How to Plant Bell Pepper Seeds

how to plant Bell Pepper Seeds

If you’re planning on fancying up your garden this summer, you will probably want to start growing bell peppers. Not only do bell peppers add great flavor to your food they also make your garden look much more attractive during the spring season. Moreover, you can store them in your freezer and use them throughout the winter season if you want.  However, bell peppers aren’t that easy to grow. When it comes to cultivating this delicious and versatile vegetable, there are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind. Here is a comprehensive guide that will help you find out everything you need to know about How to Plant Bell Pepper Seeds.

Growing Bell Peppers: Basics

Choose the correct planting site

The very first thing when it comes to planting your bell pepper seeds is the planting site. This is the most critical step in how to plant bell pepper seeds. Make sure that the site is not shaded out by trees and gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day, because pepper plants need a lot of sunshine to grow large and healthy. Moreover, you should also avoid places where you’ve recently grown other plants like tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes because this can end up exposing your plants to disease. 

Choose the right soil

Getting the right kind of soil for your peppers is extremely important, especially for the initial few weeks before you can move them to the garden. The soil needs to be rich in organic matter. This means that its consistency must be between sandy to loamy and the pH level must be somewhere between 6 to 7. This will ensure that the soil drains well and warms up quickly. If you aren’t sure how to find the right soil for your peppers, you can buy a good potting mix off of the internet which comes loaded with everything you need from your soil. 

Fertilize Bell Peppers Properly

Many people add fertilizer after planting their seeds which does not have the same effect on the health of the plants as adding the fertilizer beforehand. What you need to do is introduce a bit of fertilizer or aged compost to the planting site a week in advance. However, make sure you don’t go overboard with the fertilizer because that will encourage your plants to grow more foliage rather than fruit. Another way to give your plants an extra nutritional boost and prevent blossom end rot is to crush up some eggshells and add them to the soil. This is an organic and easy way to give your plants the essential nutritional elements they need. 

Do not water your bell pepper plants too much

When it comes to watering, you will have to find the right watering balance for your plants if you want them to thrive. Keep in mind that bell peppers can’t tolerate extremely high temperatures, so you need to water them daily if you are living somewhere where the temperature tends to become really high. Also, make sure you water them in the early morning or the evening to prevent diseases that come with water evaporation. Moreover, you should never water the plants overhead as it could result in diseases and pests. You should rather pour the water directly at the base of the plant, which will help develop a much stronger root system, making your plant much healthier and stronger. 

Make sure bell peppers get enough sun

Bell peppers are a warm-weather crop which means they love the sun. So, it is important that they get plenty of sunlight throughout the day. They need to get 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day so make sure there aren’t any large objects or trees around the plantation site that may block the sunlight.

However, too much sun can also end up causing sunscald to the plants. So, it is important that you use water to balance out the proportions if you are living in extremely hot climates. 

How to Plant Bell Pepper Seeds – FAQs

How to start bell pepper seeds?

Make sure you always start bell pepper seedlings indoors. This will give them a warm environment to germinate and grow into much healthier plants later on. Start by putting some potting soil in a tray. Place a few seeds in each corner without overcrowding the tray. Then put the tray somewhere where the temperature doesn’t go lower than 70 degrees and higher than 90 degrees. 

How do you know when to water the bell pepper seedlings?

If you cover the tray with plastic wrap you can easily tell when to water your plants. As long as there are water droplets forming under the sheet, you know that seeds have enough water. However, when you notice that the drops have stopped forming, you know it is time to give the seeds a drink. 

When is it best to move your bell pepper plants to the garden?

When you see your seeds growing into tiny plants, just a few tall, it’s time to move them to separate pots. However, you shouldn’t put the pots outside. Start by leaving them outdoors for a few hours during the day which will prepare the plants for the garden. Once the plants have grown to around 8 inches, you can move them to the garden. 

When to harvest bell peppers?

You can start harvesting your bell peppers while they are still green. As long as they are fully grown and ripe. You should begin to pick the peppers once they grow to around 3 to 4 inches and feel firm to the touch. If they are thin, then it means that they aren’t ripe yet. When they feel soggy it means that they have been left too long on the plant. If you want your bell peppers to change the color you will need to leave them on the vine a bit longer. They will start out green and slowly start changing color.