STARTING PEPPER SEEDS IN WATER (AKA: HYDROPONICS!)
Did you know that you can have great success starting your pepper seeds using hydroponics setups like the Aerogarden? Chile and Pepper seeds do extremely well germinating in hydroponic systems.
We find that the Aerogarden seed starter tray does very well starting pepper seeds, and the small sponge root pods can be planted directly outside after being hardened off, so you can save on pots, potting soil and space.
While you can grow peppers entirely hydroponically, we just our Aerogarden to germinate and start the seedlings to later plant outdoors, as we love the taste of peppers grown in the soil. Make sure to add lots of compost! Read more on why Peppers love compost »
We usually use a heat mat underneath our Aerogarden setup to keep the seeds warmer when germinating – they do like it at around 80-85˚ to germinate.Then we turn off the heat mat after the seeds have all germinated.
Sometimes, if the Aerogarden planted chile peppers outgrow their Aerogarden space before we're ready to harden off and plant outside, so we will also transplant the seedling pods into toilet paper rolls filled with potting soil. These are a great way to recycle and are bottomless, so can be put into a tupperware container and kept happy until ready to plant outside.
Growing peppers from seed is easy! And, you can grow any of the hundreds of chile pepper varieties, you're not just limited to what types of peppers you can get at your garden nursery. Sandia Seed sells all sorts of easy-to-grow Hatch chile seeds, green chile seeds, hot pepper seeds, sweet pepper seeds and even Heirloom tomato seeds!
Learn more about Growing Peppers in an Aerogarden »
Read of our tips on How to Grow Peppers »
