When choosing the timing of sowing, planting pepper seedlings and greenhouses in 2024, you need to take into account several important factors and be sure to look into the Lunar calendar. The culture is thermophilic, errors in calculations and too early planting will lead to poor growth and poor yields of pepper, in a critical case, the plants may die. It is also important to follow the algorithm for growing seedlings, weakened seedlings will recover for a long time and bloom late.
Sowing and planting dates
Heat-loving plants do not tolerate even a short-term cooling down to 0˚С, and at a constant average daily temperature of less than +14˚С they stop developing.Planting in a greenhouse is possible when, for 5-10 days, the thermometer does not fall below 10˚C at night, and remains at 16-22˚C during the day. The soil to a depth of 10 cm should warm up to 15˚С. In greenhouses with a heating, ventilation system and full lighting (at least 16 hours of bright light per day), planting pepper seedlings is permissible even in February 2024.
| Regions and regions | General planting dates (glass or polycarbonate greenhouse) |
| Central | Mid to end of May |
| Leningrad region | From the end of May to June 10 |
| Urals and Siberia | In early June |
| South | After April 10th |
For film greenhouses, the deadlines need to be moved forward by 5 or 7 days. If you plan to grow outdoors under temporary shelter - for 2 or 3 weeks.
It takes 55-60 days to grow varieties of early and medium ripening (from emergence to transplantation), late - 75-80. Seeds germinate (cotyledons open) approximately 8-12 days after sowing, this period can be reduced (up to 5-7) by soaking. An approximate calculation of the timing for the middle lane:
- The date of planting early pepper in the greenhouse is May 15.
- Take 60 days from her to grow.
- It turns out the date is March 16-17, subtract another 7 days that will take to soak the seeds. It turns out that you can start sowing pepper for seedlings in 2024 (Central region) on the 9th or 10th.
The indicated dates may vary slightly depending on the weather, it is advisable to check the long-term forecast or find statistics for the last 5 years.For beginners, it is better to consult with experienced gardeners from your region. Sowing of early and mid-season peppers in February 2024 can only be done in the southern regions.
Lunar calendar
Lunar cycles affect plants. In the waning phase, nothing can be planted and sown, since all processes are suspended, sap flow slows down, while during such periods the root system strengthens and develops, and the stems thicken. In the growing phase, the opposite is true - the sown seeds will hatch faster, the seedlings will grow more actively, and will get used to new conditions in a short time.
| Month | Auspicious days | Bad days |
| February | 11, 12, 16, 19-21 | 1-6, 8-10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 22-29 |
| March | 9, 10, 18 | 1-8, 11, 12, 15-17, 20-31 |
| April | 6, 7, 14, 15 | 1, 3-5, 8, 9, 13, 16-30 |
| May | 3, 4, 11-13, 26, 27, 30, 31 | 1, 2, 5-8, 10, 14-20, 23-25, 28, 29 |
| June | 3, 8, 9, 17, 26, 27 | 1, 2, 5-7, 10-16, 20-25, 28-30 |
Best planting and sowing days:
- February - 7, 15, 20.
- March - 13, 14, 19.
- April - 2, 10, 11.
- May - 9, 21, 22.
- June - 4, 18, 19.
Some days of the waning moon are still suitable for planting and sowing, if the satellite is in the fertile signs of the zodiac, they are marked in the table as favorable. And in unfavorable days, neutral days are also indicated, on which it is possible, but undesirable, to plant pepper, since the harvest will be small.
How to grow pepper seedlings
Seedlings are hard to tolerate picking, it is better to immediately prepare separate plastic containers, about 250-300 ml in volume with drainage holes. Special peat cups or pots are well suited for culture. Perlite, vermiculite, sphagnum moss, expanded clay, fine gravel or crushed stone and unburnt charcoal can be used as drainage.
Seed preparation
One-year and two-year-old seeds have the best germination, but even they hatch for a long time. To speed up the process, the grains need to be soaked:
- cover the saucer with a paper towel folded in 3-4 layers;
- wet the napkin with warm, settled water so that it is completely wet;
- spread the seeds in one layer on the surface;
- cover the saucer with cling film, leave in a dark place at room temperature for 5-7 days until pecking (about 90% of the grains);
- Moisten the cloth as it dries.
Growth stimulants can be added to the water, for example Fitosporin - 1.5 g per 1 liter. Before soaking, it is advisable to disinfect the seeds in a 1-2% solution of potassium permanganate - immerse for a couple of minutes. Rinse well with running water in a fine mesh sieve and dry by spreading 1 layer on a cloth.
Sowing, growing and care
It is recommended to take a special soil - fertile for vegetable crops, for example, Agricola, Terra vita, Ogorodnik, Bogatyr, Buyid universal, etc. Seed sowing algorithm:
- pour drainage material on the bottom of the cup, up to 1 cm layer, then fill with earth, leaving 2 cm sides;
- tamp the soil a little, moisten completely with warm, settled water;
- make a “hole” in the center, no more than 0.5 cm deep, put the seed and sprinkle with earth.
You can immediately cover the containers with cling film to create a greenhouse effect, remove after germination.
How to care:
At all stages of development of pepper seedlings, care must be taken to ensure that the soil always remains moderately moist. But moisture must not be allowed to stagnate in the soil and pallets. Instead of settled, you can use melted water, the main thing is that it be warm.
- The room temperature should be maintained at 25-27˚C.
- In February and early March, additional lighting (phyto or fluorescent lamps) will be required up to 14-16 hours a day.
- If nutrient soil was chosen, additional top dressing is not needed, they will only hurt.
- As the seedlings grow, add soil to the cotyledons.
A couple of weeks before the planned planting date, you can start hardening off the plants. For example, open a window in a room with seedlings, first for a couple of minutes and gradually increase the time.It is important to ensure that the plants do not stand in a cold draft. The day before planting, it is advisable to take the seedlings to the greenhouse and leave them overnight. Right before planting, water the seedlings abundantly so that they can be easily removed from the containers without damaging the roots.
Finally, one more piece of advice - if by the time of planting the weather has deteriorated sharply, and optimal conditions for growing have not been established in the greenhouse, it is better to leave the seedlings at home. At the same time, illuminate and maintain the same temperature. Bloomed and overgrown plants will take longer to recover after transplantation and take root in a new place, but they will not freeze.
