Pepper Plug Plants

• Pepper plants need a long growing season which is sometimes impossible to provide when planting by seed. Peppers transplant well and can get a leg up on the growing period when they are started indoors. Plug flats are a perfect way to start vegetables. The cells are designed to optimize the way roots grow, and will provide you with a good head of greenery and a compact root system.

Bell Pepper Plugs

• Bell or "sweet" peppers can be started in a plug tray with potting soil six to eight weeks before the last expected frost. The plants will grow big enough to be transplanted after all danger of a cold snap is passed and soils are warmed to around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Bell pepper plants are heat lovers and will need to adjust to the cooler outdoor temperatures. The plug tray is placed outdoors in the sun for a few hours over the course of a couple of days to get the plants used to the conditions. Then they are planted in a garden bed and will produce glossy peppers by the end of summer.

Chile Pepper Plugs

• Chile peppers must be started indoors in temperatures that stay around 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Chile peppers are smaller than bell peppers and usually pointed. They range from green to yellow and even fiery red. The heat level varies but they are usually considered hotter and spicier than bell peppers. Chile plugs should not go outdoors until temperatures are very warm. Night temperatures should be 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cherry Pepper Plugs

• Cherry peppers can be either hot or mild depending on the variety. The large cherries tend to be the hotter type. Cherry peppers are pretty and colorful and have a chubby round shape. The plugs need adaptive time outside before transplanting, and will need plenty of water and a sunny location. Start cherry peppers indoors in late winter and grow the plugs under a grow light or in a southern window. Temperatures should be warm and a soil warming mat is helpful when germinating the seeds in the plug flat.