In this article, I’m going to focus on answering some of your frequently asked questions about growing and harvesting bell peppers including “how to grow bell peppers from scraps” and “how to grow bell peppers from seeds”.
But, before then, let us look at some interesting facts about peppers.
Bell pepper is one of the popular vegetables grown for its edible fruits. It is mainly enjoyed as a spicy vegetable in many dishes and salad dressings
Peppers thrive well in full sun or warm areas and in well-drained, well-aerated, and nutrient-rich sandy loam soil. The most preferred growing temperature for bell peppers is within the range of 21-29°C (70-84°F). Bell pepper is very easy to grow. The plant requires little investment and maintenance.
With this information in mind, here is a list of answers to your frequently asked questions about growing and harvesting peppers:
Can you regrow Bell Peppers from scraps?
Yes, you can grow bell peppers from scraps bit with fewer qualities (such as poor taste and vigor) when compared with peppers that are grown from local seeds or commercial seeds stores.
However, if the peppers scraps are cultivated from open-pollinated or heirloom peppers seeds, you can grow a good number of quality bell peppers that are similar to parents in quality. (Learn more about how to choose the best quality seeds for growing in the garden.)
Related: How To Grow Zucchini From Scraps And Seeds
How to grow bell peppers from scraps?
Growing the bell peppers from scraps is very straightforward. Just find and collect the peppers scraps from leftovers. But, make sure the bell peppers are matured or ripe. Remove the seeds out of the scraps and spread them over a clean tray or paper towel.
Take the tray or paper towel and place it under the sun. Leave the bell peppers seeds under the sun until they are dried, which usually takes one hour. Do not allow the seeds in the sun for too long as this can make your bell peppers lose viability. Alternatively, you can dry them under a shade or under a ceiling fan.
Know that bell peppers grow best in raised beds and containers. Keep reading for detailed information about how to prepare and plant peppers:
Related: How To Grow Cabbage From Scraps (9+ Questions And Answers)
Can you grow bell peppers from store-bought peppers?
Just like you can grow bell peppers from scraps. Likewise, you can also grow bell peppers from store-bought bell peppers. But, the problem with growing bell peppers from store-bought peppers is, the bell peppers that can be bought from stores are mostly hybrid or GMO seeds.
Additionally, they are mainly cultivated for personal consumption and not for growing. And so when you remove seeds from these types of bell peppers, the plant that you can grow from them may not be true to their parents in terms of color, taste, yield, fruit size, and flavor.
Related: How To Grow Potatoes From Potatoes, Scraps, And In Water
How to regrow bell peppers from store-bought peppers?
If you want to regrow bell peppers, go to a store and buy fresh and matured bell peppers. Use a clean knife to divide each pepper into two halves. You need to divide the bell peppers lengthwise (that is from the top to the bottom.) Scoop out the seeds using your fingers or spoon into a tray or newspaper.
Dry the seeds by placing the tray or newspaper in the sun for one hour or place it in the shade to avoid direct overheating of sunlight. Follow the steps I’m going to discuss below to grow your bell peppers.
Read also: How To Grow Vegetables Without Seeds
How to grow bell peppers from seeds
If you want to buy your seeds from local growers or garden centers, make sure to buy open-pollinated or heirloom peppers seeds. These organic seeds and the seeds from them can be saved for the future. If you also obtain your seeds from scraps or store-bought peppers, the method for growing them is all the same.
Here is a step by step guide on how to plant and grow bell peppers:
Start the seeds: you need to start your pepper seeds in a germination tray, you can buy one here from Amazon. Starting them in a germination tray is the best way to grow peppers’ seeds into seedlings.
Tip: learn more on how to start seeds from scratch here
Fill the germination tray peat pots with soil: add soil mix up to the 3/4 of each peat pot PR section of the germination tray. Plant 2-4 seeds of bell peppers in each section and cover the seeds with about a quarter of an inch of dirt.
Water the seeds: moisten the soil by gently spraying water over each section of the germination tray. But, do not over-water the seeds. The best rule of thumb is to keep the soil mix and seeds moist not soggy.
Watch for sprouts: under normal conditions, your bell peppers will start to germinate within 6-8 days after planting.
Place the tray in a warm place: it is important to note that bell peppers or peppers, in general, like a warm and moist environment. So, place them under a temperature between 80-85°F (22-29°C). Placing the seeds under these temperatures helps speed up the germination time.
Transplant the seedlings: when the seedlings have grown their first 3 true leaves, you need to transplant them to larger containers or garden soil. Before planting, make sure the soil temperature is about 70-75°F. If you are planting in containers, you need to bring them indoors when it is cold outside. And when it is sunny outside, you bring them outside too.
And if you want to grow them in your garden, make sure the garden soil temperature is within that temperature range. If the temperature of your garden soil is below the soil temperature requirements, you need to mulch the garden soil with black plastic mulch-this can help conserve heat and warm up the soil.
While planting, plant the bell peppers plant 12-18 inches away in raised beds if you are growing in a garden. Water timely or when the topsoil becomes dry. Do not stress the plants with insufficient water as peppers plants love a moist environment. Moreover, avoid flooding or overwatering the garden soil because peppers do not do well in soggy soil.
Related: How To Grow Garlic From Scraps (12+Q & A About Growing Garlic)
Harvest the bell peppers: your peppers can be harvested for vegetable purposes about 60-90 days after transplanting. During this time, they are still green but large enough and sweet. And if you want to save the seeds, you can allow them to fully mature or ripe on the plant.
Tip: Learn more on how to harvest seeds here
How long does it take to grow bell peppers from seeds?
In areas where the cold is extreme, bell pepper seeds are usually started 8-10 weeks before the last frost of the spring. This way, your sees must have started growing into seedlings before the warm season sets in. And so when they are transplanted to the garden soil or containers, the bell peppers plants can only take 60-90 days under normal conditions.
Related: How To Grow Cauliflower From Scraps (9+ Questions And Answers)
How many bell peppers does a plant produce?
Under normal conditions, am average bell peppers can produce 5 to 10 pepper fruits per plant. The yields that can be obtained from bell peppers also depend on the type of variety you grow. Some varieties of bell peppers produce more fruits than other varieties.
You may also like reading: These Are The 5 Basic Things Every Plant Needs To Grow
Conclusion
Peppers are generally very simple to grow. You only need to invest a little money in garden maintenance. Bell peppers can be grown from both scraps and stores bought peppers. However, growing bell peppers from seeds that are obtained from garden centers or local growers are the best. This is because the seeds from garden centers and local growers are mainly cultivated for growing purposes not for personal consumption.
In this article, I look at how to grow bell peppers from both seeds and scraps. I hope you will find the article helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.
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