How to Grow Chili Peppers Indoors

Growing your own chili peppers is a great project if you're a container gardener looking to spice things up, want to take on a new gardening challenge, or just love hot peppers and want to have your own supply. Chili peppers can be grown inside, but you shouldn’t expect your plants or your peppers to be as large as outdoor- or greenhouse-grown ones. The key to successfully growing a chili plant is to ensure it gets plenty of light, heat, moisture, and humidity.

Growing Hot Pepper Plants Indoors

Fill the seed starter cell with potting mix that has vermiculite or perlite.
Sprinkle 2-3 chili seeds in each seed starter cell.
Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil and water them immediately.
Put the seeds in low light and keep the soil moist until they sprout.
Move the sprouted seeds to a window that gets at least 6 hours of light daily.
Transplant the seedlings to individual pots once they grow two sets of leaves.
Maintain a temperature of 65° to 80°F during the day and 60° to 70°F at night.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Germinating the Seed

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1
Fill your seed starter cell with soil. Fill the cell almost to the top, as chili seeds don’t need to be planted very deep. A good soil choice for chilis is a rich soil-based compost. Because chilis need good drainage, look for a potting mix that also contains vermiculite or perlite.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Because you're growing the chilis inside, it doesn’t really matter what time of year you plant.
2
Plant a few seeds in the pot. Sprinkle two or three chili seeds onto the soil in the seed starter cell. This will ensure success even if some of the seeds don’t germinate. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of extra potting soil or compost.
- Indoors, you may have better luck growing smaller chili varieties, such as habaneros, cayenne peppers, and pequins.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Once the seeds have been planted, water the soil. This will ensure good seed to soil contact and encourage germination. As the seeds germinate over the next two to four weeks, keep the soil moist, but not soggy, as the seeds germinate and sprout.
4
Cover the seed starter. Covering the seeds will keep in both moisture and heat, helping the seeds to germinate. You can cover the seed pots with a plastic lid, an upside-down pop bottle with the top cut off, or you can wrap the pot with a clear plastic bag.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Covering the seeds isn't necessary, but it will reduce how much you have to water.
While the seeds are germinating, it’s important to keep them somewhere that’s relatively dark but that gets some filtered light. Also, make sure that the temperature stays above 65 °F (18.3 °C). A shed or garage with a window is an ideal place. Keep the seeds in this location until they start to sprout.^{[4]XResearch source}
6
Uncover the sprouts and transfer them to a bright window. When sprouts appear, remove the lid or plastic bag covering the pot. Transfer the pot to a warm place near a window that will provide the sprouts with lots of indirect light, like a bathroom or warm room with a skylight.^{[5]XResearch source}
- The plants will need to get at least six hours of bright sunlight a day. If you do not have a sunny window, then you can also use a fluorescent tube light to help the plants grow.

Part 2

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Transplanting the Seedling

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Chilis will need to be replanted every so often as they grow. The first transplant will happen when the new sprouts have two to four sets of leaves. As your sprouts grow, check them daily for leaf growth.^{[6]XResearch source}
2
Trim off the weaker seedlings. Assess your seedlings to determine which one is the largest and healthiest. Look for fuller leaves, more leaf growth, and a taller stem. Remove the weaker seedling by trimming it with scissors at soil level, or by pinching it off with your fingers.
- Instead of trimming off the weaker seedling, you can also separate the two and plant two chili plants.^{[7]XResearch source}
For the first transplant, you should move the chili seedling to a pot that’s no more than 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide.^{[8]XResearch source} Fill the pot with about 2 inches (5 cm) of a rich and high-quality potting soil, or a mixture of sphagnum moss and aged manure.^{[9]XResearch source}
Place your hand over the base of the seedling and turn the seed starter pot over. Gently pull the seedling and root ball from the starter pot, being careful not to tear or damage any of the roots. You can give the seed cell a gentle squeeze to loosen the soil and roots if necessary.
Transfer the seedling to the larger pot that you prepared with soil. Hold the seedling steady with one hand, and add potting mix to cover the root ball and stem. Add enough soil to cover the stem to just below the first set of leaves.^{[10]XResearch source}

Part 3

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Growing and Harvesting the Chili Peppers

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1
Keep the plant warm. Chili peppers originated in Mexico, so most of them thrive in warm climates. To ensure your chilis survive indoors, you'll have to maintain a daytime temperature of about 80 F (27 C), and a nighttime temperature of about 70 F (21 C). Instead of keeping your entire house at this temperature, you can keep the plant warm by:^{[11]XResearch source}
- Keeping it in a greenhouse
- Installing an artificial light 3 inches (7.6 cm) above the plant
- Placing the plant on a heating mat
Once the chilis are established and have been transplanted the first time, you can move them to a bright window that gets lots of direct sunlight.^{[12]XResearch source} Not only does the plant need several hours of sunlight each day, but the heat from the light will also help to keep the plant warm.
Water the chili plant so the soil is moist. Allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Chilis like damp soil, but overwatering can lead to rot and fungal growth, and it can also affect the heat level of the peppers, making them less hot than they would be.^{[13]XResearch source}
4
Feed the plants every couple of weeks. Your chili peppers will benefit from regular fertilizer. Every two weeks, combine a balanced fertilizer with some water and feed the plant. A balanced fertilizer is one that contains equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium such as 10-10-10 or 2-2-2. A fish and kelp emulsion or concentrated liquid fertilizer is a good option.^{[14]XResearch source}
- In winter, the plant may enter a dormant phase and stop growing, flowering, and fruiting. Cut back to monthly feedings if this happens, and resume twice monthly feedings when the plant goes back into an active growing phase.^{[15]XResearch source}
5
Transplant the chili plant as it outgrows its pot. When the chili plant becomes too tall and starts to fall over, it’s time to transplant.^{[16]XResearch source} Fill a pot that’s one or two sizes larger with a few inches (several centimeters) of potting mix. Gently remove the plant from the smaller pot and transfer it to the larger one. Hold the plant steady as you cover the root ball and most of the stem with fresh soil.
- For smaller chili varieties, your plant will eventually end up in a 10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-cm) pot. A larger chili plant may need an 18-inch (46-cm) pot.^{[17]XResearch source}
6
Harvest chilis when the peppers become shiny and bright. Your chili plant will mature and bear fruit within about three months of the first transplant. The size of the fruit will depend on the variety, and your chilis could be anywhere from an inch (2.5 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) in length. Harvest ripe chilis by cutting the stem just above the fruit with a knife or scissors.^{[18]XResearch source}
- To protect your hands from the hot oils in the chilis, wear gloves when you harvest and cook with the peppers.

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Question
Do chilli plants need sun or shade?
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014.
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Expert Answer
Chili plants need sun but can tolerate some shade. Full sun (6-8 hours of direct sun per day) will result in better pepper crops.
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Question
Can you grow pepper plants inside?
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014.
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Expert Answer
Peppers require full sun, so they do best outdoors. Place them in an extremely sunny place or under a grow light if you want to grow them inside.
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Can you grow bell peppers inside?
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014.
Lauren Kurtz
Professional Gardener
Expert Answer
Peppers require full sun but may be grown indoors in an extremely sunny place or under a grow light.
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