Posted March 18, 2008 by Jay in Peppers

Makin’ Habaneros – Part VII: Heat

Now that we have our soil, seeds, trays and a place to grow them, there is one more thing that we need to accommodate for before we start to plant our seeds: Heat. As I mentioned before, if we are going to be growing peppers, we have to remember the climate that these seeds generally come from, and that climate is hot. We will need to have some sort of warmth to provide these seeds to help them germinate. You can accomplish this by setting the on top of the refrigerator to help get them to turn into a seedling, or place your ‘grow op’ near a furnace in the basement. I personally prefer to use a heat mat. And that heat mat is one designed for starting seedlings, not that old heat blanket that you got in the closet with the electrical taped up cord on it. If you are going to use a heat mat, use a heat mat designed for seed trays.

You can find them by searching for “Seedling Heat Mat” on Google. They are waterproof, and designed just for this purpose. They will generally run you about $20 – $25. They are not a necessity, but I do highly recommending the purchase, they should last you for years and your seeds will thank you. You will need one of these per seed tray, but you can find some online that will accommodate two. Here is where we are now;