Pepper Sowing: Agronomist's Advice on Timing and Methods

Growing sweet pepper seedlings requires precise timing. If sown too early, the seedlings become leggy and weak, and if too late, the harvest may not ripen in time. This was explained by agronomist Nuraniya Sharygina from the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Rosselkhoztsentr» in the Tyumen Region.

Although peppers, like tomatoes, belong to the nightshade family, their seeds take longer to germinate — from 7 to 14 days. The plants develop slowly and react painfully to transplanting. Fruit formation takes 110-140 days after germination, so peppers need to be sown 2-4 weeks earlier than tomatoes.

Sharygina provided a simple method for determining the sowing date: «In our area, almost all gardeners grow peppers in greenhouses, so to find the exact sowing time, you just need to calculate when you approximately plant them in the greenhouse. Subtract 70 days from that date to get the seed planting date. For example, if you plant on May 5, I advise sowing seeds on February 25.»

Before sowing, it is recommended to germinate the seeds. They are spread on damp gauze or a cotton pad, moistened with a growth regulator solution such as Emistim or Epin, and left for 3-5 days until sprouts appear.

Germinated seeds are planted 2-3 pieces per individual cup with nutrient soil, burying them no more than one centimeter deep. The containers are placed in a mini-greenhouse and kept at a temperature of +25…+28°C (77…82°F). Under these conditions, seedlings appear in 10-14 days.

After germination, the temperature is reduced to +20…+22°C (68…72°F), and the seedlings are provided with additional lighting from a phytolamp for at least 12-14 hours per day. When two true leaves form, the plants are watered with a calcium nitrate solution at a rate of 1 gram per liter of water. This feeding strengthens the stem and prevents the occurrence of «black leg.»