What's Wrong with Me....

[roadrunner]

I just can't seem to germinate seeds of Bell pepper plants

It's been years since I successfully germinated them, granted when I fail I don't do anything of significance to figure out the problem, but it's getting to the point where I just might never buy pepper seeds again. My latest attempt was about a week ago and I sowed those seeds at the same time and same way as a pack of cucumbers and nearly all the cucumbers are now seedlings

Is there some secret to germinating bell peppers?

 

[marlingardener]

Honey, it isn't you, it's the peppers. Peppers are notoriously slow to germinate, especially bells. Try soaking the seeds overnight before planting, and keeping the soil warm. I am assuming you are starting them in cells, not in the ground.
Cucumbers are "pop-up" plants--let a cucumber seed get a glimpse of soil and up it comes!
You're a good gardener, so don't give up. Just change your method a bit!

 

[TomatoTango]

Like eggplants, peppers like warmth to germinate. If all else fails get a small heating pad specifically for germination. I put mine by the fireplace or in a sunny window to help heat them up.

 

[alp]

They do need a bit of warmth - I sowed them in a polystyrene tray and place them in the hot sunlounge. You could warm up some compost and then sow the seeds. Some people will warm up their compost indoors or inside a greenhouse before they sow any seeds, which is not a bad idea. If you want to see a round pepper, you also need a lot of heat and sun, which might not be a problem with where you are.

 

[Silentrunning]

I can’t raise any kind of peppers from seed. I planted a tray of 48 and got two plants. With tomatoes I run about 90%. This is my last year to plant pepper seeds. From now on I will buy plants.

 

[skinyea]

just be patient. I do most of what everyone said before about warmth , it took 13-17 days to see any growth. They are just slower than most plants

 

[headfullofbees]

The bell peppers say you smell.

 

[alp]

I have these from seeds collected by the pointy sweet peppers that I bought. Yes, I am a big fan!

I will keep them in the hottest and sunniest place. Last year, I had one pepper 1/4 of the normal size. Hopefully, this year, I will upgrade. Perhaps, collect your own seeds. More viable and fresher! All these seeds were collected by myself. Some people don't like polystyrene tray as the roots might grow through it. But I love it as it raised the ambient temperature just a tad higher.

 

[alp]

The bell peppers say you smell.

Or the pepper seeds were stinking inside!

 

[Silentrunning]

So many of the fruits and vegetables you buy in the store today are hybrids or GMO so if you save the seeds there is no telling what you will be growing. When I lived in Florida a friend was into heirloom tomatoes and always gave me a few seeds. They were great but not very disease resistant. Maybe if I look around I can find some heirloom Bell Peppers for next year.

 

[alp]

Here, if we key in AGM i.e. Award of Garden Merit and the plant species, we have a list of AGM trial and tested cultivars. Today, I didn't really want to buy the reduced courgette 75p, but because it has AGM on the label, I bought it. It usually means it will do well in most gardens and probably more disease resistant.

 

[marlingardener]

Silent, California Bell peppers are heirlooms (introduced in 1928). We plant some every year and have a good crop. They do need staking, trellising or caging since they set on quite a few peppers at the same time, and the plant tends to lean.
Since we don't need many plants, I just buy starts from a nursery. The one year we started our own, we found that starting in early February with a heat mat worked well. As the pepper plants grew, we added lights and backed off on the heat a bit. Unless you are growing peppers for a market or a large family, I'd suggest just buying starts and saving the space/heat/light for plants you can't buy as Cal Bells are pretty easily available.

 

[Silentrunning]

MG, you are right on. A 6 pack would probably give us all we need and would save a lot of grief.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Here, if we key in AGM i.e. Award of Garden Merit and the plant species, we have a list of AGM trial and tested cultivars. Today, I didn't really want to buy the reduced courgette 75p, but because it has AGM on the label, I bought it. It usually means it will do well in most gardens and probably more disease resistant.

@alp you are a rare fountain of info!

 

[alp]

@alp you are a rare fountain of info!

! Stop embarrassing me please! I love to google and mess around. Just cross pollinate another pair of irises!