Reviews
Grow light or a windowsill
Shop notes from UF/IFAS. IFAS says start pepper seed indoors because garden sowing washes small seed away. Starting Transplants Indoors: only south- or west-facing windows are bright enough. More than a dozen seedlings wants an overhead light. HS732 Central Florida planting windows are August-September and January-March. Light and heat are separate. A heat mat is not a substitute for overhead light. Leggy stems are the IFAS sign for not enough light, not a fertilizer fail. Night temperatures below 50 F slow peppers once they are outside. Full sun after the last spring frost still belongs, even if the indoor tray was perfect.
Windowsill
South or west. A north sill is not enough. A crowded sill is not enough for more than a dozen seedlings. East can work in a bright room. IFAS still names south and west as the bright pair. If stems stretch toward the glass, move the tray or add overhead light. Do not start with a grow tent if one south window already holds a dozen cells.
Overhead light
Position the fixture directly above. The closer it is, the stockier the plants stay for the move outdoors. Fluorescent and LED lights are inexpensive and not too warm. They fit a home shelf and can go on a timer. A heat mat warms the cell. It does not light the leaf. Buy the light first if the sill is north or crowded.
Overhead light if the sill is north or crowded. Get this.
Trays
Small seed belongs in a tray, not a garden row, until the plant can take rain. You can also buy transplants and skip the sill for that first week. Full sun after the last spring frost still belongs. HS732 still names those two Central Florida windows. A humidity dome is optional. It is not a substitute for light.
Cells and a tray that drains. Get this.
Compare: Grow light or a windowsill. First tray: Kits. Sets: Sets. Grow notes stay on Grow.