How to Grow Chili Pepper Plants from Seeds

Growing your own chili pepper plants can be one of the most rewarding experiences. Peppers come in all shapes, sizes and colors and can range from the very hot, such as the Yucatan habanero, to the very sweet like a bell pepper. Although somewhat tricky, you can start germinating (growing) the peppers from seeds and soon be enjoying your own homegrown chilies.

instructions

things you'll need:

• Chili pepper seeds
• Propagator or plant pot
• Soil
• Water
• Indoor area

1. • 1
     Obtain chili pepper seeds from a garden center, or scrape seeds out of a pepper from a grocery store. Make sure the seeds are clean, with no plant debris on them, and allow them to dry before attempting to plant them.
   • 2
     Fill a container, such as a propagator or plant pot, about 3/4 full of soil. Make sure this receptacle has holes in the bottom to make sure that air can properly circulate around the soil and so that you can monitor the root growth when the peppers start to grow.
   • 3
     Position the seeds on the soil in a straight line and keep them about 2 inches apart to give them enough room to grow. Cover the seeds with a very light layer of soil so that the seeds are no more than 3 mm deep. Make sure you don't bury the seedlings any further than this because otherwise they will not have sufficient energy to grow through a larger barrier.
   • 4
     Water the soil very lightly so that the dirt is moist to touch, but not waterlogged. Keep the water level like this at all times.
   • 5
     Place the seeds in a warm spot indoors, such as above a radiator, so that the seeds get the heat they need to grow.
   • 6
     Watch for plant material to grow through the surface of the soil (germinate). This may happen in a few days, or take a few weeks depending on the variety of chili pepper that you have planted. If you purchased seeds, refer to the package to see when the expected growth time is.

Preparing the chili seeds is a vital part. For best results we have been soaking our chilli seeds in some water for a few hours before planting them. This helps to soften the seeds and lets the small plant break out of the seed quicker. After the seeds are soaked the next step to growing chillies is to place the seeds in some paper toweling and sit them on a shallow plate. Water well and sit in a warm place. After a few days the seeds will have small shoots coming out of them. This is the beginning of the plants life.