Pepper plant growing from seeds saved from a jalapeno pepper (1 month)
As someone who’s been growing a garden – or at least helping to grow a garden – since I was a child, it is almost unfathomable to me that someone could not know how to plant a seed. I’ve had several people ask me about seed starting recently, though, so I have to assume that there are more people out there who have yet to acquire this knowledge. Good news: It’s simple!
To get a head start on the growing season, plan to start your seeds 4-6 weeks before you’ll be ready to set them out in the garden. This will be determined by your region’s last frost date. You don’t want to plant your garden too early, only to have Jack Frost kill all of your little plants.
You will need:
- A container: You can reuse nursery containers if you have them, or alternatively, use plastic containers scrounged from the recycle bin*
- Potting soil (available at nurseries or hardware stores)
- Seeds
Seeds tucked away in the soil
Fill your containers with potting soil to within 1″ of the top. Seed packets include planting directions and will note the planting depth for each type of seed. Generally speaking, if you’re planting a large seed (beans, peas, squash) push your finger into the soil just beyond the first knuckle to create a hole about 1″ deep. For small seeds (tomato, pepper, broccoli), make a small divot in the soil about a quarter inch deep. Set a single seed in the hole you’ve made, cover it with soil, and water it.
Bean seed planted to a depth of 1"
The most important thing about growing seeds is that the soil needs to be kept moist during germination. If the soil dries out too much during germination, the little seed will die before you even see a sprout. On the flip side, you don’t want to drown them. Try to maintain a moisture level equal to a wrung out sponge.
You also need to make sure that they have a nice steady temperature and enough light. Some people like to use grow lights, but it’s really not necessary if you have a sunny window. Temperatures in the 65-70 degree Fahrenheit range are ideal for starting most seeds. If you don’t think your home stays this warm during the time you’ll be germinating seeds, you may want to try using a heat mat.
Have you ever planted a seed? Are you new to gardening, or an old hat?
*Yogurt containers, sour cream containers, and plastic bottles with the top trimmed off are all fair game. You MUST make drainage holes in the bottom, though. To do this, heat the pointed end of a large nail and push it through the bottom of your plastic container to make four or five drainage holes.
Note that in the images below you can see some of my seedlings surrounded by crushed egg shells to keep the bugs at bay. And that pepper plant? Grown from seeds I saved from a jalapeno.
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- Long Bean seed on left; Green Zebra tomato seed on right
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- Seed sets planted a month ago – asparagus (the fern-like plant), broccoli, and peppers
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- Seeds tucked away in the soil
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- Pepper plant growing from seeds saved from a jalapeno pepper (1 month)
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- Bean seed planted to a depth of 1″
I need to get the timing right for my seeds. I may start some indoors this year. We’ll see. A greenhouse is a must at our altitude, but often it still gets well below freezing in there overnight through May … which shortens the growing season even more.
Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart recently posted..Beaglemania- Dog Book Review
I try to plant seeds. I also buy starts from the farmer’s market. The starts invariably do better than the seeds (sniff) but I will try again this year!
I’m one of those one’s who has good intentions but no luck with gardening. Thanks for this. Right now I’m trying to grow basil from the seed. I don’t know if it’s getting enough sun or not. I don’t think I’m getting enough sun though, either!
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This was very helpful. I do not have a very good success rate with seeds. One year, I watched the woman I worked for, who has an incredible garden, and imitated what she did. We had lots of tomato seedlings that year. Since I quit that job, I cannot get the pots and seeds quite right.
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I’m great at starting seeds. It’s once they’re in the ground when I get into trouble! Weeding, watering, keeping the rabbits out, none of it goes well!
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What a great, helpful tutorial. Planting for Dummies. I needed that. What’s the opposite of a green thumb?
Thank you !
Great article. Like using recycled pots, the store-bought peat pots always dry my babies up. Also, I plant only one (sometimes two) seeds per pot. That way I have extra for next year (or a restart if this year fails) I also start extra seedlings because some don’t make it, then trade with friends and family. Not filling the pots is good too because if/when they get leggy you can add more dirt. Love it! Keep growing!
[...] Vegetables can be grown from seeds or from small “starts” or seedlings purchased at your garden center. I recommend that beginning gardeners pick up seedlings for peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Green beans, peas, and squash are easy to start from seed. Always choose seeds for root crops like radishes, carrots, daikon, beets, and turnips. Not sure how to plant a seed? Look here. [...]
i have grown most peppers and chillis from my saved seeds x