Craving for that spicy addicting heat in your dishes? Infusing chilli peppers in your food can do the job. They can be grown and harvested right from your garden and easily adapt to containers and pots as well. Once established you can reap large quantities of hot chilli peppers from a single plant.

For garden beginners, chilli peppers are an excellent plant to start from seeds. They require less maintenance and care to grow from seeds to mature plants. Follow these simple steps to aid in your planting and harvesting process.

Steps to Grow Chilli Peppers from Seeds

Chillies are extremely easy to grow from chilli pepper seeds. Similar to growing bell peppers, these spicy pods pack a strong punch in any world cuisine. With the right steps taken during the growing stages, you can have thriving chilli pepper plants grown and harvested at home.

Step 1: Select Seed Type

Don’t know which seed type to choose? Not to worry. With numerous chilli varieties available in the world, you can plant chillies as per your preference and reap their spicy fruits throughout the growing seasons.

You can select chilli pepper seed type based on its heat level, flavor or color. Some of the popular chilli pepper seed varieties you can try are:

• Jalapeno Chilli Pepper Seeds
• Habanero Chilli Pepper Seeds
• Carolina Reaper Seeds
• Bhut Jolokia Seeds
• Cayenne Red Pepper Seeds
• Jimmy Nardello Pepper Seeds

Step 2: Plant Chilli Peppers from Seeds

• Start chilli pepper seeds indoors in seed starting trays or pots for best results.

• Early January and February are the best time to sow pepper seeds. This leaves plenty of time for the chillies to grow and ripen for the harvesting season. The hottest chillies take the longest to grow.

• Fill the seed trays (up to 4 inches deep) with regular potting soil or store-bought seed starting soil mix.

• Spread the chilli pepper seeds evenly and cover them with a thin layer of soil. Gently pat the topsoil and drizzle water to keep them moist.

• You can either use propagation clone trays or cover them with a polythene sheet to maintain the indoor temperatures between 70 – 85 degrees.

• Germination time for chilli seeds can take place in 1-2 weeks (7-10 days). Keep the soil moist and warm for a faster germination process.

• Move the chilli pepper seedlings to a warmer location, near a window sill or areas that receive partial sunlight.

Step 3: Transplant Chilli Pepper Seedlings

Once the chilli seedlings are hardened off to the outside environment, it’s ready to be transplanted into the ground. Have limited space in your garden? Peppers plants easily adapt and can be grown in pots, grow bags or containers.

• In 2-3 weeks after sprouting, when they reach 1 inch tall and develop their first ‘true’ leaves, loosen the soil in the seed tray and transfer them to their final location.

• If you’re growing your chilli peppers in containers or pots, you can make sure the container is at least 12 inches in diameter with proper drainage holes. Place them in sunny areas and water them only when the soil dries.

• For direct transplant into the ground, plant them in nutrient-rich, well-draining soil. Plant the chilli pepper saplings about 17-35 inches apart and with a distance of 2-3 feet between each row.

Step 4: Growing Conditions for Chilli Peppers Plants

Growing chilli pepper seeds in the right conditions can enable healthier growth and a bountiful harvest. Here are a few conditions to look out for:

• Temperature

Chilli pepper plants grow best in an ideal growing condition between 70-90 degrees. They require humid and warm temperatures to thrive and bear hot spicy chillies.

• Water

Chillies require limited watering compared to other plants. Overwatering pepper plants can lead to root rot or other diseases. You can use drip irrigation to maintain your water content.

For potted or container chilli plants, water only when the soil is dry. Proper drainage can mitigate the flow of excess water out of the pots.

• Sunlight

Grow chillies under the full sun for high yield and healthy growth of plants. They also grow in partial or shaded areas but providing them with a good dose of sunlight throughout the growing season can work wonders for their consistent development.

• Soil

For healthy growth of chilli peppers include fertile soil such as compost, manure or vermicompost. A mix of these organic soil components can help strengthen your plants.

• Fertilizers

A boost of organic fertilizers such as tea compost, fruit peeling, seaweed, manure and compost can be used for chilli plants. Mulch can also be added to get rid of pests such as spiders and aphids.

When to Harvest Chilli Peppers

Depending on the chilli pepper variety, it can take up to 60-150 days from transplant to harvest these spicy treats. Color and size can be used as signs to identify the right time to pick your chillies off the plants. Chilli peppers turn from green to their intended colors such as red, dark green, yellow and more. The size varies for each variety; some are 5 inches long while others are 0.5 inches when ripened. To harvest them, carefully pluck the chillies from the stems. Your spicy chillies are ready to use in delicious recipes or can be dried and stored for future use. 

Get started planting your chilli pepper seeds from Seed World Marketplace. We offer a wide range of organic and hybrid seed varieties at affordable costs and the best services.