Plant pepper seeds indoors this spring for a longer growing season and a larger pepper harvest.
Most peppers grow well if you start the seeds indoors about eight to ten weeks before yourlast frost date.
Unless you have a bright window, you need a qualitygrow lightto keep your peppers healthy.
Credit:Kindra Clineff
Adjust the light upward as the plants grow.
Aside from light, peppers need plenty of moisture and warmth to germinate.
Depending on the variety,pepper seeds take between 1 and 5 weeks to germinate.
Water indoor peppers regularly to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Thinning seedlings out gives the remaining peppers more room to grow and prevents overcrowding.
When repotting, handle pepper roots carefully and bury leggy pepper stems up to their lowest leaves.
To transplant peppers:
Some pepper plants benefit from staking, but this isnt always necessary.
you could also improve fruiting and help peppers grow bushier with awell-timed pruning.
To boost your chances of success, select seeds from fully ripened peppers with red skins.
Boosting soil temperatures with a seedling heating mat is the best way to speed up pepper germination time.
Keeping seeds covered with humidity domes and pre-soaking pepper seeds overnight can also make peppers sprout faster.
