Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
i want to make my own paprika..........Paprika Supreme Sweet Peppers, Hungarian Spice Sweet Peppers, and Spanish Paprika Sweet Peppers.........i dont think i will find em as plants......so the seed way is how i am going to have to do it........
simon.........plants are the easiest way to grow peppers.......they give you a jump start..........IF you have the time and patience.........try the seeds......if they don't werk out......then buy the plants
Since you are in Florida, you can do both due to your long growing season. Here in Canada, we have to wait until the end of May to plant outdoors, so we start the seeds inside or buy from the farmer's market.
Even with your growing season, I would germinate indoors, then move them out when they look sturdy enough.
The best way to germinate peppers (or anything) is to use a seed tray. Plant the seeds very shallow. Fill a tupperware container that is large enough to hold your seed tray with water and soak the tray.
Cover the tray (that is soaked and seeded) with plastic wrap to keep it soil evenly moist and place the tray in an area where the temp is 75 to 80 degrees (a hot pad set on low or an electric blanket covered with plastic work at home). Seeds will germinate very slowly in lower temps and may just rot.
You probably won't have to water again until after the seeds germinate because the plastic wrap will keep the soil moist. You can see condensation on the plastic so you know it is moist. No condensation means you need to soak the tray again.
When you do need to water use the tupperware container again to soak the soil. Little seedlings don't like to be top watered (nor do big plants for that matter:))
Peppers are very slow germinaters so be patient. Give them two weeks to show themselves. You will need to transplant peppers to a larger (3 or 4 inch pot) about 4 weeks after germination.
Peppers are also slow growers and if you have a place in the house to start them I would say to do so in the next two or three weeks.
HTH
Mo
PS I guess I should say I'm a market farmer. This is how we start all our food.