XVILL Pepper

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Peppers require a long warm season to produce fruits, taking from 58 to 100 days to mature. Although grown as an annual throughout most of the country, peppers survive as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b, 10 and 11. Ornamental, sweet and hot peppers all require the same conditions for germination and fruit production.

1. Start pepper seeds six to eight weeks before you plan to plant them outside. Use planting trays or pots with drainage holes and a separate water tray to allow excess moisture to drain.

2. Wash planting trays or pots with hot water and soap. Mix nine parts water with one part bleach and rinse the containers with the mixture to remove any bacteria and fungus.

3. Fill the planting container with seed starting mix. Use a packaged soilless blend or make your own using one-third peat, one-third sand and one-third vermiculite.

4. Broadcast the pepper seeds across the seed starting medium. Cover them with a light layer of the medium about twice as thick as the seed width.

5. Mist the planted container with room temperature water until the starting mix feels damp all the way through. Cover the tray or pots with a humidity dome or plastic film.

6. Place the planters in a warm location. Pepper seeds need temperatures around 70 to 80 degrees F to germinate. Use a seed starting heat mat with thermostat to ensure consistent and accurate temperatures.

7. Check the peppers daily for moisture levels and seedlings. Mist as needed to keep the soilless mix moist. Germination takes seven to 14 days for most varieties of peppers. Remove the plastic cover when seedlings appear.