Although any container with holes in the bottom for drainage will suffice as a germination pot, germinating the white habanero pepper seeds in plastic cell packs makes transplanting easier.

Wash used containers in hot, soapy water and then sterilize them for 15 minutes in a solution made of 1 part household bleach to 10 parts of water.

Avoid using potting soil because these seeds will rot in it. Plant them in lightweight, sterile seed-starting mix that doesn’t contain soil (see our recommendation in the What You’ll Need List, above).  These are commercially available (I’ve mentioned before that we also use Pro-Mix because it contains a fungicide) or you can make your own by mixing equal parts of sand and perlite. The problem you’ll run up against with this mixture is that it dries out rapidly. If you get busy and forget to water it, your seeds are doomed.

Plant the white habanero pepper seeds 10 weeks before the last frost date in your area. If you don’t know when that is, consult your local county extension service. We have a list of all of them, here.

Wait — don’t plant them yet. They need to be disinfected before planting, so give them a one minute soak in a solution made of 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide in 1 cup of water.  After the soak, insert the seeds 1/2 inch deep into the germination medium and cover them lightly with the mix. If you’re using a pot instead of a cell pack, space the seeds 1 inch apart.

Here’s a tip we learned from a friend in California:

• Turn on the hot water faucet and allow the water to heat up completely.
• Fill a shallow pan halfway with hot water and set the pots or cell packs in the water.
• Allow them to soak up the hot water until the surface of the planting mix is wet, and then remove them.

This treatment heats the mix, giving the habanero seeds a germination kick-start. The seeds don’t require light to germinate but they do need a warm planting medium.

An ideal way to provide the heat they need is to place the container on a heat mat set to between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit Keep the soil barely moist. Check out the one we link to in the “What you’ll Need”  section, above.

The white hab seeds should germinate within four to 12 weeks.

When the white habanero pepper seedlings emerge, turn the heat mat to 70 degrees and place a fan next to the container. Don’t allow the air to blow directly on the seedlings, but direct it so the air flows over the top of the container.

There’s nothing worse than nurturing seeds through germination only to have some fungal pathogen destroy them as seedlings. The air movement over the top of the tiny plants will help avoid this. Keep in mind, however, that the air will cause the planting mix to dry out quicker, so keep an eye on the soil and keep it slightly moist at all times.

At this point the pepper seedlings require sunlight. Either move them to a sunny window or place them beneath fluorescent or grow lights for at least 10 hours each day. I keep my lights to about an inch of the tops of the seedlings and I move them higher as the plants grow.

When the seedlings have their third set of leaves, transplant them into their own containers. If you’ll be growing the white hab indoors, you will eventually want to move it up to a 5-gallon container.

More habanero pepper recipes

Fish Tacos with Habanero Salsa

Fried Habanero Poppers

Habanero Peach Jam

Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce

Spicy Habanero Hot Sauce

Strawberry Habanero Barbecue Sauce

Spicy Habanero Pickles