Peppers from Seed: Patience in February, Harvest in August
1 min read By Екипът на Seeds
Peppers grow slowly at first. Here is why they are sown early and how to give them warmth and light.
Early sowing
Pepper is the slowest vegetable in the seed tray: from sowing to planting out takes 70–80 days. Sow from late January to early March.
The seeds germinate at 25–28 °C and can take up to three weeks. Do not give up on the tray too soon — and do not keep it on a cold windowsill.
Seedlings
Prick out at the two true-leaf stage. Peppers tolerate shallower planting than tomatoes — do not bury the stem deeply. Keep the temperature at 20–24 °C by day.
- Feeding: light, with a balanced fertiliser, after the third leaf.
- Hardening off: essential, for at least a week.
In the garden
Plant out when nights stay above 12 °C, 40–50 cm apart. Peppers like even moisture: drought followed by heavy watering leads to blossom end rot of the fruit.
The first flower at the fork (the “crown bud”) is often pinched off — the plant then builds leaf mass first and sets more fruit later.
When to harvest
Green peppers are picked at culinary maturity — firm and glossy. If you want red ones, leave them on the plant for another 2–3 weeks; sweetness and vitamin C increase.
Photo: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, GFDL 1.2, Wikimedia Commons
