Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions:
What is Ohio Peppers?
Ohio Peppers is a Cincinnati suburban garden. It’s an educational outlet started during the COVID pandemic for my three daughters and their neighborhood friends. It’s a hobbyist company run by full-time teachers. The goal is to offer numerous unique pepper varieties at a fair price. UNIQUE is a key word!
Heck, sometimes it’s a living classroom that enriches our own teaching practices. As both the company owner (HS Special Education/Military science) and his wife (JH/HS Science) are full-time teachers, we’ve found that our pepper upstart provides real-life examples that breathe life into subjects like life science, math, language arts, and even social studies. From historical connections with varieties like fish pepper and datil to practical applications of cost/benefit analysis and creating the right tone in advertisements, Ohio Peppers helps us make education more engaging and relevant. And yes, our “lit” prize chest has even included pepper plants as positive behavioral supports! We invite you to explore and grow with us, as we blend the worlds of gardening, business, and education into a unique and inspiring experience.
What products do you offer?
Ohio Peppers specializes in offering pepper seeds, including a wide variety of both common and unique types. Our collection features traditional favorites, exclusive crosses specific to us, and an exciting range of superhots.
Are your seeds heirloom or non-GMO?
Heirloom seeds, passed down for over 50 years, are known for their consistent traits. Many of Ohio Peppers’ varieties are heirlooms, showcasing a rich cultivation history.
Our newer superhots and unique crosses, often less than 8 or 9 generations old, may show varied phenotypes but offer exciting growing experiences.
How many Seeds come in a pack?
We can promise at minimum 15 seeds in a pack. We set our counting machine to at least 20 and the machine is prone to overages. Packs leave our adobe with an average of 23 seeds.
Are your seeds isolated?
Our seeds are partially isolated. Peppers form perfect flowers and are self-pollinated, but cross-pollination can occur in unprotected environments at a low rate. We sell most seeds as “open-pollinated,” meaning they were grown with the possibility of being cross-pollinated by wind or insects. We use mitigation strategies to minimize cross pollination. These strategies include:
– Organza bags on outdoor plants
– Massive flower gardens to attract pollinators away from our peppers.
– Indoor plants
Physical isolation of over 1000 pepper plants in a suburban setting is challenging, especially as we are a hobbyist seed-selling operation partially run by children in elementary school. We strive for quality and authenticity in our seeds, and we’re transparent about our process. In practice, you will be hard pressed to find a hobbyist or even a more professional seed operation to completely isolate plants with 400 meters of distance. We expect roughtly 15% cross pollination. Due to this, we recommend folks plant more than one of each variety. Doing so reduces the chances to 2.25% of either plant not growing true to phenotype. Three plants – miniscule odds. We grow our own seed stock of over 300 pepper varieties, typically at least three plants per variety, and have never had a variety not grow true.
Ordering and Shipping:
What payment methods do you accept?
At Ohio Peppers, we offer a variety of payment options to suit your preferences. You can pay for your order using credit cards, Bitcoin, or Dogecoin. Our secure payment gateway ensures a safe and seamless transaction.
How long does shipping take, and what are the shipping costs?
We understand the excitement of starting your pepper-growing journey, so we strive to ship items no later than 24 hours after ordering. Shipping is just $5, or free for orders greater than $25. You’ll receive an email with USPS tracking information when your item ships, keeping you informed every step of the way.
Do you ship internationally?
Currently, Ohio Peppers only ships within the United States. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to stay connected with us for any future updates on international shipping.
What is your return policy?
At Ohio Peppers, customer satisfaction is our top priority. If you are not completely happy with your product, please reach out to our support team. We will work closely with you to resolve any issues and ensure a positive experience with our products. See our return policy.
Growing and Gardening:
Do you provide growing guides or support for beginners?
Absolutely! At Ohio Peppers, we’re committed to supporting gardeners at all levels. You can find a comprehensive list of garden tips on our website. If you have any specific questions not covered in our guides, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you succeed in your pepper-growing journey.
What growing zones are suitable for your pepper varieties?
Our pepper seeds can be grown in all continental U.S. grow zones. Warmer zones may allow for outdoor seed starting without a greenhouse. However, most growers will need to start seeds indoors to ensure enough time during the grow season for fruit production. Our seeds are versatile and adaptable, making them suitable for various climates and conditions. See our page on when to start our seeds here!
How do I care for my pepper plants once they’ve sprouted?
Caring for your sprouted pepper plants involves providing air movement and quality light. These key factors contribute to healthy growth and development. For more detailed tips and guidance, please refer to our guide for starting seedlings available on our website. It’s packed with valuable insights to help you nurture your young plants.
What should I do if my seeds don’t germinate?
While we strive to provide high-quality seeds with an average 92% germination rate, germination is not guaranteed. Some seeds may have a germination rate as low as 80%, while others may be nearly 100%. It’s always wise to sow multiple seeds of a particular variety to ensure success. If you encounter any challenges, please reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Community and Education:
Where do Ohio Peppers’ seeds come from?
Our seeds are primarily collected from locally grown Ohio peppers, right from our own growing facilities. Well, yard. More than 90% of all seeds come directly from us. In some uncommon circumstances, such as running out of high-volume common peppers, we may use seeds from trusted wholesale suppliers. For example, in early 2026 we sold out of Carolina Reapers and ghost peppers. Our pal (and actual cousin) from NCPepperSeeds.com hooked us up! We believe in full transparency.
How does Ohio Peppers collaborate with the local community?
Ohio Peppers began as an educational venture for our children and neighborhood kids to learn about horticulture. It blossomed into an opportunity to explore ecommerce, business, and marketing. Our genetic experiments involving peppers have become a hit at local Jr/Sr High Schools, and we’ve collaborated with teachers to facilitate heredity experiments.
Since we’ve started, Ohio Peppers has sponsored our schools Band fundraiser Cake Walk, Prom, and provided warm-ups for the junior high and high school cross country team.
How can I get involved with Ohio Peppers?
We’re a small-time operation, and spreading the word about us is a wonderful way to get involved. If you’re in the Cincinnati area and love peppers, consider joining the Cincinnati Chili Pepper Club, an organization dedicated to the love of peppers. Their annual pepper plant sales benefit the Cincinnati Parks and Recreation/Krohn Conservatory. While we’re not affiliated with the club, we’re proud members and supporters of the local pepper-loving community.
Peppers Look Funny:
Why do my peppers look different than what I expected?
We suggest always growing more than one single plant of a variety to ensure the correct phenotype is grown. We grow our plants from our seed stock and have never had more than 15% hybridization. If you grow two plants, there’s only a 2.25% chance of neither plant growing true. More recent crosses that haven’t completely stabilized may differ in appearance from the parent plant due to Mendelian genetics, not unintentional cross-pollination. If your outcome is not what you expected, please reach out to us! We’re here to support you and ensure a satisfying pepper-growing experience.
Branding and Design:
Why does your artwork look childish?
Answer: Our artwork’s unique and charming style comes from the creative hands of our children, who are an integral part of Ohio Peppers. While the physical seed work is handled with precision to avoid mixing up seed varieties, many other aspects of our operation, including planting, harvesting, artwork, and website work, are done by my children. They inspired the creation of Ohio Peppers as a learning experience, and their contributions add a personal and authentic touch to our brand. Labels may be askew, drawings may be sloppy, but in the end, you’re getting hard-to-find pepper varieties at a price that’s right, all while supporting a family-driven educational venture!
Is a hotdog a sandwich?
No.
Correction. Yes. The Sporkfull cats changed my mind.