How to Grow Early Jalapenos Indoors

Drill drainage holes around the lower end of the wall of the container. Make the holes in a ring 1 inch above the base of the container. Make each hole roughly 4 inches apart.

Wash the container with soapy water. Rinse it well to remove soap residue.

Fill the bottom inch of the container with 1 inch of gravel.

Fill the rest of the container to within 1 inch of its rim with potting mixture. Texas A&M University recommends using a synthetic soil mixture. These are available at most home and garden centers. They are lightweight and free of diseases and weed seeds, making them ideally suited for growing early jalapenos indoors.

Place the container in a spot indoors where it will have access to bright, direct sunlight for six to eight hours per day. Light from a southern exposure is ideal. The brighter the light, the healthier the jalapeno plant will be.

Plant a seedling in the center of the container at the same depth that it grew in its temporary container. Use a pencil to lift the seedling out of its container. Insert the pencil into the soil, 2 inches from the base of the plant. Push the emergent end down and away from the seedling to push the soil and the roots up. Handle the seedling carefully by its leaves. Never hold it by the stem. If the stem breaks the seedling will die. Broken or torn leaves will recover. Dig the new hole with the tip of the pencil, set the jalapeno seedling in the hole and gently replace the soil with your fingers.

Mix a water-soluble complete commercial fertilizer with water and pour it all over the soil. Follow the fertilizer's listed instruction for fertilizer amounts based on the plant's size. Continue to apply fertilizer in this manner for the rest of the life of the jalapeno plant. Fertilize at the interval listed on the label (usually once every two weeks).

Water the jalapeno's container until water seeps out of the drainage holes in the side of the container. Place a tray underneath the jalapeno's container to catch dripping water. Water in this fashion whenever the top one-third of the container's soil mixture feels dry or the jalapeno's leaves begin to droop. Most container-grown jalapenos need to be watered once daily. Also, water after every fertilizer application to transfer the fertilizer solution down around the plants, roots. Water once weekly until water pours out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the container. This will leach any accumulated fertilizer salts out of the soil.

Harvest the early jalapenos in 90 to 120 days when they reach their mature size.