How do I store my seeds?

The MN Chile Company grows many chile varieties with seeds that were produced in excess of eight years old. With the proper care, you too will be able to keep your unused seeds for future gardening seasons. Keep them cold, dark and dry and your seeds will be viable indefinitely. We prefer storing them in the refrigerator but we've heard you can put them in the freezer. If keeping them dry is an issue we suggest using air tight freezer bags along with silica gel packets or rice to desiccate any moisture.

When should I plant my seeds?

It really all depends on the zone you live in. But the general rule to follow is to start your seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks, and super hot chiles 10 to 12 weeks, before you intend to plant them outside in the ground. Southern Minnesota, which includes the Twin Cities where we're located, is classified as 4b. So we'll plant our Capsicum annuums over the first weekend of March 1st, and the others such as Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens varieties the weekend closest to February 15th. We found that if you plant them any later that the zone 4b growing season just is not long enough for a proper harvest.

How do I plant my seeds?

Use a lightweight seedling mix, peat pellets, or some other seedling friendly medium that has no fertilizer. Be sure to use shallow trays or pots. Plant seeds about 1/4" deep.. no more and no less. Moisten soil medium gently. Keep soil temperature between 80 and 90 degrees F. For best results, use a bottom heating mat. If possible, keep your planted seeds covered by using a plastic dome or a plastic covering which will keep the seeds moist and warm. If you choose to use growing lights keep them on 16 hours per day and off for the other eight. Depending on the variety, your seeds could take as little as four to six days to germinate or as long as 30 days for super hot varieties. When your seedlings have two sets of TRUE leaves (which is actually three leaf pairs) you may begin to gently fertilize and up-pot them. At this point we recommend placing a small fan that blows across your seedlings. This helps to keep them from getting "leggy" and also strengthens them for their future movement to the outside.

Then when do I move my plants outside?

It is essential that you do not move your plants to the outside too early. So, it is best to wait until after all chance of frost is gone and just as important, wait until the ground warms up and average overnight temperatures do not drop below 50 degrees F. Here in zone 4b that can be as late as early June and some years as early as very late April. But before you move them outdoors, they must be hardened off so they are prepared to live outdoors. This step involves exposing your young plants to the outdoors for short periods of time, exposing them to sunshine, wind and the rain. Give your plants a few hours in the morning to start, increasing they're outdoor a little more each day over the course of a week. Do NOT skip this step. Once you're ready to put them into the ground, try to do it in the evening or on a cloudy day.