How to Grow Ornamental Peppers From Seeds

Ornamental peppers make eye-catching home accessories.

Ornamental peppers, such as Medusa and Calico, provide brilliant bursts of color to your outdoor landscaping or indoor houseplant collection. Depending on the varieties you choose, the fruits of ornamental peppers may be yellow, white, orange, red or purple, and some plants even feature multiple colors. Ornamental peppers thrive in rich, well-drained soil and full sunlight. Growing ornamental peppers from seed offers you an inexpensive way to add dramatic color to your plant collection.

Things You'll Need

• Seedling containers
• Seed-starting mix or potting soil
• Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Fill small seedling containers, such as the cups of an egg carton or plastic yogurt cups, with a seed-starting mix or basic potting soil. Leave approximately 1/4 inch of space between the top of the soil and the top of the container.

2. Make a 1/4-inch indention in the soil in the middle of each container with your finger.

3. Drop an ornamental pepper seed into each hole. Loosely cover the hole with soil.

4. Water the soil until it is moist, but not soggy. Loosely drape a piece of plastic wrap over the containers to help keep the soil moist.

5. Place the containers in an area where the temperature stays between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a sunny windowsill. Check the soil every day to ensure it stays moist -- small containers can dry out quickly.

6. The seedlings should emerge after about 10 days. Keep the seedlings moist and expose them to approximately 12 hours of sun each day.

7. Transplant the seedlings to a garden bed or a larger container after about eight to 10 weeks, when at least four leaves have emerged from the plant.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plant multiple varieties of ornamental peppers, label the containers. The seedlings will all look very similar when they emerge from the soil, and you may not be able to identify the pepper variety until the fruit blooms.

• Consult the instructions on any packets of ornamental pepper seeds that you purchase. Some varieties may require different amounts of sunlight or soil coverage.

References

• "Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits"; Amal Naj; 1992
• Cornell University: Ornamental Peppers
• University of Illinois Extension; Ornamental Peppers; Jennifer Schultz Nelson; September 4, 2005
• The Professional Gardener: When to Transplant Pepper Seedlings