HOW TO PROPAGATE AND GROW THE BELL PEPPER FROM SEED |The Garden of Eaden

How to propagate and grow the bell pepper from seed

Not only are Bell Peppers one of the world's most popular vegetables they are also one of the easiest to grow from seed. Versatile, tasty and full health promoting antioxidants sweet peppers also have a lot going for them nutritionally as they are good source of vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid, magnesium and potassium.

You can start your Bell Peppers off indoors from seed around January for if you want them to establish quickly for outdoor planting or sow anytime up to the end of March for greenhouse growing.

How to propagate and grow the bell pepper from seed

Sow your bell pepper seeds in a modular seed tray containing good quality soil-based compost such as John Innes ‘Seed and Cutting’ at a rate of one seed per module and set them 1/2 inch deep. Gently water them in. It's important that the seeds remain moist until they germinate and as such will need good ventilation to reduce the incidence of fungal rots. If ventilation is poor you may need to spray your newly germinating seedlings with a liquid fungicide once a week to protect them.

You can place the module seed tray inside a heated propagator at a temperature between 18-20 degrees Celsius. Alternatively seal the tray inside a clear polythene bag and place in a warm room by a bright windowsill. Avoid windows with receive direct sunlight during the hottest time of the day as this can case the compost to dry out affecting germination.

The seedlings should start to emerge between 7 and 24 days. Bell pepper seedlings will require plenty of light for optimal growth, so aim for between 12 to 16 hours of light a day. If the weather isn't yet suitable for planting outside then place them on a bright south-facing windowsill. Turn them daily to stop them from leaning to one side.

Once the seedlings have established their roots in the module they will be ready to be popped out and potted on into individual 3 inch pots. Use either a standard multi-purpose compost or John Innes ‘No.1’ or ‘No.2’ potting compost.