How to plant pepper seedlings in the ground?

Peppers are one of those vegetables that are hardly essential for a garden plot. But a garden without them is boring! And how can you preserve food for the winter at your dacha if you have all the ingredients except bell peppers? For this purpose, you can grow peppers in your own garden! It's best to do this from seedlings: this way, the pepper plants grow stronger and begin bearing fruit earlier. Proper planting of pepper seedlings in open ground is the key to a successful harvest. Let's talk about that.

Growing pepper seedlings at home

To start growing pepper seedlings Early March is best. By this time, fill the seedling trays with good soil (preferably black soil, not the houseplant soil you buy in stores) and water them. Then, remove the top layer of soil, sprinkle pepper seeds over the remaining wet soil, and cover them with the previously removed soil. Place a large transparent plastic bag directly on the tray, tie it tightly to prevent air from escaping. Leave it for two weeks to allow the seeds to germinate in this "greenhouse."
After the pepper seeds sprout, wait another week or two for the sprouts to strengthen and stretch, then remove the bag and water the seedlings carefully. Place them on a windowsill to ensure they receive as much sunlight as possible. Grow the seedlings until the plants have 5-6 leaves and the threat of frost has passed.

How to properly plant pepper seedlings in the ground in a garden bed?

The procedure for planting vegetable seedlings in open ground is roughly the same, but it's important to remember the specific characteristics of each plant. For example, cabbage seedlings should be dug into the soil right up to the leaves, while nightshade plants (tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers) should be planted higher. This is because nightshades are very sensitive to cold, and their leaves, if planted too low to the ground, can easily catch fungal diseases. Keeping this in mind, you can begin planting pepper seedlings directly into the ground.

1. Prepare the pepper bed in advance. Dig it over to remove harmful roots and provide the soil with oxygen. Then, using a hoe or other suitable tool, make deep holes for the peppers. Each hole should be approximately 20 cm in diameter and deep enough to plant the pepper and cover with soil. Then, walk along the holes with a watering can and fill each one with water. Wait until the water has completely drained.

2. Distribute the pepper seedlings into the holes. To do this, carefully separate the root ball from the seedlings, being careful not to damage the root system, and place a pepper plant in each hole. This step is optional, but it will help you see how many pepper plants you have and whether there are enough for all of them.

2. Carefully make a hole in the center of each hole and place the roots of the pepper plant in each hole. Unlike tomatoes, which can be planted lying down (they'll rise by orienting themselves toward the sun), this won't work with peppers. They must be planted standing, firmly securing the base of the plants with soil. Do this first with moist soil, then cover with dry soil to protect the pepper bed from the cold.

3. Check that the peppers are securely planted in all the holes. The seedlings will look a little "tired" for the first few days, but that's normal: they need time to take root.

4. After a few days, the pepper seedlings will feel much better. And when the plants start to grow, you can start tending the bed – watering, fertilizing, and waiting for the harvest!

Planting pepper seedlings in open ground is fairly simple, but the main challenge is how to support the pepper plants and help them thrive. We'll discuss this in one of our next posts!

Watch a helpful video about growing (caring for and planting) peppers in an open area.

You can also read, How to plant eggplant seedlings in the ground.