How Warm Does The Soil For My Peppers Have To Be To Germinate

Peppers -- and especially red peppers -- are high in Vitamins A and C.

A red pepper, sweet or hot, has 10 times more Vitamin A and twice the Vitamin C of an immature green pepper --- and a green pepper offers almost three times more Vitamin C than an orange. Peppers are also high in potassium. This nutritional powerhouse, soon dubbed "pepper," was among the treasures Columbus took home to Europe in 1493. An exotic tropical plant, this new pepper was not related to the spice Europeans already knew; it had been cultivated in Central and South America from prehistoric times. Given the plant's tropical roots, it's no surprise that pepper seeds need warm temperatures to germinate.

Germinating Pepper Seeds

Plant pepper seeds in seed trays or flats of moist, sterile, soil-free germination mix and cover them 1/4 inch deep. Peppers need temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees F to germinate. For best results, keep seeds at that temperature, in evenly moist flats, until seedlings emerge. Gardeners often use heating mats beneath seed trays, for even and consistent heat, and others do fine placing flats in a sunny indoor window. Start seeds about eight weeks earlier than you plan to transplant young pepper plants outdoors.

Transplanting Peppers

Keep seedlings in very bright light, to produce sturdy, stocky plants. Peppers are ready to transplant when young plants have three to five sets of true leaves. Avoid plants that already have flowers and fruit. Soil should be fully warm, with ambient daytime temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees F and nighttime temperatures 60 to 70 degrees F. For planting in rows, space plants about 18 inches apart in rows at least 2 feet apart, and water transplants thoroughly. In raised beds and other intensive gardening systems, space peppers as close as 12 inches in all directions.

Growing Peppers

Like their relatives, tomatoes and eggplants, peppers do best in warm, well-drained, moderately fertile soils with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5, or slightly acidic to neutral. Incorporate well-rotted manure to add nutrients and improve soil texture and drainage, but remember that too much nitrogen encourages leaf growth at the expense of pepper production. Choose organic or inorganic fertilizers with low nitrogen in relation to phosphorous and potassium, such as 1-2-2 or 8-16-16. Mulch with 1 to 2 inches of pine straw or other light organic mulch once plants are well established, to deter weeds, conserve soil moisture and prevent soil compaction. Water thoroughly and deeply at least once a week.

Pepper Problems

Environmental stresses including drought, daytime temperatures above 90 degrees F and nighttime temperatures below 60 or above 70 degrees F can cause flowers and forming peppers to abort. Peppers can also get sunburned, with white or tan leathery patches, if leaves fail to cover fruit during hot weather. Uneven moisture in the soil may cause blossom end rot, or blackened spots on the bottom of peppers, especially when fruits grow rapidly.

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