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Except in some hot climates, pepper seeds won’t grow properly if you plant them directly into the garden soil. They need to grow for a while indoors in a controlled environment.  The timeline of this varies, because the end of winter can be tricky to predict. Expect to start the seeds around the end of January or the beginning of February. If your area has especially mild winters, or you live in a warm climate, you have more freedom when it comes to when you must start the plants. Fold 2 paper towels separately into small squares. Wet the paper towels with room temperature water. Place the seed on 1 paper towel and lay the other towel on top of that. Grab a zipper bag and slide the wet towels with the seed into it. Store the bag inside at a temperature around 70 to 80 °F (21 to 27 °C), and the seeds should sprout in about 1 week’s time.  This provides an incubator-like environment for the seed to start growing. If your house is not quite warm enough, consider keeping a heat lamp on the seed bag. Keep the soil consistently moist but not over saturated. Use a seedling mat to keep the soil warm and encourage faster germination and growth. Transplant the peppers into a larger pot or outdoors when your pepper is at least 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) tall. If you started the seeds in a paper towel, you can transfer the seed to a pot with good drainage when they have sprouted. Put the seedling about 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 inch (3.2 to 6.4 mm) under the soil. Use organic soil, or soil that’s meant for seed-starting. Also make sure the bottom of the pot has drainage holes. Keep the plant in the pot until it grows about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) tall. Peppers soak up a lot of water, but they don’t like soaking wet soil. Check the soil daily to make sure that it’s moist. If the top of the soil has crusted over, the plant needs water. Water it lightly and check it again later to see how moist the soil is. A soil moisture meter is a great help in keeping the soil moisture regulated. Continue to nurture the baby pepper plant until it reaches late spring or summer in your area. Peppers only grow in warm weather, so if there is a chance of cold or frost, keep it inside a little longer. When it seems like spring and it’s been two weeks since the last frost, it’s probably safe to move the plants outside.

Summary:
Begin the process 8-10 weeks before the final frost of the season. Start the seeds with wet paper towels and a zipper bag. Place seeds directly into 2 or 4 in (5.1 or 10.2 cm) pots as an alternative. Plant the sprout in a 4 in (10 cm) pot if you used the bag method. Water the plant as needed. Keep the plant indoors until you are sure the winter is over.