 ©Nannette Richford I tried an experiment with growing peppers in my Aerogarden and am happy to report that I have baby peppers just 66 days from planting them from seed. Those of you who have grown peppers from seed will understand my excitement as they typically grow very slowly inside the home. As you can see from the photo the plant is "peppered" with blooms. I have been hand pollinating them with a small paint brush. Update! Peppers at 74 Days Hand Pollinating Pepper Plants ©Nannette Richford To hand pollinate a pepper bloom, use a small, artists paintbrush (or a Q-tip) to collect pollen from the stamens. There are several pollen-covered stamens inside the bloom. Gently brush the pollen you have collected on your paint brush or Q-Tip onto the stigma of the flower. This is located in the very center of the bloom. The pollen will stick to it and pollinate the flower. Move from flower to flower repeating the same procedure.  ©Nannette Richford Once pollinated, the petals will shrivel and fall from the bloom and you will see a tiny, pea-sized green pepper beginning to form.  ©Nannette Richford The largest pepper on my plant is 1 ¾ inches long and slightly more than 1 inch in diameter today, but it is growing rapidly. I first noticed the pepper about a week ago. I'm not sure how much room there is for my peppers to grow, but I'm going to let them grow as long as their is room for them. I trimmed the tops of the plant because it has outgrown the Aerogarden.
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