The process of growing your own peppers from seeds may seem taunting, however it can be very rewarding too. There are many different varieties of peppers which you can grow from seeds, which all have different growing times. So it’s no wonder that you may be asking the question, how long does it take to grow peppers from seed?
Throughout this article we will delve into all the different peppers which you can grow from a seed and how long each takes to grow. With so many different growing stages, if you plan your planting correctly, then you could have peppers available to eat all year round.
There are 5 types of peppers that we’ll be looking further into throughout this article, which are;
- Shishito Peppers
- Sweet Peppers
- Bell Peppers
- Bolivian Rainbow Peppers
- Jalapeno Peppers
All these peppers have different growing times and stages which in our opinion make them the best selection to grow all year round. Some of these peppers are hot, chili peppers too, so there’s a wide range of variety that we’ve chosen.
On average, peppers take anywhere between 60 and 140 days to mature from a seed to a stage where they are ready to harvest. But this range in days is quite large, so let’s see where each of these peppers sits in this timeline.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Peppers From Seed – The Quickest Pepper
Shishito Peppers, 60-65 Days
First up we have the Shishito Pepper. The Shishito pepper is one of the quickest peppers which you can grow from a seed, which only takes 60-65 days to mature, ready to harvest, commonly coloured green with a long and thin structure.
What’s great about Shishito peppers is that they’re very mild peppers, only slightly hotter than bell peppers. Shishito peppers can be grown both in containers or pots, as well as being planted in the ground. As long as the minimum size of the container is roughly 5 gallons, then you should be absolutely fine growing Shishito peppers from a seed.
Shishito Pepper Facts
- Length: 3-4″
- Scoville: 0-200 SHUs.
- Color: Green to Red.
- Origin: East Asia
- Taste: Sweet & Slightly Smokey
Sweet Peppers, 60-90 Days
Next up we have the Sweet Pepper. The Sweet pepper is the second quickest pepper which you can grow from a seed, which only takes 60-90 days to mature, ready to harvest.
Sweet peppers are used regularly for summer salads as the low spiciness and sweet, fruity flavors compliment many other vegetables. Sweet peppers can be grown both inside and outside, also in containers and pots. These peppers make a great addition to a
Sweet Pepper Facts
- Length: 3-7″ , but only 1-2” Width
- Scoville: 0 SHUs.
- Color: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
- Origin: Central & South America
- Taste: Sweet & Fruity
Bell peppers 60-90 days
Third on the list and probably the most recognised pepper is the Bell Pepper. Bell peppers share the same growing time from a seed as the Sweet pepper and only take 60-90 days to mature, ready to harvest. This is because they come from the same pepper family.
For more information on this topic, click the link for How Long Does It Take For a Bell Pepper To Grow
The Bell pepper is the most commonly used pepper across the globe as they are extremely easy to grow in a wide range of climates. Meaning they have the ability to be grown across the majority of the world.
Bell Pepper Facts
- Length: 4-6″
- Scoville: 0 SHUs.
- Color: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
- Origin: Central & South America
- Taste: Sweet & Mild
Bolivian Rainbow Peppers 120-140
Forth on our list is the Bolivian Rainbow Pepper. This has to be one of our favorite peppers of all, simply because of their colors and beauty. The Bolivian Rainbow Pepper takes between 120 – 140 days to fully mature, ready to harvest. This may seem like a long time, but the peppers will stay fresh for a very long time if they are left unharvested, and still attached to the plant.
These little Bolivian Bell Peppers do pack a punch and are very spicy. They are commonly used across the world in small amounts to make salsa’s and sometimes mixed in with salads.
Bolivian Rainbow Pepper Facts
- Length: 3-4″
- Scoville: 30,000 – 50,000 SHUs.
- Color: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple.
- Origin: Bolivia, Central South America
- Taste: Spicy, Crisp, Earthy
Jalapeno Peppers 120-180 days
Finally, last on our list is the Jalapeno Pepper. For Jalapeno peppers to grow from a seed, it will take a whopping 120-180 days to mature, ready to harvest.
That’s up to half a year. But don’t worry, there are a number of methods you can use to preserve Jalapenos, from freezing to dehydrating.
Jalapeno peppers are used for making hot sauces, salsa’s and toppings for nachos. These little peppers may be fairly hot, but they do hold high nutritional value in fiber.
Jalapeno Pepper Facts
- Length: 2-3″
- Scoville: 2,500 – 8,000 SHUs.
- Color: Green, Red.
- Origin: Mexico, Central America
- Taste: Spicy, Vegetal
The Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper
We haven’t mentioned this pepper previously as it’s not one of the most common peppers that you can find on the market. However, it is the quickest pepper to grow from a pot.
The Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper will take a rapid 57 days to grow from a pot, which is the quickest grown pepper of them all.
What’s great about this pepper, is that it was bred specifically for home growing in cooler climates than other peppers need. The sweet chocolate bell pepper is this amazing, dark brown/ Maroon color, which is why it gets the name ‘Sweet Chocolate’.
Unfortunately it’s not because of the taste.
These sweet chocolate bell peppers will be available to buy in your local garden center, or you can seed packets only which is probably the easiest option. However you will have to grow these peppers in the winter periods.
How Deep To Plant Pepper Seeds?
Peppers are fantastic vegetables to grow at home, and there’s a good reason for that too. Many people are attracted to peppers because they are so diverse. There are so many different types of peppers that can be grown at home, all with different tastes, different colors and different sizes.
But how deep should you plant a pepper seed? And do they all have to be planted the same?
Peppers are one of the favorite vegetables to grow at home because you can harvest them through the different stages in the growing process, giving the vegetable a long harvest period. Not only this, but pepper seeds can all be planted at the same depth range, which makes them easily maintainable.
Pepper seeds should ALWAYS be planted at a depth of ¼ – ½ inches deep.
This may seem very shallow, but pepper seeds need as much heat and sunlight as possible so the leaves have a direction to aim for during germination. Pepper seeds should be planted in a ‘fine starting mix’, which enables the water to drain through quickly. The reason for this is that pepper seeds don’t like to be submerged in water for long periods of time. They like to be watered regularly, but have the water drain thoroughly throughout the day.
After about 2 weeks from planting your pepper seeds at ¼ inch deep, you should start to see the leaves begin to form and burst through the soil. At this stage you will be able to tell if your seeds have been planted at the correct distance or not. If you realize that your paper seeds have been planted too closely together, then at this stage it is safe to transplant them into another pot if needed.
Can You Plant a Pepper Seed Too Deep?
Please remember that if you have planted your pepper seeds any deeper than ¼ inches deep, then it may take longer for the leaves to breach out from the soil.
Note, that after 2 weeks has passed it becomes a lot harder to transplant (or move) the seedling. Vegetable plants do come under a lot of stress after 2 weeks of growing due to its reproduction, therefore any movement after this stage may result in the death of the plant. Maybe not all of the time, but a good percentage of the time.
Bell Pepper Growing Stages?
The growing stages of a bell pepper is very complex, with each stage playing a crucial part in developing and producing the best bell pepper possible. So we’ll highlight just how long does it take to grow peppers from a seed.
For more information on this topic, click the link for How Long Does It Take For a Bell Pepper To Grow
There are 6 stages to the bell pepper growing cycle which are; (in order) Germination, Vegetative Development, Flowering, Pollination, Fruiting and Ripening, which we’ll look into further below.
Germination
The first stage of the bell pepper growing cycle is germination. Bell pepper seeds love damp soil, which drains easily. The best range of soil temperature for a bell pepper is between 75 – 85 degrees fahrenheit at ¼ inches deep, which gives the soil enough warmth to dry out before its next water.
Providing the environment is correct, your bell pepper seeds should start to germinate and sprout after roughly 2 weeks. Once at this stage, your plant should be placed onto a windowsill in direct sunlight for the next 4 weeks.
Vegetative Development
The second stage in the bell pepper growing process is vegetative development. In this stage of the growing process the roots of the seed will be large enough to transplant if you need to. Your seed should now have sprouted at least 3 leaves, which is the telltale sign it’s reached its next stage.
From this stage you can relocate the pot in which it’s housed outside, into direct sunlight, as long as the outside temperature is 60 degrees fahrenheit, then your bell pepper plant should survive. Any less and it may struggle to grow correctly.
The soils pH levels should range between 6 – 6.5 to ensure the best growing conditions for your bell pepper seed.
Flowering
The following step in the bell pepper growing stage is flowering. When the leaves are exposed to the correct amount of sunlight each day, they will begin to flower these beautiful white or yellow blossoms.
The next few stages of the bell pepper growing cycle are very quick, and take little to no time to complete.
This is usually anywhere between 60-80 days from planted from a seed. The bell pepper plants will continue to flower as long as it’s getting a full day of sun, and the temperature exceeds 70 degrees fahrenheit.
Pollination
Next up in the bell peppers growing stages in pollination. In order for a bell pepper plant’s life cycle to continue into next year it must be pollinated.
Did you know that bell pepper plants can actually self pollinate themselves, and don’t rely on insects to spread the pollen for them?
Bell pepper flowers will drop pollen directly from their anthers, onto the stigma, which massively reduces the time taken to pollinate. This means the pollinated stage is completed almost immediately after it has started, and will continue to do so throughout its life cycle.
Fruiting
Now we’re at the second to last stage in the bell pepper growing cycle, fruiting. Once the bell pepper flower blossoms are pollinated, the flowers will now be fertilized, which means that your peppers are ready to be harvested if you would like to.
This stage of the cycle will be anywhere between 60-90 days from planting the seed, and by this point you should have a bunch of Green bell peppers waiting to be harvested.
Ripening
The final final step in the bell pepper growing stages is ripening. After the fruiting stage, your peppers are ready to be consumed if you would like. However, the peppers will not technically be ripe yet, although still safe to eat.
Bell peppers will change color dramatically and beautifully, turning from Green, to Yellow, to Orange and Red. The bell pepper is fully ripened when its color is Red, but for an array of coloured peppers, and different tastes, you can harvest at any time throughout the ripening stage.
How Long Does It Take To Grow Peppers From Seed – Conclusion
Well there you have it, everything you need to know on, how long does it take to grow peppers from seeds. Remember that every pepper variety takes a different length of time to fully grow. You should take this into consideration when planting your peppers so you don’t have them all fruiting at the same time of year.
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