Unheated Greenhouse

smarttart

Seedlings are coming along nicely - indoors

Got quiet a few toms sprouting and the aubergines are coming through, the chilli and peppers have yet to put in an appearance but I'm ever hopeful :j Saying that the chilli's and peppers were last years (already opened) seeds so maybe my chucking them in a tin storage solution needs to be revised :rotfl: They were all planted at the same time but I'm hoping the chilli's/pepper's take longer to germinate.

Decided to leave the lettuce, basil and borage to fend for itself in the greenhouse. The lettuce has started to come through but if the basil and borage fail to materialise I can always sow some more as I have plenty of seeds left.

I reset the thermometer in the greenhouse back to zero and the coldest it's been has been since I first posted is 3.3*C which is 38*F, so still a tad chilly I fear.

Ainsley1

Toms (and the rest) once germinated need plenty of light and not too hot at night otherwise they will get etiolated (leggy) and weak. Soil temp need to be 15°C to help prevent diseases for toms but will stand 10°C generally air temp at night once established. Rest need slightly higher temps and peppers really like lots of sun but not too big a pot (say 8" to 10" max) to encourage fruiting. It's never too early if these conditions can be met!

Leif

smarttart wrote: »

Got quiet a few toms sprouting and the aubergines are coming through, the chilli and peppers have yet to put in an appearance but I'm ever hopeful :j Saying that the chilli's and peppers were last years (already opened) seeds so maybe my chucking them in a tin storage solution needs to be revised :rotfl:

You might already know this, but chillis seeds rapidly lose fertility and it is best to use only seeds from the last season. That said, you should still get a fair few germinating.

smarttart

Leif wrote: »

You might already know this, but chillis seeds rapidly lose fertility and it is best to use only seeds from the last season. That said, you should still get a fair few germinating.

Nope, I didn't know that but I do now :rotfl:
I did read somewhere that parsnip seeds don't keep but as I don't grow them that's not a problem. My one attempt at planting parsnips ended in disaster, I bought a seed tape and managed to spill water on it before I planted it and I ended up with one parsnip, so I never bothered trying again.

Oh I'll give them a bit longer and if they don't germinate I'll have to go and buy some more seeds.

Leif

smarttart wrote: »

Nope, I didn't know that but I do now :rotfl:
I did read somewhere that parsnip seeds don't keep but as I don't grow them that's not a problem. My one attempt at planting parsnips ended in disaster, I bought a seed tape and managed to spill water on it before I planted it and I ended up with one parsnip, so I never bothered trying again.

Oh I'll give them a bit longer and if they don't germinate I'll have to go and buy some more seeds.

I have found chillis to be very temperamental. I had two packs from two big name sellers fail, one was a Jalapeno. Now I stick to small specialists such as Simpsons and Real Seeds.

smarttart

Oh dear sounds like I'm doomed to failure then one of mine was Jalapeño, last years stock but an unopened packet.

The other was Heatwave, last years stock, opened and successfully grown - last year.

Oh well fingers crossed

Sambucus_Nigra

They need more heat than your average seed. I have a heated prop mainly for chillis - pop them in an airing cupboard or on a warm surface and they should come up quicker. Just make sure they are kept on the dry side of damp but don't dry out completely.

The seeds should last more than one season - Parsnips usually go quickest, then carrots, then onions. They say that peas only last 3 and beans only about 4 but I've recently sown peas and beans that were saved 10 years ago and have a fine crop growing happily away in a polytunnel at the moment. Sown in situ - so no heat needed.

Leif

smarttart wrote: »

Oh dear sounds like I'm doomed to failure then one of mine was Jalapeño, last years stock but an unopened packet.

The other was Heatwave, last years stock, opened and successfully grown - last year.

Oh well fingers crossed

Be positive, the power of the forum is with you. You could always get yourself a little heated propagator, I have two, one Sankey, one B&Q but they are the same, except I think the Sankey came with trays. The cheapest might be the B&Q one at £10. I've had mine for goodness knows how many years, so overall very good value, and essential for chillis IMO.

annie123

smarttart wrote: »

Oh dear sounds like I'm doomed to failure then one of mine was Jalapeño, last years stock but an unopened packet.

Not doomed, I'm using 3 year old seed for 4 types of chillies including Jalapeños and all up except for the scotch bonnet, but they've only been on top of the boiler for 2 weeks so plenty of time yet. I work on 50% germination rate for old seed.

Don't forget you can over winter them indoors too. I have several that are are a few years old now and I add the most productive ones at the end of the year. You'll get a head start then next year.