How to Grow Golden Bell Peppers From Seeds

Golden Bell peppers have a sweet flavor.

Bell peppers are available in green, orange, red and yellow varieties. The yellow peppers are often referred to as golden and include such varieties as Ori Bell, Summer Sweet, Super Heavyweight and Golden Bell. Starting Golden Bell peppers from seed is a rewarding and inexpensive way to grow them. Plan to start the seeds indoors approximately two months before the last frost occurs in your region so that the seedlings are ready to transplant into the ground.

Things You'll Need

• Seed tray
• Seed starter mix
• Heat mat
• Shovel
• 4-12-4 granular fertilizer
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Fill the seed tray compartments half full of a seed starting mix. Place one golden pepper seed into the center of each compartment and then add another 1/4-inch layer of soil mix on top of them.

2. Water the trays well until the soil is visibly dark and there are no dry spots.

3. Place the seed tray in a location that has a consistent temperature of between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If needed, supply heat by placing the tray on a heating mat and leaving it on constantly.

4. Water the trays daily to keep the soil moist until the pepper seeds germinate, which can take up to three weeks.

5. Wait until the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches high and begin setting them outside for two to thee hours per day when temperatures rise to the mid-sixties. Increase the amount of time each day until you eventually leave them outside for 24 hours. The process should take approximately one to one and a half weeks.

6. Choose an outdoor planting site with full sun and well drained, rich soil. Dig holes that are the same depth as the roots of the pepper plants and insert the seedlings into the holes. Back fill the holes with soil and pat the top of the soil down firmly. Space each pepper plant 18 to 24 inches apart.

7. Spread a 4-12-4 granular fertilizer over the planting site at the rate specified on the package and water it in with a garden hose.

References

• Botanical Journeys Plant Guides: Bell Pepper Plant
• Hort Chat: Growing Peppers
• UC Davis: Pepper