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Growing bell peppers?

Okay, say I go into my kitchen and cut open a bell pepper, take a hand-full of seeds, and plant it in a hole in my backyard... will it grow into a plant? Doesn't the time spent not attached to the plant effect the seeds or something? Sorry guys, I am trying to muster up some ambition here. I will be asking quite a few questions here about gardening. I think I'm going to grow a veggie garden. Thanks for bearing with me. (I have gotten many books also, so don't sugest that) Oh yeah, live in AZ

Public Comments

1. Yes, they will grow. Try to use fairly fresh seeds. Not over 6 months out of the pepper, Store them in a dry place until used. Don't seal them in an airtight bag, if there is any moisture they will mold. Some of the easiest vegetables to grow at home are peppers (as they can withstand a fair amount of salts in the ground) and cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomato seeds sprout easily. Hardest thing is to get them enough water at the right time to get the fruit to keep growing during the hot season. Some type of shade would help a lot with this especially in Arizona summers.
2. Hey man, trust me when I say veggie gardens are rewarding! You could take the seed from that regular bell pepper in your kitchen or you can google vegetable seeds and get many different colors. Check out Harris Seeds. You dont have to wait for spring or summer- you can grow things like broccoli, lettuce and strawberries in an Arizona winter (I mean if you don't live in Flagstaff or something). Email me with any of your questions...
3. i dont know if bell peppers are different from green peppers or the difference in weather from AZ and OH but my family grew A LOT of green peppers. and all we did was plant them, water them and keep the weeds from overgrowing them, and wait for the peppers to grow. the hardest part was watering them in 90F heat! it's best to water them at dawn and lunch. good luck!
4. you only need one seed per plant. And yes, they will grow. If you are in the midst of winter in your location, you can start seeds indoors in late February for planting outside in April or May. Figure back 8 wks from your last average frost date in your area to know when to start your seeds. To start them, get a seed starter mix. You can start seeds in paper cups, styrofoam cups, or those leftover Starbucks cups. Also in paper egg cartons. When it comes time to set them out, just cut them apart and plant the whole thing. The 2008 garden catalogs have been arriving in the mail for the last couple of weeks: Burpee is one of the best, and it is also on line. Order your seeds now for spring to get a headstart. The seed racks in the stores will be in, towards the end of January. If you are not confident enough to start your own seeds, there will be plenty of bedding plants in veggies available in Apr-May. http://www.burpee.com/ Good luck with your garden!