Starting Pepper Seeds Indoors

• 1). Fill seed trays with potting soil and then dampen the soil. Bury two pepper seeds, 1/4-inch deep in each individual pot, or every 2 inches in long seed trays.
  
  
• 2). Place the seed tray in a warm location out of direct light. Keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge in 10 to 12 days.
  
  
• 3). Move the pepper seedlings to a location with full sunlight for six or more hours. Water as needed to keep the soil moist until the peppers are transplanted into the garden.
  
  
• 4). Thin the seedlings to one per pot or one pepper plant every 4 or more inches after they reach 3 inches tall. Continue to grow the peppers inside until the temperatures warm up enough outside.
  
  

Starting Pepper Seeds Outside

• 1). Prepare the planting bed for the pepper transplants (or to sow seeds) when the soil is dry and workable. Select an area in full sunlight and near a water supply.
  
  
• 2). Add several inches of organic matter, including aged manure, peat moss, well-rotted leaves and compost to the garden. Mix these well into the top 6 inches of soil and rake the area level. Add a granule slow-release fertilizer as directed into the soil.
  
  
• 3). Water the area to dampen the soil, if sowing pepper seeds directly in the garden. Create a small trench 1/4-inch deep along a row, and space rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
  
  
• 4). Place a pepper seed every 18 to 24 inches, or plant more seeds and then thin the seedlings to this spacing. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil.
  
  
• 5). Water the area as needed to keep the soil moist, but be careful not to displace the seeds.