Saving capsicum seed

21 years ago

I've successfully saved seed from chillis in the past by hanging them to dry, but never had luck saving capsicum seed. They have either moulded or just not germinated when sowed. I know it's probably an easy exercise but can anyone tell me how to save them.

Also does it matter if they are from red or green caps. And can you save seed from the yellow ones?

The reds are pretty cheap here at the moment and we have been buying them and roasting them. I thought I'd get some seed together to grow our own as the low prices wont be around for ever.

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Comments (9)

Spatzbear
21 years ago
Pepino, I just scrape out the seeds, put them on a little plate and let them dry. Never had a problem with that.

I see no problem in saving the seeds of red and yellow capsicums. Not sure about the green ones, as I always thought they were unripe. But worth trying, I guess.

However, they may be hybrids and may not come true to type.

Good luck! :)
mercury12
21 years ago
Pepino and Spatz

The green capsicum are the unripe form of the red capsicum. I would only save seed from the red, yellow or black varieties, because they ripe

regards

Helen
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Blaferby, I have seen improvement in yield, etc. when saving and using seed from my own garden. But I don't know how much of that is because of selection and how much is because I learn how to better grow the given variety. I've been seriously saving seeds since 1984. Here's what I would suggest. You can go ahead and use your extra seeds, for as long as you desire. But make a practice of producing some new seed every year that you can. Save each batch separately, and label it accurately. Eventually your original seed will give out. It's always possible that you might get an unintentional cross in a batch of seed. By saving several batches, you better ensure the survival of the original variety. If you really want to go the extra mile, save some of your seed in a sealed jar, in the freezer. This essentially halts the aging process of the seed. I once grew out a squash from seen which had been 25 years in a freezer. It germinated as if it were only a year old, and... I was amazed how my more recent seed stock had morphed over the years. I had essentially narrowed the gene pool, changing the mix of characteristics in the variety. George Tahlequah, OK
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Yah, I just keep my peppers grouped by variety on individual trays. As they dry, you just pull out a tray and process them and let the rest go. In fact, it is a good idea to rotate the trays every 2-4 hours so the peppers or jerky or whatever dries more uniformly. I agree on the picking and even watering. I grow most of my plants in containers and I built a shelf along the front of our deck that i put the containers on. The shelf is about 3' or so off the ground which puts the peppers at face level. I also grow peppers in a raised garden in the back which is about 4' off the ground. I have a bad back and it makes the harvesting, watering and weeding sooooo much easier on the back. Bruce
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Image by: wintersown There's two ways to save pepper seeds. You can save them from dried peppers or you can save them from fresh peppers too. You need red peppers as they are the ripest and the seeds are generally mature in them. To save them from dried peppers: I take the ripe peppers and place them uncovered in single layers on paper plates. I then put them in a warm and dry location and let them air dry for a period of a few weeks, the peppers and their seeds inside will dessicate (dry out). When the pepper is quite dry and leathery it is ready and can be saved for cooking, or you can give them as holiday gifts for cooks. You run a needle and thread through the dried pepper and tie it onto a gift package as a decorative ornament. You can store the peppers threaded and hung together on a string. The seeds can be then collected when the pepper is cut open and used for cooking. (If you live in a warm and arid climate you can string the ripe peppers together while they're fresh and hang them outdoors to allow them to dessicate in the warm breezes. ) To dry the seeds of ripe fresh peppers cut open the pepper and remove the seeds from the inner white membrane using the end of a kitchen knife to scrape them from the membrane. Place the seeds on an open plate and let them dry for a few days in an out-of-the-way safe location. Stir them every now and then to assure that the bottom layer of the seeds is exposed to the air and that the seeds are evenly dried. After they dry you can store them in paper packets. I urge you to please be cautious when working with hot peppers. Wash your hands several, SEVERAL times with a good strong detergent after touching hot peppers or their seeds. The capsicum oil in the hot peppers can burn the soft tissues of your body, it will hurt very badly if you accidently rub your eyes and that capsicum oil is still on your fingers. You may also use disposable gloves when preparing hot peppers, toss them in the trash after your done in the kitchen, and then wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Good luck with your peppers seeds! Trudi
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lomatia
21 years ago
Pepino, some of those big red caps might be hybrids and if so won't come true.
DerbyTas
21 years ago
Hi Guys
Pepino ...if you are only talking about store bought capsicums then as mentioned by Mercury12 the green are unripe...although a few seeds may have poor germination and vigour...they are...as mentioned by Helen they will also be hibrids and not true to type but they will produce fruit (if grown correctly)
As for yellow, orange, colours...if the variety is not known then one would not know whether they are half ripe or fully ripe...red, brown (chocolate) or "black" varieties only reach this colour when fully ripe
Why not ask the people here for some true to type varieties that you can happily save seeds of even spend a couple of donald ducks and get some good ones...Phoenix, Eden and Diggers and other heritage seed companies have some great varieties well worth growing
By the way you can often tell the good seeds (as far as vigor go by looking at their shape...they tend to fatter than the poor quality seeds which will be flatter and more transparent looking (when dry that is)
cheers
Peter
pepino
Original Author
21 years ago
I've got a Diggers catalogue at home. I might just see what they have and order some. I just assumed since capsicums have been around for so long they would simply produce true-to-type plants. BTW the first 4 kilos we roasted a week ago have already been consumed. Yum!! I have to make a trip to the grocer to see if I can get some more.
Raymondo
21 years ago
What every one else said! By the way, got a few different varieties if you'd like some. How about I just send you a little collection?
Ray
lomatia
21 years ago
Pepino, when I send the raspberries, I'll bung in some Chinese Giant seeds.
pscheirich_hotmail_com
19 years ago
As I live in a condo, I only have balcony space to grow plants. Being a novice, I dried out some pepper seeds then planted them in a tray that I made with some holes punched into the base for drainage. Out of 9 seeds, only two sprouted. Out of the two that sprouted, one died shortly after pushing through the surface of the soil. The only one left, after a week of little or no action, apart from ditching its seed casing, decided to turn black and slouch today, having reached a height of about two CM. After searching the net for information, and coming across this here, I now understand where I went wrong: The pepper from which I retrieved the seeds was still green, meaning it was not yet mature. I also think that maybe the soil was not well-drained enough. Maybe I should mix it with a little course sand. All suggestions welcome; I am no green finger, but would like to be. pscheirich@hotmail.com , regards, Paul.
gardenlen
19 years ago
g'day paul,

unfortunately at present there doesn't appear to be any container gardening web pages around i could refer you to so i'll see if i can help a bit?

with capsicums or tomatoes (there are special hybrids now that are bred for contianer growing) for the main they like a bit of root space mostly latteraly, so you may need equivalent to say a container of 4 gallon capacity for each plant.

with those styrene containers i try to get those larger deeper ones with all the slit holes in them, but those broccoli coller type boxes (the larger ones) can be converted by pushing some holes in the bottom i find using a section of 25mm electrical condute good, sit the container on the ground so it has basic overall support then just push through with the condute nice fairly neat holes appear.

start with a hole in each cornere then say 2 more down either side and a similar pattern down the middle, then some alternate holes in rows between middle and edges. we then place some 3" stones around the bottom not covering the holes then using some old fly screen of shade cloth single layer cut a piece that will fit over that and to the edges, then lay you meduim around the edges and firm this hold the mesh from sagging too much.

then fill the container compacting the medium a bit as you go you can add wetting crystals if you like or some slow release fert', we mulch around the top using that sugar cane mulch in the plasitc wrapped bales.

we found a potting medium one of the cheaper ones at the nursery which is a very humnusy product so hoping this will do better than the regular mixes.

enjoy

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Saving capsicum seed

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