saving pepper seed

habitat_gardener · November 17, 2011

i started my peppers very late this year and am just getting some color on some of them. Colder temperatures are forecast for the weekend, so I need to salvage whatever I can soon. They're all in containers.

I assume peppers need to be fully ripe (red in most cases) to save seed. Is that true?

If I can find a more sheltered place to put the containers, is it worth trying to get some of the peppers to ripen on the plants, or is it a lost cause?

If I want to overwinter some of the plants, do I need to find a spot that gets some light, or can they survive in a dark garage (no windows)?

biscgolf · November 17, 2011

generally yes but not always- some seed from unripe fruit will germinate.

depends on your needs... if it's something that was a pain to get i'd say yes.

some light vastly preferable.

b54red · November 17, 2011

If the peppers are already showing some color then they should be ready to get seed from. You can bring them inside and wait til they are fully red but I don't know if that makes any difference. I have saved good viable seed from full sized peppers with just a bit of color on them.

tjg911 · November 19, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

If I want to overwinter some of the plants, do I need to find a spot that gets some light, or can they survive in a dark garage (no windows)?

check out this thread, these people do it all the time and i'm amazed that the author has pepper plants that are 5 years old and look like trees!

http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/25...ver-wintering/

tom

November 17, 2011	#1
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	saving pepper seed i started my peppers very late this year and am just getting some color on some of them. Colder temperatures are forecast for the weekend, so I need to salvage whatever I can soon. They're all in containers. I assume peppers need to be fully ripe (red in most cases) to save seed. Is that true? If I can find a more sheltered place to put the containers, is it worth trying to get some of the peppers to ripen on the plants, or is it a lost cause? If I want to overwinter some of the plants, do I need to find a spot that gets some light, or can they survive in a dark garage (no windows)?

November 17, 2011	#2
biscgolf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 353	generally yes but not always- some seed from unripe fruit will germinate. depends on your needs... if it's something that was a pain to get i'd say yes. some light vastly preferable.

November 17, 2011	#3
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	If the peppers are already showing some color then they should be ready to get seed from. You can bring them inside and wait til they are fully red but I don't know if that makes any difference. I have saved good viable seed from full sized peppers with just a bit of color on them.