How To Save Pepper Seeds To Grow Next Year - Pepper Geek

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In this video, we show you how to save pepper seeds for next year. Saving pepper seeds is quick and easy, and is well worth the effort!
Read The Article:
peppergeek.com/how-to-store-p...
Supplies For Saving Pepper Seeds:
- PEPPERS!
- Gloves
- Sharp knife
- Drying containers (plate or bowl)
- Sharpie for labeling
- Small baggies (Get Here amzn.to/30peZdq)
- Food-safe desiccant packets (Get Here amzn.to/2Elg5hP)
*We participate in the Amazon associate program, so referral links in this description may result in commissions paid to us at no additional cost to you.
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Thanks for watching Pepper Geek!
#peppers #seeds #growing

[@Nighthawk799]

As a totally inexperienced gardner I have saved my cucumbers last year seeds. I dried them and just store them in a plastic bottle. This year I planted them, not expecting anything special.Instead i had the healthiest and most incredible plants and the cucumber they are producing is nothing I have ever seen in my life!!!

[@keltsdance]

Excellent

[@TennRides]

If they don't look like the cucumbers you harvested the seeds from, they were very likely hybrid cucumbers. Hybrid plants do not plant true, meaning they will not be just like the plant you originally liked. I only plant Heirloom seeds, that way if I like the end product, I know that saving the seeds to plant the following year with give me exactly the same product I liked.

[@RIZE_2020-]

@@TennRides that's true. I found that out with my bell pepper plants. One pepper is red already, but it's much smaller than the original.

[@horrorhotel1999]

beware !! if cucumbers are cross pollinated with certain decorative pumpkin varieties, they can turn quite toxic. never use 2nd+ generation cucumbers with a bitter taste

[@venenareligioest410]

Seeds should be kept in paper bags.

[@tissuepaper9962]

I like thinking about the fact that by saving the seeds, we're playing right into the pepper's plan. We're the suckers in this situation lol.

[@PepperGeek]

Haha, right - they're like, "it's too easy..."

[@monicalittle788]

The best part about seed saving peppers to me is how much better they grow locally than their parents grew. I wait till the season is coming to an end.

[@grampabadger]

I bought a pound of Thai sweet chili peppers about five years ago, used a few of them, then put the rest in the freezer. Out of curiosity, I pulled one out and broke it open and planted the seeds. About 8 plants came up and I got a few peppers that year. I took one of those peppers and planted the seeds from it, got nine plants and about 2 pounds of peppers just a week ago. I guess I'm doing something right. No special prep. I just let the peppers dry out and start the seeds in cups inside.

[@lauranapoli4893]

can i use me dried thai chili to try to plant this year

[@2lotsill]

We freeze ours fresh every year. I'll save a handful and let they dry, toss in a baggie in pantry and use those the next year for planting. Last year my wife throw all the dried ones in the freezer with the other ones. 😢

[@fashnvain3194]

Because we were too weak with Covid, we had a ton of super ripe peppers in the garden! I saved all those seeds for next year. Then I stuffed the peppers and vacuum sealed them for the freezer. I’m much better now and the hubby is getting there. We’re going to have a huge family dinner and the peppers will be hot and delicious. Also had a ton of red potatoes we harvested and froze those as well. Everyone said to get our heart rate up with Covid, so we gardened when we could. Really helped! Thankful for swift treatment and a lot of prayers. Go garden everyone

[@jonhobbs7241]

U can get those bags at any smoke shop . Haha or local rx dealer haha . I'm joking . I love your channel . Keep up the good work

[@cindysquirrelloffgrid9514]

thank you for your video. I grew Tolli's Sweet Italian Frying Peppers this year and they are supposed to be red when ripe, but I had about one pepper per plant that instead of going green to red they went green to black, at first i thought it was a fungus or something, but no they are beautiful black peppers and I want to keep the seeds and see if they grow black peppers next year

[@diannew5264]

It's a genetic thing maybe even your climate. It may have been something I read on Seed savers exchange. A lot of my peppers start turning black or get black streaks. Ancho's jalapenos cayennes..don't matter. Nothing wrong with the pepper. A lot of varieties are descendant from an originally black pepper variety.

[@carlanchastain9989]

Had my best year for peppers this year. Saving seed from them for sure this year

[@billyvance4662]

Thank you so much. I had so many questions about when and how I should harvest my seeds and you answered all of them. This is my first year growing peppers and I will definitely be following your channel closely thank you

[@ronriaj]

Excellent presentation from beginning to end, even telling about the dryness and storing in a baggie. Thank you so much.

[@johnjude2685]

I've been taught a few grains of rice does the drying the air inside with the seeds. Your bags might be best I don't know, I try using the dark brown medicine bottles with my rice. My second season with grow lights Thanks love your helpful videos Sir

[@Ja2808R]

I love the bite at every video. They’re all helpful as peppers grow really well in my garden. With that in mind, all your videos are great!

[@PepperGeek]

Fun fact - that is actually me crunching into a pepper :) Thanks for watching our channel!

[@yummyforadam7485]

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

[@josephvoss8275]

Silica gel packets are a desiccant. The remove and control moisture not oxygen. To remove oxygen, use an oxygen absorber. They are mini sachets containing iron fillings, clay, and salt. The clay element produces moisture, and the combination of salt will activate the iron fillings to absorb oxygen.

[@marlonw5053]

A study showed that the longevity of brassica seeds was greatly affected by moisture and not oxygen, so while you are correct, using a desiccant like silica or even better, zeolite, is the key to the longest seed life. Then generally it is thought the next is keeping cold after drying.

[@LTGiants2000]

I like your videos, you put a lot of quality and time into them. Well done, thank you. Subscribed.

[@barbarabutler997]

I see your Spicy box from Hot Ones! Love them! I have a small pantry full!! I hope Sean appreciates both of you. ❤

[@DrunkInPublic]

This channel is the absolute best

[@B4ldyman1]

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you very much indeed. It’s going to take me quite a long time to find out if it works - but I’m well excited already.

[@PepperGeek]

Glad we could help, good luck with planting!

[@justwanderin847]

I string my ripe peppers on a needle thread and hang them up to dry, and use them all year long in the kitchen then when planting time, just cut one open and the seeds are fine.

[@Steve197201]

A couple of years ago, I had some thriving chili pepper plants. I clipped off some of the chili peppers and just put them into a paper bag. I didn't even cut them open. I just let the peppers dry out in the bag. Last month, I broke open one of the dried peppers and planted the seeds in pots. They all germinated and the seedlings are nice and healthy. So for small peppers, I would just store some whole peppers in paper bags and let them dry out on their own. Plus each pepper makes a convenient little package to store the seeds!

[@wordsbymaribeja1470]

Same, I did this with Banana peppers. Out of lazyness I let the peppers dry, and then put then in a paper bag. These are seeds from 2021. This year I attempted to sow some Banana pepper seeds using the original seeds that I bought, two attempts and none of the seeds from the original seller germinated. I tried againt with my seeds saved from 2021 (didn't bother try growing the peppers in summer 2022), and all the seeds that I saved germinated, and they were much bigger than the harvest from 2021 even though they were in a bigger pot. I don't think you need all this moisture absorbtion for the seeds.

[@melissabattiato232]

Just found your channel, and I am TRULY “geeking out”. Thank you for being thorough, yet concise. Very appreciated. Will def be coming back throughout this growing season.

[@PepperGeek]

Yesss! Glad you found us :)

[@mikeCavalle]

I find, in dry Arizona, that making a cage of two hand sifters, slicing the peppers laterally a couple of times, putting them in the cage, and hanging to dry outside. This makes crushed dried pepper and seed. Shaking the cage every few days shows the progress towards drying.

[@uninhabitedspace]

I want to thank you for your content.

[@PepperGeek]

Our pleasure!

[@TITAN0402]

You really are the pepper geek man and i'm proud of ya. Thank you for your well informed video.

[@PepperGeek]

Appreciate the kind words, thanks for watching ☺️

[@SunshineLP7]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@decibellx2194]

I'm pretty lucky. I live in Las Vegas. dehydrating my peppers or, drying them is a no brainer. put them outside in the summer for a very short time. done deal.

[@mountaingator001]

THANKS...I JUST LEARNED A LOT!

[@hollywood4809]

Awesome video Sr.

[@phillystyles1073]

Thanks Pepper Geek! Got some charapita peppers from my Peruvian buddy, hoping to have some plants of own soon!

[@PepperGeek]

Awesome! You'll love them

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

Excellent..thank you !!

[@joerydzewski1871]

Thanks for info!!!

[@nildaotero2933]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing

[@jordanyeager9220]

Hand model on point!

[@Mit4798]

It would be cool to watch you do deeper dives into certain peppers you are growing!

[@PepperGeek]

Thats a good idea - we'll probably do that later this year and definitely next season.

[@charmedlife6933]

Great advise about ‘disease’ transfer. Thanks

[@noora7773]

I've always kept any seeds that I've collected in a coffee filter that's taped shut. Normally they germinate well for many years. The only plant that I've had difficulties with is jalopeno! Next year I won't probably need to grow from seeds because I can just overwinter the current ones.

[@tluva1020]

I've always stored them in a paper bag or envelope. As long as they're in a dark, dry spot they'll be fine for next season

[@jameswilmot4537]

Have saved loads of pepper seeds from last year. Should be lots of hybrids this year which I'm looking forward to :)

[@johnmaclean2040]

Thank you

[@fieldingfowler3793]

Thank you!

[@ericaepperson8928]

typing this comment with fingers burning from making jalapeno poppers, yeah I even had gloves sitting next to me, lol

[@6stringgunner511]

😋 mmmmm Yummy! Peppers!!!

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

I’ve saves a ton of my hot chillies

[@EDLaw-wo5it]

new sub. Thanks

[@Auto-Tech-Matt]

I had a few peppers still on a plant from last year that had died over the winter. Figured I would try to germinate them in a plastic bag on a paper towel that had been dampened. And they have germinated in a little less than a week. And I have now planted them. So we will see how they do.

[@ronbooher3904]

Really enjoying your videos, website and newsletter! Question: do you think it is possible to vacuum seal the seeds instead of the ball jar and silica packet?

[@edwarda2033]

I’m going to try this with some choc habanero this year, thanks.

[@PepperGeek]

Nice, definitely wear the gloves 😁

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

I'd love to know your method of growing hot sauces, LOL. Reminds me of the time I wired about a dozen of those mini MRE Tabasco bottles onto a pepper plant and posted it on FB, claiming I had a patented process to save multiple steps. Seriously though, this is great info; thanks!

[@SaintBigAl]

Hi there, when I dry my pepper seeds I put them in a small plate and put them on top of the fridge , they are ready in about 7 to 10 days . On top of the fridge is warm and dry and they germinate nicely the next year.

[@Bent_Wild]

Awesome

[@jasmijnnoorlander7667]

Hi there, Thanks for the informative videos! I'm enjoying them a lot. Just a question about seed harvest and cross pollination, how does this work with peppers? Thanks a lot, Jaz

[@edwardlubin322]

I find using empty cleaned small medicine/prescription bottles to store dried seeds very convenient. Just a thought.😅

[@PepperGeek]

Good idea - might make for an awkward conversation when you show someone your collection, though 😁

[@racgrac28]

That gel pack you added to the jar, doesn't remove air, it removes moisture!

[@charlesroberts3910]

If u know soeone that works in a pharmacy u can get free desiccant packs that cow with pils and the throw them outs

[@hahahahagrin]

Love your channel; have learned much, even though growing / seeding peppers for some time. Note that you stated that the Desiccants would remove all "oxygen" ; I believe you meant moisture correct?

[@Elias2206]

Just a tiny hint. Silica gel is absorbing water quite well but is has nothing to do with oxygen. If you can find extreme finde iron powder that might work oxygen absorption.

[@travofoz]

one thing you can to get air out is put a bunch of those little bags in a sous vide bag w/ hand pump. leave the little bags unsealed. pump out air, while still sealed press little bags sealed.

[@Gangstarzzzz]

I use the water methode before i dry them the seeds that sink are the best.👍

[@paisley1134]

New subscriber here 🤩🥳🤠

[@microwavedmetal]

Habaneros are native to my country and we even export the habanero sauce which if you have ever been to a Belizean restaurant you will find it at every restaurant..I’ve planted before but I wanted extra information on how to successfully harvest and grow my plants…your videos have helped me exponentially

[@michaelstewart8022]

Marie sharps?! brought a bottle back home w us from Belize. beautiful country, delicious food

[@microwavedmetal]

@@michaelstewart8022 glad you enjoyed our wonderful country

[@marcusush517]

Now I’m in the mood for a nice cold Belekin and a few panardes and or Garnaches

[@potatius6421]

So I oven dried a few carolina reaper peppers last year. Took a few seeds out a few months ago and they seem to work great. So I guess less thinking

[@YomYestreen]

Silica/Desiccant packets have nothing to do with keeping oxygen/air out. Unless you use a vacuum pump there is always going to be some air in a container. Desiccants are for eliminating moisture from the air around them. Otherwise great vid, I appreciate your channel.

[@PepperGeek]

Yep, I'll have to address this in the description as you are not the first to bring it up, thanks for watching

[@YomYestreen]

@@PepperGeek I didn't mean to beat a dead horse, just didn't see anyone else mentioning it so I hoped it would be helpful. Keep up the good work on your channel. 👍

[@felisalpinis7357]

Placing the seeds in a sealed plastic bag traps the moisture in the seeds in the bag. The Dessicant will only dry the air in the jar outside of the bag. Maybe use paper envelopes in the jar instead? Also agree with comments here regarding Dessicants vs. oxygen absorbers.

[@WildestPotato]

2:26 Desiccant's don't remove oxygen, they remove moisture. High specialised ones may remove some gasses, they are primarily for adsorbing with a high affinity for water molecules.

[@maluse227]

Ngl I am super excited to do this because I accidentally (its my first time growing peppers) planted a whole bunch of different breeds right next to one another and they will likely cross pollinate, which means next year I'm hoping I get a weird hybrid of a reaper, scorpion, count dracula, sweet, pepper abomination.

[@Ramen.and.Satie.]

Hi! I discovered a dried up Carolina reaper, and I decided to germinate the seeds using the paper towel method. The chilli had been there for a few months. Can I expect any germination from the seeds? Thanks in advance! :)

[@topgrain]

Very straightforward and helpful. Thank you. A question: My Jalapenos were plentiful, but small because I had 2 plants in each 3½ gallon pot. If I save seeds from these small peppers, but give each plant its own pot next spring, will the peppers be small like the ones that produced the seeds?

[@PepperGeek]

The reason for the smaller size could either have been due to genetics (variety), in which case the peppers will be similar in size, or the environment (more likely). For example cooler temperatures, not enough sunlight, overwatering, etc. Size of the pot shouldn’t affect the size of the pods unless the pot is super tiny and you’re trying to grow bell peppers.

[@topgrain]

@@PepperGeek Thanks. I think I will skip these seeds and plant some new ones in late February.

[@PlanetT1000]

Can you propagate every kind of papper, even hybrids? For example I have a few jalapeno jaladuro F1 plants, can I save the seeds?

[@YesiPleb]

Can you use a food dehydrator and if yes, would it have to be the lowest setting?

[@charlottematou5896]

Thanks for the video! I somehow forgot to collect seed from my fresh peppers. However I airdried some of my chili de arbol last autumn, who are now stored in a jar. Can I try and use their seeds? Would you say drying the peppers and collecting the seeds afterwards is a reliable method? Thank you!

[@PepperGeek]

Saw your comment on our site - but in case anyone else here is wondering, yes! Air-dried seeds should be good to use. As long as they weren't frozen when the peppers were fresh or exposed to temps above ~120°F, they should germinate.

[@ingoweyrauch8024]

Ty for the advice! Wouldnt it be better though to store them light protected - not 100% sure but from what i know light cant be pretty harmfull to DNA and such - so usualy the seedbags u buy in stores are non-transparent

[@bobribbeck4515]

Silica jell is for moisture noa oxygen

[@Hadmin]

I got a 5x12 test tube rack for my seeds that went on wish for about $15-20 or so. think i got 35 types of sorted seeds now

[@PepperGeek]

Thats a unique idea, we need a better seed organization solution.

[@Hadmin]

@@PepperGeek It won't store a massive quantity of seeds, but more than enough to sell/give away and keep your own garden growing. Unless it's a smaller seed. I think I got thousands of Explosive Ember seeds and the vial is not even half full. If you are worried about humidity getting into the vials (the lids I got are pretty bad) you can probably stuff a packed wad of cotton at the top and that will probably keep it fresher for longer, maybe one of those little bags on top if you're gonna be extra careful.

[@debbiegibson6113]

I use a potato peeler. The long barreled one. Just cut the top cap off, stick the peeler down inside and give a few twists. All the guts including the membrane come out. Slice in half and jalapeno poppers here we come.

[@rafika816]

That's great advice. Thanks for sharing your method.

[@chokethewoke746]

I don't do no heat :-) Feel the burn get the high.

[@simplegreen6596]

Help me understand (or a video idea) on how come i can save my hybrid pepper's seeds, and replant them but in things like tomatoes, hybrid seeds lose a lot of their hybrid characteristics. I guess what im asking is how come the perception is keep cool pepper variety seeds and replant them (not clone them) but not generally practiced with other vegetable seeds?

[@shadowspirit93]

So I grew some candy cane peppers and when they turn red they have no seeds, but they have seeds before they turn red. Should I cut one when it’s still green or before it turns red to harvest the seeds?

[@chomiaquitox]

Hello! it is a good idea to save the seeds directly in a bag with silica gel inside? thanks in advance!

[@matthawkins4579]

When selecting the peppers to take seeds from, do you look at the strongest plants to select from?

[@chelsiefiscus9502]

My wax peppers are starting to turn red. But not all at the same time. So do i pick them an they rippen more on my kitchen counter before takong seeds out to save? Thanks

[@nicholas_obert]

It is better to let them ripen on the plant. Just pick them one at a time. Edit:. The fruit is going to receive nutrients from the plant as long as it remains attached. The longer the fruit ripens on the plant, the higher the chance of getting viable seeds since they have the possibility to fully develop.

[@daelyngreene518]

I live in Tennessee. Grew poblanos from plants bought at a local nursery this year (first time gardener). I’m gonna save some seeds to attempt to grow next year. I’ve read online that poblano seeds won’t germinate if the temp is under 70°. Is that a hard cutoff? Not sure when I should start the seeds for next year (and if I could try planting some now to see if they’re viable).

[@PepperGeek]

No they should definitely germinate, but it may take significantly longer if it is cool. Cooler temps are also more risky for damping off. 80°F seems to be a sweet spot for germinating most varieties.

[@Ladyscharm]

I tried to save some bellpeper seeds and they molded I think. I seperated what I felt were the good seeds and had sime that looked like they tried to germinate. I just threw them in dirt to see what happens for experimenting. I'll see what happens in due time

[@corybacks2725]

Is there anything you do to ensure you're getting the same plant next season? I had two accidental hybrids this year. I love how they turned out, but they weren't the peppers I was expecting to see.

[@PepperGeek]

We don’t worry about it too much, but if you want to you can isolate flowers before they open using paint strainer cloth. Once the pods start to form, the cloth can come off. Just make sure to shake the isolated branch while the flowers are open to ensure self pollination

[@audofit]

A couple weeks ago I experienced pepper burn on my hands for the first time. It was not pleasant. :(

[@youtubesucksforforcingthis]

Do you do anything to prevent cross-pollination, or to ensure self-pollination, when preparing to save seeds?

[@PepperGeek]

Yes you can use cheese cloth to tie off sections of the plants before the flowers open, then allow the flowers to open and self pollinate before removing it. Search “paint strainer bags” to find a suitable material

[@robertharris4661]

I've been wantig to save my own seeds for peppers but also for all of my other vegetables as well, but I found out about cross pollination and it seems like you need an A.I. algorithm to figure out what does and doesnt cross pollinate. Even with 4 acres, I wouldnt have any idea how to plan out keeping things away from eachother far enough to trust they wont taste horrible. Any suggestions?

[@ethanboyd7843]

Even store bought? Does heirloom come into play?

[@Gangstarzzzz]

Do u use the ziplock methode on the flowers so they don't cross-pollination? Only then u are sure u have jalapeños seeds.

[@jeffreyjbyron]

Do seeds need to dry out? Is it possible to germinate seeds right out of the pepper? I'm in CA and our growing season is so long, I'm wondering if it's possible to get two generations into one year. Peppers seem so forgiving, while so many others need a frost or cold spell.

[@PepperGeek]

You can germinate them fresh, but always dry before storing

[@jbonkerz]

I look forward to saving the seeds from my Cayenne and Jalapeno plant. They were relatively close to each other so I am also looking forward to see if any cross pollination occurred and if it did I am excited to see the results of the cross.

[@tammismith2921]

oh, that would be interesting. We have several different kinds along side of each other. Madhatters, Sweet and Petite, Pippins, Mariachis, Sweet Banana, Hungarian, and Ghost. , Hard to tell what we would get? lol

[@jbonkerz]

Ooo with that many varieties it will be interesting to see what sorts of hybrids you get!

[@princessmoccasin4279]

Can’t really use store bought peppers as they are using gmo and it keeps them from germinating.

[@GodsGotUs24]

So out of lets Say 20 seeds. What is the Average sprouts you will see. Or does it vary?

[@marilyngrass416]

Dollar tree tooooo

[@lisag1157]

Does the same apply to bell peppers (any color)?

[@jonthealth9187]

My habenaros have these little green things in them can I just plant those?

[@QuestingCouch]

Can you put multiple baggies of different seeds in the same jar?

[@Mechstar1]

please share overwintering tips..

[@PepperGeek]

We aren’t there yet, but will probably share how to later in our season. Essentially you want to heavily prune back the branches, leaving a few leaves, and bring the plant indoors or in the garage where temperatures remain above 60°F. Keep it watered and don’t fertilize (maybe one light feeding during winter). Give it some light but doesn’t need too much. Beware of bringing insects indoor with the plant!

[@kimjacomo5098]

I have frozen thai peppers. can I use those seeds to grow a plant?

[@BigboiiTone]

Havent finished the last few minutes of the video yet, so I will delete if needed if this question is answered. But could a food dehydrator be used, or would that be too hot and sterilise the seeds, rendering them unviable?

[@Circa1775]

So I had Tai dragon seeds I saved in hopes to replant. They were very dry for a year in a bag. This spring I tried to germinate in a damp paper towel on the window. 1 week nothing happened. Did I need to wait longer?

[@itsivaschannel2391]

I think the hotter the pepper the longer the germination time. My pequin peppers took 3 weeks. I even had them on a warming mat