For more on how and when to feed peppers in pots, along with foliar feeding and other bonus amendments, check out this post on the best fertilizer for pepper plants.
Pests & Disease
Monitor your chile plants for diseases and insects like aphids and whiteflies. You can use pepper companion plants like marjoram and thyme to act as a natural deterrent. Prevent major problems by using control methods like giving your plants good airflow, regularly fertilizing, using mulch and blasting the underside of leaves with water in the evenings.
Need help keeping your pepper plants healthy?
Learn to treat pests, vitamin deficiencies and other common pepper plant problems with this illustrated ebook. It’ll help you take action before things get out of hand!
Staking
Some pepper plants grow tall or produce heavy fruits like bell peppers. This causes leaning, which can lead to breakage. You can use plant stakes to give your pepper plants support so that they stay upright in their containers.
Common Problems Growing Peppers Indoors
Pepper seedlings can experience problems when growing. The following chart lists some common issues and their fixes.
Problem: No Germination
Symptoms: Seeds aren’t sprouting within the expected time frame
Prevention / Remedy: Add a temperature controller to your heat mat to ensure you’re providing a warm enough temperature, or try other germination methods
Problem: Mold On Soil
Symptoms: White, fuzzy areas on top of the mix
Prevention / Remedy: Scrape off the mold, sprinkle cinnamon the soil, cut back on watering, run a small fan to provide better air circulation
Problem: Fungus Gnats
Symptoms: Tiny black insects are flying around your plants and growing area
Prevention / Remedy: Spray an organic pesticide, or set up yellow sticky traps and/or small cups of apple cider vinegar in your indoor growing environment
Problem: Stunted Growth
Symptoms: Seedlings stop growing
Prevention / Remedy: 1) Indoor temperatures are too low (Cornell University recommends 70°F during the day and 65°F at night), 2) Lack of nutrition: Feed pepper seedlings weekly, 3) Small pot: Transplant seedlings to give roots more room to grow, 4) Fungus gnat larvae: Confirm larvae is in the soil, use Bti to treat soil and spray organic insecticide, 5) Overwatering: Allow soil surface to dry before adding more water
Problem: Leggy Seedlings
Symptoms: Plants are tall and weak
Prevention / Remedy: Move seedlings closer to the grow light, or take your seedlings off the heat mat and out from under the lid if you haven’t already done so
Growing Peppers From Seed FAQs
What’s Next?
I hope this guide helps you start growing peppers from seed so you can get as much joy from it as I do. 🌶
Be sure to check out the guides on growing peppers in containers. You’ll learn more about watering, fertilizing and other chile growing essentials.
P.S. Please share this guide if you like it!
How To Grow Peppers from Seed to Harvest
Growing peppers from seed gives you the freedom to grow any variety you want. It takes about 6 months to go from seeds to chillies. Here are the main steps for how to grow peppers from seed to harvest.
Materials
- Seed-Starting Mix
- Plant Labels
- Option 1: Worm Castings Fertilizer
- Option 2: Fish Emulsion Fertilizer
- 3 to 4-inch Containers (for indoor transplanting)
- Potting Mix
- 5-Gallon Container or Larger (for outside)
Optional Materials
- 6-Cell Seedling Starter Trays (alternative to the one-piece tray)
- Yellow Sticky Traps (indoor pest control)
Tools
- Seed Starter Kit
- Plant Heat Mat with Temperature Controller
- Option 1: T5 Fluorescent Grow Light
- Option 2: LED Grow Light
Optional Tools
- Plant Light Timer (automatically turns grow light on and off)
- Jump Start Seed Starter Kit (has both the seed-starter kit & plant heat mat)
Instructions
- Buy the pepper varieties you want to grow. Some of the fastest-growing peppers include the Anaheim pepper and Early Jalapeno. The Cayenne pepper and Serrano pepper are some of the easiest peppers to grow. Sweet peppers include Corno di Toro pepper and sweet banana pepper. Mild peppers include Aleppo pepper and Poblano pepper. Hot peppers include the Carolina Reaper and Ghost pepper.
- Find the best time to start your pepper seeds indoors. Do this by looking up your area's last expected date of frost and then subtract 8 to 10 weeks to get the ideal timeframe.
- Prepare your pepper seeds for planting. Soak seeds for 24 to 48 hours in a cup of weak chamomile tea or water to soften the seed shell.
- Sow your seeds in a seed-starting mix. Moisten the mix so that it's damp (not soggy), and fill the cells of your seedling tray so that it's 75% full. Drop 3 seeds in each cell, then cover with a light layer of mix. Put your tray on the heat mat, add the lid and slide open the vents a little bit for airflow.
- Watch for germinating pepper seeds, which can be anywhere from 7 to 21 days (superhots can take 6 weeks or more). After seedlings are standing upright, take them off of the heat mat and out from under the lid. Position your plants under the grow light. (see notes on light and fertilization)
- Move your pepper seedlings to larger, 3 to 4-inch pots filled with potting mix. Do this when plants are at least 2 inches tall and have about 4 leaves.
- Prepare your pepper plants for the outdoors by hardening them off. Do this when seedlings are around 8 weeks old, about 4 inches high and have a few sets of true leaves.
- Transplant your pepper plants outside when the last threat of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures are consistently above 55°F (13°C). If you're going to continue growing peppers in pots, transfer them into containers that are at least a 5-gallon size or larger.
- Harvest your peppers. You can pick peppers when they are the color of maturity for that variety. Peppers are edible in any growth stage so you can also pick them when green or red.
Notes
- Plant three seeds per seedling container to give you more chances for germination. If all three seeds sprout, cut two of them off so you end up with one seedling per pot.
- Water your pepper seeds from the bottom whenever the mix starts getting dry. (Usually every day or every other day.) Mature pepper plants are usually watered once a week, but the frequency depends on your climate
- Grow lights need to be positioned a certain distance away from the tops of your plants. Check the manufacturer's instructions for the right height.
- Start fertilizing pepper seedlings when they grow true leaves by giving them a weekly 1/4 strength fertilizer. Give outdoor potted plants usually get 1/2 strength (follow the instructions on the fertilizer bottle.)
- Add yellow sticky traps to your indoor growing area to help catch insects that may emerge from the growing media.
- Pinch off pepper flower buds and blossoms while your plants are indoors. Stop pinching after your pepper plants have been outside for at least 3 weeks.
- Give outdoor pepper plants a sunny location so that they get a 8 hours of sun a day. (If 8 isn't possible, make sure it's no less than 6 hours of sun.)
Recommended Products
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The Pepper Seed-Starting Guide
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Pepper - Jalapeno
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Jump Start CK64060 Heat Mat, Tray, 72 Cell Insert Hot House, 11 X 22 Inch, Black
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Hydrofarm Agrobrite FLT24 T5 Fluorescent, 2 Foot, 4 Tube Grow Light System, 2-Feet, Black
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Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer 2-3-1, 18 Ounce
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McCONKEY Square Nursery Pot, Case of 60
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FoxFarm Qt FX14053 Ocean Forest Soil Bag, 12 Quart, Pack of 1, Brown
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Smart Pots 5-Gallon Smart Pot Soft-Sided Container, Black with Cut handles