What is Best Way to Germinate Bell Pepper Seeds?

[SamMonk]

I live in central Florida. I have been saving all of my bell pepper seeds, because my family eats a ton of them.

I do worm composting and yard composting.

What is the best way to get the seeds to germinate? Should I plant them? Should I wrap them in wet paper towels? Should I plant them and cover them with a glass jar (would be hard to come up with enough jars)?

If you can't tell I am green thumb challenged, but I am internet savvy. I am hoping to borrow enough knowledge to put a dent in my Bell Pepper family budget by learning how to grow a ton of them for us. We are also trying some other seeds that we bought and I am just planting all of them in cups with worm compost and following the instructions on the packages.

I only own an 1/8 of an acre, so some general gardening tips would be appreciated as well.

Thank you,
-Sam

[nes]

Haven't had any luck with my bell peppers yet - but I can tell you, that you can use plastic water bottle halves instead of glass jars to protect your plants .

Start saving your glass jars though, from tomato sauces & jams - you may be surprised how quickly they add up!

[SamMonk]

Thank you nes for the water bottle tip.

I have been told that the cover creates a greenhouse effect and keeps the moisture in. I wonder though, does the plant suffocate if you leave it on too long?

Any tips on the greenhouse effect would be great too. Maximizing the humidity without killing the plants.

[nes]

I think the bigger issue is baking the tiny plants if it gets too warm. That's why I use the top part of the water bottles, so I have a cap to undo when the weather is not quite warm enough but still too cool.


(Cauliflower)

[malkore]

I've had luck with all sweet and hot pepper varieties by putting them in a wet paper towel in a warmish area for a good week til they start to sprout. then I know which seeds are good, and those go into starter pots/peat pots/whatever you're using.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

I don't ever feel a need to soak my bell pepper seeds. I simply sow them in a peat pellet or some type of seed starting mix in a coir pot. I will keep them in dark until they germinate, then move to a sunny window or whatever.

[applestar]

Just so we're clear, seeds from GREEN peppers won't grow (I'm pretty sure) because they're immature. I've only ever saved seeds from fully colored peppers. In my experience, saved pepper seeds have near 100% germination rate.

[Ozark Lady]

My daughter-in-law, plants every...green bell pepper seed, and gets almost 100% germination. I thought how can this be? They are immature.
I don't know, but it works for her. So sure, try it.

[applestar]

Arr! OL, you got me!
So now I wonder if this is related to how green tomatoes will ripen -- or at least turn red -- off the vine and seeds from those will grow.

It sounds like we're taking way too much care when trying to grow peppers and tomato starts.

[Ozark Lady]

I know. Last summer, I was waiting, and waiting for green peppers to ripen on the plants to get seeds, and she was happily planting the seeds, as she ate green peppers, and they grew and she got peppers.

The more I learn, the less I know!

[SamMonk]

I've had luck with all sweet and hot pepper varieties by putting them in a wet paper towel in a warmish area for a good week til they start to sprout. then I know which seeds are good, and those go into starter pots/peat pots/whatever you're using.

I am trying your method. I have one batch of seeds in wet paper towel, in a ziplock bag, in a dark place and I set my blackberry calendar for a week so I don't forget to check them.

I don't ever feel a need to soak my bell pepper seeds. I simply sow them in a peat pellet or some type of seed starting mix in a coir pot. I will keep them in dark until they germinate, then move to a sunny window or whatever.

I have also put some in the ground. I wish I had marked it on the calendar, so I knew how long ago, but I don't have any sprouts yet. I did 7 plants last year and only one made it and gave me two peppers one orange and the other red..

For the green vs. mature statement. I will tell you that we always eat yellow and red peppers so those are the seeds we are using. I ask my wife to buy green because they are cheaper, but like many things she doesn't listen to me.

[RyanDe680]

I planted mine no more than 1/2" deep in the worm casting/compost/soil/peat/perlite mix. I watered them pretty good and left them covered. The humidity stayed pretty consistant in there and no need to water them beyond that (ensure that if in a tray, there is water on the bottom of the tray).

About 8-10 days later, I noticed some of them sprouting so I removed the cover.

They all followed suit soon there after (bananas, bells, cayenne, jalepenos, etc).