Growing Tips

Growing hot peppers can be a long process to get them to maturity. People have different advice and tricks but this is what we do. 

A quick internet search can show you a few germination techniques. We have had good luck with the moist paper towel in a zip lock bag or soaking seeds in water or tea. You can also put them directly in soil. We would recommend a seed starting soil. If you put them directly in soil, it might take a little longer for them to sprout vs using another germination technique. 

We typically start our seeds under a tray with a dome. This will keep the humidity up. Soil temperatures should be around 70-80 degrees. You can use a heat mat but we typically find a warm place in the house. Once half of the seeds are sprouted you should vent your dome (if your dome tray doesn’t have a vent you can lift a corner). Once they all have sprouted you should remove the dome. Don’t get discouraged if they don’t sprout right away. Hot peppers can take a month to germinate and are very slow growers. We typically start ours around the first of the year and plant outside in May. 

Seeds do not need light until they break the surface of the soil. Once they do you can put them in a sunny window. However, they may become stretched out so we recommend investing in a grow light. Keep the soil moist but not wet all the time. Peppers like to be in drier soil.

Once your seedling gets 2-3 true leaves it’s time to put them in bigger pots. When they get about 8-10” tall it’s time for them to start being introduced to the outside (weather permitting). This is an IMPORTANT step that can be result in dead plants if not done correctly. Trust us we’ve lost  our share! Introduce them to the sun for about 10 minutes and then put them back inside. Repeat after a couple days for 15 minutes. Continue on until they can spend the day outsde. They should be around 12-18” when they are badapted to the sun and are ready for the garden. If you made it this far congratulations and we wish you a successful planting season.

Additional Tips:

1) Try to water your garden in the morning. If you get water on the leaves this allows time for the water to evaporate. 

2) Pepper plants like the pH of the water to be around 6.

3) Space your peppers 1.5-2’ from each other.