Planting Tips: Peppers need to be started indoors about six weeks before they are planted outside in the garden. Once the weather has warmed and all danger of frost has passed, transplant them into the garden, spacing the plants about a foot apart. Keep the soil evenly moist and the area weed-free as the plants grow and begin to flower.

Harvesting Tips: Harvest peppers when they reach full size and color. Most varieties start green and gradually ripen to red, orange, yellow, or another mature shade. Fully ripe peppers have the best flavor and provide the most viable seeds for saving.

Seed Saving Tips: Peppers will sometimes cross if more than one variety of the same species is grown nearby. Hot peppers, in particular, can affect the flavor and seed purity of sweet peppers, so it’s best not to plant them too close together when saving seed. To save seed, allow the peppers to fully mature—usually turning red, orange, or another deep color—before harvesting. Remove the seeds and spread them on a plastic plate to dry thoroughly. Once completely dry, store the seeds in an airtight container.