Range Degrees on Pepper Growth

Seed Germination

• The growing season for pepper plants can range from 70 days to as long as 120 to 150 days, making starting from seeds in your garden difficult for gardeners living in cooler regions with shorter growing seasons. Therefore, gardeners often start their pepper plants indoors weeks ahead of the last frost. In order for your pepper seeds to successfully germinate, the soil temperature must be between 65 degrees F to 90 degrees F, with optimum temperature between 75 degrees F and 85 degrees F, for 10 to 14 days. If temperatures during the germination period are lower, closer to 65 degrees F to 70 degrees F, your pepper seeds may take up to 25 days to germinate and not all of them will sprout.

Young Plants

• Tender pepper seedlings will need to be what is called, hardened off, a process that gives the young plant an opportunity to adjust to more dramatic outdoor temperatures after germinating indoors. When the temperature outdoors becomes 65 degrees F or higher and the overnight temperatures do not drop below 50 degrees F, begin to set the young pepper plants outdoors during the day, bringing them in overnight. For the first two to three days, leave the plants outdoors for three hours. Gradually increase the amount of time over the following 10 to 14 days until the pepper plants stay outdoors for 8 to 10 hours daily. Now the pepper seedlings are ready to be transplanted into your garden or large containers.

Flower Setting

• Pepper plants grow best in full sun with a daytime temperature range of 70 degrees F to 80 degrees F and nighttime temperatures of 60 degrees F to 70 degrees F. When there is a period of higher temperatures, particularly temperatures above 90 degrees F, your pepper plants will drop their flower blossoms and cease forming new blossoms. Low overnight temperatures below 60 degrees F can also effect pepper blossoms, causing similar problems of flower drop and no new buds developing.

Pepper Production

• High temperatures during flower bud formation can cause pepper fruit not to develop or cause deformities within the the flower that later appear as fruit deformities. When temperatures higher than 90 degrees F occur after the pepper fruit have formed but are still in the growth stage, the growth will stop while the pepper plant redirects its energy. If nighttime temperatures remain above 80 degrees F, your pepper plants may appear wilted during the day and struggle, limiting successful fruit production.