Vitopod & Growing Chillies/Palms from seed

Pricy147

Just purchased my brand new vitopod heated propagator. All ready to go for growing various chillies and exotics from seed.

Being new to growing from seed - would you say it is too early in the year to start growing chillies?

Is there also a proper way of preparing the seeds before sowing (soaking, etc)?

Any tips welcome!

Farway

Depends where & how you intend growing them on once germinated. If just on window sill or the like, much too early to sow because light levels are just too low, and ambient temperature is against you as well

Hang on a bit or you will just finish up with expensive, leggy & weak plants

Pricy147

i intend to keep in the vitopod until a reasonable size then transfer into my unheated greenhouse

Justagardener

There aren't any special requirements for germination of chillies. They will germinate quite easily. We sow ours early Feb...in order to harvest from August onwards, that said and most importantly we do have the facilities to do so. Try and hold off sowing in the Vitopod until mid March if you can, once they germinate they really need to come out and be bought on in a slightly cooler environment like a heated greenhouse.

savemoney

I bought a very large propagator with lights last year for this job. I plan to sow seeds end of next month. Its quite big so can grow the plants in for quite a while

I have the 100watt one http://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/heated-electric-propagator-with-propagation-lights.html

http://www.simplyseed.co.uk/blog/the-cheats-guide-to-germinating-chillies-and-pepper-seeds.html