Starting from Seeds

• Start your seeds germinating indoors. The exact date will vary depending on what temperate (or climate) zone you live in, but in general, start your seeds at least eight to 10 weeks before the last expected frost date. Remember that seedlings can be difficult to germinate and that growing from seeds will take longer.
  
  You can start your seeds in flats of peat moss starter cubes. There are plastic gro-packs, peat pots and peat pellets for starting plants from seeds. While growing them indoors, provide heat from the bottom or use heat lamps to raise the temperature of the soil to 80 degrees F. A greenhouse is best, but a windowsill that receives about six hours of sunlight a day is also a good place to start your seeds.
  
  For a head start, soak your pepper seeds in warm water overnight before planting them in your indoor containers. Another tip is to cling-wrap your planted seeds before placing them on the windowsill, but make sure they are watered first. This will create a mini-greenhouse effect for them.
  
  Let your peppers grow into sturdy seedlings that stand about 4 or 5 inches tall before transplanting them into your garden.
  
  

Growing Peppers

• Transplant the seedlings into a sunny patch in your garden. Peppers love sunlight. Give them plenty of good soil, compost and fertilizer. You can also add plant food specially formulated to ease the shock of transplanting.
  
  Make sure there is no more chance of frost before transplanting your peppers. Peppers love the heat, so a cold snap will kill them. Space your peppers according to their variety. Some varieties will require a lot more space. This information will be on your seed packet. But in general, most varieties will require between 18 and 24 inches of space for the plant to fully mature.
  
  Adding mulch will help keep in moisture while keeping out weeds. While peppers need water, they grow best in damp--not wet--soil. Just don't let them get too dried out on really hot, sunny days.
  
  Pepper plants will reach maturity after 70 to 90 days. They are self-pollinating, so producing peppers is the easy part. But they will cross-pollinate with other varieties of peppers. While that won't change the pepper's appearance or taste, it will cause changes in the seeds. Peppers grown from those seeds may have mixed qualities of your pepper varieties.