Plant This Spicy Veggie In December For Stronger, Bigger Harvests

For many of us, December is a time of rest for our hard-worked gardens. Spring is typically when our hands get itchy to start seeds indoors, but if you love the biting into something that bites back — peppers — it's not too early to tuck these tiny discs into flats of soil. The general rule for planting peppers is to start seeds indoors eight weeks before your area's last frost. But even with this two-month prep time, some gardeners complain that their pepper crop isn't ready until the fall. Spicy varieties can take an especially long time to reach full potency. Carolina Reapers, for instance, may need as long as 150 days, while habaneros and ghost peppers might require 100 days to ripen.

Planting hot peppers indoors in December gives the plants plenty of time to be robust and ready for outdoor planting by May or whenever the danger of frost has passed in your zone. A few extra weeks indoors won't do the plants any harm either, since chilly and damp spring soil isn't the best environment for peppers. With the right supplies and prompt action, this wintertime tip could have you plucking a bumper crop of peppers next year.

Grow lights and heating pads are important when you're coaxing pepper seeds to sprout. But a Solo cup can kickstart your pepper garden on a budget; not only are they cheap, their depth allows plenty of spreading space for roots. Plus, doubling up a cup with a perforated bottom with an outer cup to act as a reservoir gives the seedlings access to water without the soil becoming soggy. Fill the inner cup (or seedling tray) with seed starting mix, and plant several seeds ¼ inch deep in each cup or cell.

For faster germination, place your cups or soil trays on a heating pad set to around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. A plastic cover over the soil will hold heat and moisture in; just vent it once a day to prevent mold from developing. Bottom-watering the containers rather than soaking the plants from above can prevent fungus, as well. Full-spectrum grow lights are key here, since the seedlings will need around 16 hours of sunlight per day.

Once the seedlings put out their first true leaves, thin them to one plant per container. If they're in trays, repot seedling in 4-inch pots (or Solo cups) once four leaves have emerged. As they grow, pinch off buds so that the plants will concentrate their energy into putting out strong roots. However, let some of these buds remain when you're about to plant them outdoors. When the plants are 6 inches tall and the soil outside is around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they're ready to be transplanted outdoors. Give your peppers two weeks to harden off before tucking them into your garden.