SAVING PEPPER SEEDS The EASY WAY: Complete Guide From Start To Finish

Saving seeds is a great way to save money on your garden purchases, but seed saving procedures can vary based on the type of plant you want to save seed from. Harvesting seeds from peppers and storing them is one of the easiest procedures of any vegetable! This video is a complete guide from start to finish showing you an easy way for saving pepper seeds for planting and storage.
This DIY procedure can be used for hot pepper seeds, sweet pepper seeds and heirloom seeds to easily collect and store free pepper seed, but when it comes to how to save seeds from peppers, only seeds from open pollinated peppers and heirloom peppers should be saved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: 0:00
Rule #1: 1:02
Why you shouldn't save hybrid seed: 1:59
Rule #2: 3:25
The Procedure: 6:15
Pepper Seed Storage: 10:07
If you have any questions about how to save pepper seeds to plant next year, saving vegetable seeds in general, any of the things I am growing in my garden, are looking for any garden tips and tricks, or have questions about gardening and organic gardening in general, please ask in the Comments below!
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© The Millennial Gardener

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Do you save seed from any of your plants? Let us know in the Comments below!

[@StevenStGelais]

I believe khang star has that same type of pepper plant. Check out some of his recent videos and you should find the name of it. I forget what it's called

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@StevenStGelais I've seen several peppers that look like this. It also looks like a habanada, but I'm pretty certain it isn't that. I don't think I'll ever know for sure, but it's the most citrus-y pepper I've ever tasted.

[@StevenStGelais]

@@TheMillennialGardener the sugar rush pepper is what I was thinking it is.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@StevenStGelais it definitely is not that. This pepper is not sweet. It tastes like a mix of citrus peel and perfume. It's hard to describe. It is very "flowery" and "perfume-y". Not sweet, not very spicy at all. It's very unique.

[@Athabina]

I saved some seeds from a red pepper bought at Wal Mart and planted them on Jan.30; they germinated and sprouted on Feb.7!!! Thanks for the video!!!

[@PBarrPrince]

I'm glad to know I can wash my seeds. I painstakingly picked out all the membrane pieces by hand. Oh well, that's why I watch these videos. Thank you for an articulate and informative video! Painless and free of all the gibberish I sometimes see and hear in other videos. Wastes my time. Take care and keep up the great work!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can wash them, absolutely. If you want to make things really easy, you can soak them in a glass full of 3% hydrogen peroxide and stir it vigorously with a chopstick for 1 minute. The peroxide eats away at the membranes quickly. The seed will sink to the bottom, and you can quickly skim off the sludge. Then, just dump the seeds into a tea strainer and rinse them off. Added bonus: the peroxide will kill off any fungus that may be on the seeds!

[@PBarrPrince]

I've been saving seeds since last year. I had peppers that came up and I was ecstatic! Now I'm saving tomato seeds, pepper seeds, morning glory seeds, and frankly any seed I can find just out of curiosity. It's a very rewarding experience.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Be careful with tomato seeds. They must be fermented. You can’t just rinse them off and save them like you can with peppers.

[@PBarrPrince]

@@TheMillennialGardener that's something I didn't know. I'll learn though! Thank you.

[@phloughergirl]

Thank you so much for such a thorough explanation! I love that you cover important information in your videos that are concise and answers many of the questions that beginners would have. ❤️

[@MinnieAcresFarm]

I've saved easy seeds like flowers, but this is my first year really trying to save as many seeds as possible. This was super helpful!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Happy to help! Thanks for watching.

[@lorettajoy7275]

This is my first year gardening in this location, and i didn't have any pepper plants to save seeds from, so out of curiosity and to practice i took a (green) hot pepper from the grocery store and planted seeds from it. Now i have a small and cute pepper plant growing in a pot on the new shelves i built from scrap lumber and wood, underneath grow lights with other plants. We'll see how it goes! :) I don't know what kind of peppers it may produce, but it's giving me experience and happiness looking at its growth daily. I am also growing peas, spinach, lettuce and will be planting other vegetables to grow indoors this winter. Thank you for your videos! I'm saving this one for when i'm actually growing fruiting hot pepper plants and saving the seeds from my own.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That all sounds great! It's awesome that you're growing indoors during the winter. Leafy greens will do well under grow lights as long as the lumen count is high enough and you have the proper red and blue spectrum. Thanks for watching!

[@justgivemethetruth]

How did it go/grow?

[@lorettajoy7275]

@@justgivemethetruth Some of my early starts were successful and others not so much :) But overall great, thanks.

[@justgivemethetruth]

@@lorettajoy7275 That's great. Did you get peppers like the ones from the store?

[@simonadunn7168]

I save seeds from my organic heirloom medicinal herbs and perennial and annual flowers. Loved your dog’s reaction to his new toy!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Simona Dunn thanks for watching! Dale is so funny.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Thanks for these videos that explain and reinforce this information. I've learned a lot from your videos. But how about tomatoes? I put my tomato scraps into my compost tumbler and often get volunteer plants growing out the holes in them, so I know it can be done, but I've never grown one to maturity.

[@matthysloedolff]

I've saved seeds from my Carolina Reaper last year. This year I'm trying to cross pollenate a few varieties for F1 hybrids to see if I can get something I like. Great video 👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That's awesome. Breeding trials can be fun! Thank you for watching.

[@lynnlovessoil]

When saving peppers seeds do the plants need to be isolated? I always wonder about cross pollination.

[@Kylie4Queen]

Thanks for the information. Last year, I saved cilantro and basil seeds and both came up. This year, I saved seeds from my lemon verbena, zinnias, stevia, gerbera daisy, lavender and echinacea. We’ll see if they grow next season🤞🏾

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That's awesome! They're not easy seeds to save. Thanks for watching.

[@cheyenneallen4901]

Cool I save hybrid pepper seeds all the time and they grow from seed amazing just tip for u buddy I love your videos

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Volunteer peppers can be hit or miss because you never know what you're going to get. If you want specific varieties, you'll have to source the seed, but if you enjoy peppers in general and like the random plants, it can be a lot of fun. Thanks for watching!

[@chrismcdonald6481]

I have a purple Japanese heirloom variety. I just picked the biggest red one today for seeds. I noticed it was sweeter than the ones that are purple

[@tibab]

Hi! Those peppers from Martinique are called "Piment Vegetarien." That's the French name. English, I suppose, would be "Vegetarian Pepper." You are lucky to have it. I've been looking for them and the closest I've come is called "Habanada" or Trinidad Pimento.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I believe the English name is 'Trinidad Pimento Pepper,' which is very different than the Pimento Pepper here in the US. They are very odd peppers and taste like citrus peel.

[@jackielambert7980]

I love Pimento peppers. I grew some this year. Did terrible during our Texas heatwave but i kept it going and now the plant is thriving has has a bunch of peppers on it! 😁. First year to container garden! Love your channel, thanx for the info from N Texas.

[@Crazyaboutpaper1]

Awesome, neatly done. I use the bead bags from Hobby Lobby to keep my seeds.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Don't forget your 40% off coupon 😀 Thanks for watching!

[@Crazyaboutpaper1]

@@TheMillennialGardener Absolutely. Happy Gardening Brother

[@DianeRogerssydanddianes]

GREAT video! I appreciate the "detail". Just the education I needed. Do you save the floaters too? Also...after drying....looked like you do the "germination" test right away????

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can test pepper seeds for germination by soaking them for 24 hours and discarding the seeds still floating on top. In this video, I only placed the pepper seeds in water briefly to wash them. While the seeds that immediately sunk are certainly viable, the seeds floating on top may be viable, too, because I didn't allow them enough time to settle. Therefore, I saved all the seed, because I did not soak them long enough to find out. I wouldn't want to soak the seed that long for storing and packaging them, because soaking them for long periods may trigger germination.

[@DianeRogerssydanddianes]

@@TheMillennialGardener thank you!

[@Xgirltunes]

What is the stick you use to plant the pepper seeds one by one

[@manikchand7385]

How will i know pepper is hybrid or not if i buy from grocery store? It doesn't tell anything.

[@stefandomagalski3722]

Hey! Coming at ya from Charlotte. Thanks for the info. I just put some Ghost pepper seeds in a glass with water today! I also grow Bishops Crown peppers, Habeneros, and Aji Charpitas. What are those peppers featured in your video like? How hot? Thin or thick walls?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Hey, neighbor. These are not very hot at all. Most have no measurable heat, at least by my standards (I have a pretty high tolerance, though). However, maybe 1 in 5 will have a slow burn to it, but it's honestly less than a cherry pepper. The walls aren't thick or thin. They're thicker than a cayenne, but much thinner than a Jalapeno. They're very similar to a habanero in texture, but without the heat. It has a very citrusy flavor.

[@stefandomagalski3722]

@@TheMillennialGardener thanks for the details. Happy gardening and growing! My your garden be blessed with abundance 👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@stefandomagalski3722 thank you!

[@petershu1049]

👍👍👍

[@Srahz24]

What's the pen tool that picks up seeds for planting called, and where might I find one? Thanks for the great video!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Oh, that's just a chopstick! I wet the tip and pick the seeds up. I came up with the "technique" many years ago and I've been robotically doing it ever since because it works so well. Give it a shot!

[@Srahz24]

@@TheMillennialGardener Great tip - thanks!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Sarah White you’re welcome!

[@geeyoupee]

Are the floating seeds less viable? I think that's the case for melon seeds.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You can test pepper seeds for germination by soaking them for 24 hours and discarding the seeds still floating on top. The seeds that sink are fertilized, because they become denser when fertile and sink in water. In this video, I only placed the pepper seeds in water briefly to wash them. While the seeds that immediately sunk are certainly viable, the seeds floating on top may be viable, too, because I didn't allow them enough time to settle. Therefore, I saved all the seed, because I did not soak them long enough to find out. I wouldn't want to soak the seed that long for storing and packaging them, because soaking them for long periods may trigger germination.

[@pamelamercer1124]

Did the 20 seeds germinate?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Pamela Mercer they’re in the process. So far 11 or 12 are up, but they need more time. This variety is a Caribbean pepper, so it needs a lot of heat and time to germinate.

[@rodlawrence5946]

Ok how much for some of these pepper seeds?? Love the video!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Rod Lawrence thanks! I am germination testing them and so far, only 60% have come up. I want to verify for a few more days. I intend to have a video within the next 10 days and have them available.

[@Katydidit]

I wanted to know as well! Are these super hot, spicy peppers or somewhat mild? Or is it a pepper with a unique flavor like a Shisito?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@Katydidit they are very mild. They're not a pure sweet pepper - they do have a small amount of capsaicin in some of them - but it's very low. They're much milder than a cherry pepper. The flavor is extremely unique, sort of like a frying pepper with a hint of citrus peel and perfume. They're almost like a lemony perfume. "Perfumy" is a strange word to describe a food, but that's what it is. They're outstanding in fresh salsa. I've had a lot of peppers in my day, but never one that tasted like this. I'm editing a video now on the subject and hope to have it up later this week.

[@demetriuspowell29]

A piece of advice always save pepper seed from at least 5 plants the good thing about growing and saving pepper seed is you don't need large population sizes like you would collards

[@demetriuspowell29]

Oh and a coffee filter is better for drying seeds

[@stevenjbeto]

From a culinary point of view, how does the range of pepper flavors correlate to the stage of ripeness?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I think it varies based on the variety of pepper. Some varieties can be pretty significant. Have you eaten a red bell pepper versus a green bell pepper? A red bell pepper is just a ripe green bell - or rather, a green bell pepper is an unripe red bell. They don't taste anything alike, in my opinion. I think the hot peppers vary less - a hot banana pepper, red or green, doesn't taste a whole lot different, but maybe that's because they're not eaten raw much due to the heat, and due to the heat, you can't taste delicate flavors as much. The general rule of thumb is the redder the pepper gets, the sweeter it gets, the less "crisp" it is. The greener it is, the more crisp it is, but the sugars won't be there yet. Use more mature peppers when sweetness is needed.

[@jonerikmedina1662]

could this be done with all types of pepper seeds

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Yes. You can follow this exact procedure for any pepper.

[@dunianielsen1528]

The name of those peppers are call Trinidadian Pimento peppers

[@robertbrawley5048]

Your explanation of seed maturity explains why only 10 out 0f 20cherry seeds had no seeds w/in the shell and also in store bought Gaint variety sunflowers most of their seeds dont contain a actual seed in the shell, in the resultant plant at maturity. I guess that explained it. Maybe the cherry's from the store were picked early for shipment . I dont know what the deal is with the sunflower labeled "Gaint Variety"

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It could be a number of reasons. 1. More than likely, the fruit was picked early because that's when it's the "crispest" and will transport the best. Ripe fruits to not ship well and do not last on the shelf long, but the crisp ones perform better. They're generally immature and their seeds will be largely underdeveloped. 2. They could have cross-pollinated with other varieties. Sometimes, cross-pollination results in some seeds that are sterile. Likely, it is a mix of the two: cross-pollination leading to lousy varieties and lack of maturity.

[@dryerflyer]

This is a custom crafted frame.

[@SpiritOfTheHeretic]

Looks like Aji Strawberry Drop peppers

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks for watching!

[@andymelero9316]

very nice, do you know the name? how can i get some of those seeds? lol

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I think it is a Trinidad Perfume pepper, but I'm not entirely sure because it is a pepper I picked off a plant and brought home with me from Martinique. I did sell 30 packages of seed in a follow-up video, but they sold out almost instantly.

[@geeyoupee]

I was waiting for the human analogy of heirloom seeds. 😂

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's true. It takes something like 6-7 generations of self-pollination for a tomato variety to stabilize, so that means you need to shake that flower and prevent cross-pollination 6-7 different times and save the best plants over and over again. But, we're going to be saving the best tasting fruits, not the most disease resistant, so all that inbreeding and saving the best tasting fruit does not prioritize disease resistance. We're effectively breeding out disease resistance. Every now and again, you'll come away with an heirloom like Arkansas Traveler that was saved for disease resistance and heat tolerance, but it doesn't taste any better than an F1 byhrid!

[@geeyoupee]

@@TheMillennialGardener You know how you explained the hybrid seeds as brother and sister. I was waiting to see how you would explain the heirloom inbreeding using human examples 😂.

[@heyye007]

You should have separated the floating seeds on the water

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It was too difficult. Once they were dried, it became very, very easy.

[@garagekeys]

You have violated the law by bringing into the USA an unknown plant

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Dried peppers are not illegal to import. They are soilless, so they cannot contain an invasive species.

[@garagekeys]

Google "Bringing Agricultural Products Into the United States". You will see it posting by the USDA and it states that peppers do need to be declared. States that certain peppers are also prohibited from entering the United States.

[@chriscuc7741]

@@TheMillennialGardener the guy does that a point but a pepper tree is a good thing to smuggle in and not some Chinese carp or some tiger shrimp.

[@jonerikmedina1662]

looks like pimentos you have there

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I believe they are Trinidad Pimento, yes. I can't be 100% certain, but the photos are pretty convincing.

[@jonerikmedina1662]

@@TheMillennialGardener yes it looks so I am from Trinidad