In short, you should typically plant your pepper seeds indoors in early-mid March, or 6-8 weeks before the last frost.
Tip: If you want to encourage bushier plants, you can start seedlings in mid-February and prune the plants in March. Starting peppers really early will allow you to prune your plants to encourage fuller plant growth and better pepper yields.
Using a grow light
There are endless options to choose from when buying an indoor grow light. We love the noise-free LED lights that are highly efficient and donโt put off much heat. We also use a clip-on adjustable LED light for early-stage seedling growth.
๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ / ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
Hardening off plants can be a tricky process. Indoors, the new plants are not used to the natural elements, like wind, rain, direct sunlight and changing temperatures. In order to smoothly transition your plants outside, you must do it gradually.
๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
- 1st week: 20 minutes of direct sunlight, or 1 hour of shade daily
- 2nd week: 1 hour of direct sunlight, or 3-4 hours of shade daily
- 3rd week: 2 hours of direct sunlight daily, or all day in the shade
- 4th week: Transplant outdoors permanently
Using the best soil for pepper Plants
A healthy pepper plant starts with a healthy growing environment. That means using the right soil. If you plan to start your plants indoors, youโll want to have 2 distinct soils. One for starting seedlings, and one for post-transplant.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ฅ:
When you start seeds, the soil should be devoid of nutrients. A pepper seed contains built-in nutrients that help the plant germinate and grow to a certain size. Then, the plants can be moved to more nutrient-rich soil
Note: It is important not to start your seeds indoors with soil taken from outside. This can bring in mold, insects and other organisms. Definitely use a bagged seed starting soil!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ?
We begin fertilising immediately after the peppers germinate. Donโt fertilise immediately after transplanting. Wait around a week to allow the root system to integrate with the new soil. Then you can begin your fertilising regimen.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ?
If you are growing peppers in pots, you may be wondering what the best pot for pepper plants is. The answer is simple: 12-inch pots or larger.
๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ!
On young starter plants, about 3-5 inches tall, you can prune your pepper plants just past the second or third node (this is where new sets of leaves begin).
Note: Make sure you leave at least 2-3 sets of leaves on your plant. Without leaves, the plant will not be able to photosynthesize!
