Green jalapeno peppers

You Too Can Grow Jalapeños Indoors

The jalapeño is one of the most popular spicy peppers in the world. It is not hard to grow them indoors if you have the right equipment and know how to care for them. The nice thing about growing your own jalapeños is: You are free to choose your favorite variety and it is you, who will decide, how hot you want your jalapeños. Growing them indoors will make it a lot easier.

Jalapeños are easy to grow.

Jalapeños are a good choice for beginners. They’re easy to grow and produce lots of peppers, which makes them a great way to learn how to garden indoors. The never ending growing season means that you can start them in the fall and harvest throughout the winter months when other plants aren’t doing much at all.

Benefits of growing jalapeños indoors

Growing jalapeños indoors has many benefits. You can begin your harvest earlier in the season than if you were to grow them outdoors, and the plants will produce a lot of fruit for a relatively small amount of space. It’s also much easier to control the environment in which your jalapeños grow when they’re indoors:

  • You can ensure that the temperature is optimal for plant growth, that there’s enough light but not too much (so as not to burn or scorch leaves)
  • You control the humidity levels and ensure the ideal environment for your plants.
  • Indoor gardening reduces the danger of pests and diseases.

To grow your jalapeños indoors you need a bright spot

Jalapeños like a bright spot with indirect sunlight. They need to be in a place that is not too hot, but also not too cold. A south-facing window would be ideal as it will get sunlight during the most hours of the day.

Use seed starting mix as your soil

Seedlings are are susceptible to diseases. A seed starting mix is therefore a good choice. Seed starting mixes are sterile—meaning they won’t have any bugs or diseases in them—and will keep your jalapeño plants healthy.

You can buy seed starting mix at a garden supply store.

Use good pots

Choosing the right pot should be a piece of cake, but time and time again I have seen people doing bad choices. Your pot should have a hole in the bottom. It makes your live easier as you won’t have to worry about watering so much because all excess moisture will drain away from roots quickly after watering them once every couple days. I water my plants about once per week.

While you start your seedlings, you want to have them in smaller pots for convenience. Once the seedlings are about 2 inches tall, move them to larger containers. At this point in their development, the seedlings will probably have at least two sets of true leaves.

Put a heat mat under the plants.

In the winter months a heat mat is a good choice. If you have one, place it under the plants. The idea is to keep the soil warm enough for your peppers to grow but not too hot that they will burn up. So watch it a bit with the temperature. Water them consistently and don’t let them dry out.

Watering Jalapeños indoors

Watering jalapeños is crucial to their survival. They must be watered regularly and consistently. While they can take dry periods well, they do not do well with too much water. If you don’t water them enough, they will die; if you over-water them, they will rot. To avoid either of these situations happening to your plants, keep the soil moist but not wet at all times by watering when it feels dry to the touch (about once every week or so).

Fertilize your plants regularly once they start growing.

Once the plants start to grow, it is important that you fertilize them regularly. Fertilization can be done every 2 weeks with a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. The fertilizer should have a higher percentage of nitrogen than potassium and phosphorus.

Growing jalapeños indoors is not hard

It is important that you make sure that the jalapeños get enough light and water so they can grow healthy and strong. It will be hard to grow them if they do not receive enough sunlight or water, so it is important that you keep track of this throughout the process.

The big question is now, when should you pick your jalapeños. We have written a whole article about that topic, but in general, you can pick them when they are between 3 and 5 inches long.


If you are looking for a fun way to spice up your meals and boost your health, then growing jalapeños indoors is the answer.