Expert: Mike Mascio - 1/23/2010

Question
Mike, I have been experimenting with seeds from Yellow and Orange Bell peppers.  I simply removed them from peppers we were eating and put them in water to germinate.  This worked reasonably well, maybe one in ten sprouted.

I have started the seedlings in good soil on the windowsill and have several plants of varying heights.  

My question is, do I have any chance of getting Yellow or Orange fruit from these plants?

Answer
Stan, there is less than a 20% chance that you will produce identical peppers to the ones from which you harvested the seed. The reason for this is that most produce sold in stores are hybrids. A hybrid is a cross between two different varieties of the same species to produce a plant with specific characteristics such as a desired color, growing habit, or disease resistance. A non-hybrid, or heirloom, is propagated from one plant in an attempt to replicate the exact same characteristics of the parent plant.   

When propagating from seed, it is important to understand that hybrids will seldom produce offspring plants with the same characteristics as the parent parent plant. The colors will be either a variation from one of the original plants or will take on the pigment from both, resulting in a totally different color. The same is true for their growth habit and disease resistance. The only way to produce identical offspring is with seeds from heirloom plants or with cuttings, which works with both hybrids and heirlooms.    

It is always best to purchase hybrid seed from professional breeders or reputable seed catalogs. I purchase all of my hybrid seed through Park Seed, which can be found on the web. Although some gardeners like to experiment by propagating with seeds from hybrid plants, the results are extremely inconsistent.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.   

Regards,   

Mike