Growing bell peppers from seed

[Greenfingerpaula]

We eat a lot of peppers in our home, salads, chillis, Rocky the bearded dragon....... I have kept some seeds from a red and an orange pepper, do I just leave them to dry out like on a windowsill, then plant then next year for my own pepper plants?

[JoeDaStudd]

You should be able to grow them, however how well they will do I wouldn't like to say how good the crop would be as they will be a variety breed for a speedy crop growing in the industrial greenhouses abroad.
General method is to sow them in a windowsill propagator in February then plant out in a greenhouse once the first frosts are over.

[Paulieb]

Yep, leave them to dry on a china plate or similar so they're easy to remove after. Then sow them around Feb/Mar and you should get something and it'll be quite exciting.

However, as already stated, you won't necessarily get the same peppers (if the ones you bought were F1's or cross pollinated), and they may have been suited to a hotter climate which means they may struggle in Birmingham (even in a greenhouse).

I would suggest either splashing out 50p for a pack at your local wyevale on a pack in the sale, or there are websites who offer similar priced deals.

As peppers take so long to come to fruit (i.e. most of the year with a good summer) its better to know what you're planting and know it's a reliable variety.

[Greenfingerpaula]

Yeah I will purchase some seeds, just thought I'd try my luck with the home ones and see what happens lol! I'm going to do the same with chillis too, we have jalapeño, scotch bonnet and Krakatoa growing so when I use those I'm gonna keep some seeds back too

[Veggielot]

I have always grown mine from a packet of seeds, but might give it a go saving some seeds a they are normally just thrown away.

If you buy a packet for next year you could then use the seeds from them in the future. Or if you could find some local who have grown their own you could ask for some seeds.

[Farmer_Gyles]

I would suggest either splashing out 50p for a pack at your local wyevale on a pack in the sale, or there are websites who offer similar priced deals.

I did that last year - I now have one sweet pepper, almost 1 inch round - waste of 50p really
A few years ago I saved the seeds from a supermarket pepper - I got peppers from it, they were fine - for a few years, I saved seeds from these and grew more - some years better than others, but at least i had some peppers - then I lost all the seeds so didn't have peppers at all last year

[Scarlet]

I'm going to do the same with chillis too, we have jalapeño, scotch bonnet and Krakatoa growing so when I use those I'm gonna keep some seeds back too

If youre growing them all together you may well end up with nothing like the original plant. Chillies and peppers cross pollinate freely to stop this pop a little net bag over the flowers before they open and they will pollinate themselves.

[Greenfingerpaula]

Ohhhhh ok, I wonder if that's why the jalapeño chillis are a bit deformed, they haven't been near the other 2 plants though, unless something else cross pollinated it? I'll have to take a pic tonight of the unsightly buggers lol

My scotch bonnet and Krakatoa are in pots say next but 1 to each other in the garden, I moved the jalapeño into the GH

[mothhawk]

I sowed some bell pepper seeds 31st December from a pepper we had for lunch that day, straight out of the pepper onto a pot of JI compost. I kept 3 plants of the 20 or so seeds that sprouted, and I've had about 5 peppers off each. Two I tossed out when the leaves started to yellow last month, but one I left, and it produced new leaves and now has peppers on again. All for free!

[Greenfingerpaula]

You give me hope mothawk

[Mysterious Gardener]

Yep, planting seeds from hybrids you buy in the shop can be hit or miss. Have you looked at mini bell peppers? I'm growing a bunch of them this year and they're great with some cheese in the oven or as a snack!

[Creemteez]

I saved and sowed seeds saved from some Tezzie's Mini Orange and yellow peppers. Got lots of peppers, but "mini" they ain't!! Not complaining. Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya choice...

[Greenfingerpaula]

We get through peppers like no-ones business, so whatever I end up with will be a bonus!