Chilly Chili Pepper

Start pepper seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your anticipated transplant date. Keep soil temperature around 70-80°F for best germination. Pepper seeds germinate slowly and may take 10-21 days to emerge, so maintain consistent warmth and moisture without waterlogging. Once seedlings develop true leaves, provide bright light to prevent leggy growth.

Transplant outdoors only when nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 60°F and frost risk has fully passed. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days. Space plants 18 inches apart with 4 inches between rows, allowing their mature width of 14 inches room to spread. Peppers thrive in warm soil, so waiting for thorough warming pays dividends in vigor and fruit production.

Peppers are edible at any stage, starting when they reach 2 inches long in their green phase, but waiting through the color progression to red yields the sweetest flavor. Twist or cut peppers from the stem rather than pulling to avoid damaging branches. The continuous color shift from green through yellow and orange to deep red means you can harvest over an extended period, with mature red peppers appearing around day 90-99 from transplant. Pick regularly to encourage continued flowering and fruiting through the season.

The upright growth habit of Chilly Chili Pepper requires minimal intervention. Remove any damaged or diseased leaves promptly, and thin lower foliage if air circulation becomes poor in humid conditions. Pinching out the first flower cluster encourages bushier growth and more pepper production overall, though this delays first harvest by a week or two.