Pepper Growing Guide

Growing peppers like a pro. The ultimate guide to growing a wide range of peppers and chiles.

Tired of the same old boring red, yellow, orange and green bell pepper varieties you find at every grocery store? Yea, me too. That's why I'm growing my own rainbow of colors, flavors, textures and heal level. If you want to start growing your own peppers and chilis and then go no further. This is my comprehensive guide to growing the best peppers you will ever taste and you'll never look at a grocery store pepper the same way ever again.

Should you start from seed or buy seedlings?

Starting from seed is a topic on its own. LEDs vs Fluorescent. Jiffy pods vs seed starting mix. Heat mat vs no heat mat…. I’ll save the seed starting topic for another post.

The key takeaway here is that starting your seeds affords you the luxury of choosing the varieties you like and experimenting with new ones. You are not limited to the selection at the garden center. However, seed starting is an intensive process and to ensure success, you need to make sure you are watering, feeding and regulating the shelf heights regularly. Otherwise, you end up with flimsy, unhealthy seedlings and a disappointing harvest. You will also need to pot up to bigger pots when they outgrow their starter pots. I had to pot up most of my peppers twice this year. Also, if you plan to go on vacation while your seedlings are growing, you’ll need a plant sitter!

Buying seedlings from the nursery may not give you the selection you crave, but my experience lately has been quite positive. Garden centers and nurseries are meeting consumer demand and providing a wide away of choices.

So, if you’ve grown peppers from nursery starts before with some success, you should try starting your own seeds!

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Please note that this Pepper Growing Guide has been converted into an eBook with additional material and resources. The Pepper Growing Guide eBook can purchased as a digital download from our shop.

Make sure to also check out our Ginger Growing Guide eBook, Tomato Growing Guide eBook and our Turmeric Growing Guide eBook.