pepper seeds - MERGED

noonesperfect

I found my bell pepper seeds took about 3 weeks to germinate - I'd just about given them up for dead! I too scooped them from a pepper we'd eaten. I used "seed and cutting compost" and covered the seeds in Vermiculite - though I'm not sure the latter was absolutely necessary, I had some so thought I may as well use it.

However, all is well and they have just been moved from 3" pots to their final bigger pot (can't remember the size).
Yours might "go" a bit quicker now that it's warmer though. Keep 'em warm but out of direct sunlight.

I also found this site very helpful, as I didn't have a clue!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growing_aubergines_chillies_peppers1.shtml

pault123

Since the price of peppers has been getting to the stage of ridiculous and is it just me or are they shrinking each week (wagon wheel syndrome i call it)


I decided to save some of the seeds and plant them. Did a batch of dwarf of orange peppers and sweet pointed red peppers.

2 weeks later and all the small pots had 5 tiny pepper plants in each. Last night I transferred them to their final home a large terracotta pot. The back bedroom windowsill i'm hoping will provide a good harvest :money:


The g/f isn't too impressed at the bedroom becoming a greenhouse but when the produce arrives i'm sure she'll be converted :T






8 plants in total, any idea what kind of approx yield this many plants would give?







My first project was Jalapeno chilli peppers which are already bearing fruit, any idea when these are ready to pick?




There are dozens of flowers i'm expecting a windfall of chillies!

mary43

OH would be so envious if I showed him these........our peppers and chillis are still at the tiny seedling stage. First lot got eaten, second lot we were given by a friend and they were tiny then, few weeks back so I don't hold out much hope for having fruit from them this year...

olly300

http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/pages/growingtips.html

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Check your variety for the mature pod size and then as they reach full size, the pod should feel firm and look fairly glossy, if it still feels soft to the touch it is still immature. Pods can be picked early but they really need to be fully developed to develop their full flavour and heat. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The best time to pick chillis for drying is just when they start to change colour. [/FONT]

pault123

Mary were they eaten outside by slugs?

Germinate them inside on sunny windowsill - then once big enough keep them on window but in bigger pot. The first lot in bottom pictures grew like weeds!

Davesnave

pault123 wrote: »

Since the price of peppers has been getting to the stage of ridiculous and is it just me or are they shrinking each week (wagon wheel syndrome i call it)


I decided to save some of the seeds and plant them. Did a batch of dwarf of orange peppers and sweet pointed red peppers.

2 weeks later and all the small pots had 5 tiny pepper plants in each. Last night I transferred them to their final home a large terracotta pot. The back bedroom windowsill i'm hoping will provide a good harvest :money:


The g/f isn't too impressed at the bedroom becoming a greenhouse but when the produce arrives i'm sure she'll be converted :T






8 plants in total, any idea what kind of approx yield this many plants would give?




I regret to say, the answer is probably none. You can grow peppers indoors, especially if you have a conservatory, but it is a real problem stopping them from going spindly as light levels decrease and winter approaches. Also, stuff on windowsills in centrally heated houses falls prey to whitefly, aphids and our good old mate red spider mite. These won't necessarily kill your plants, but they'll weaken them.

Nobody on this forum likes to give bad news, but too many will avoid telling the truth in a situation like this. I tell it like it is. Basically, you are going against nature by sowing at this time of year. It may be possible to cut your plants back, overwinter them and then grow them on in the spring, but what would be the point when you can sow again in February?

Sorry, but you can always prove me wrong and post the pictures in due course.

Now I await howls of protest from people who will claim to grow peppers all through the winter in a cellar.......!

pault123

Hi Dave,

thanks for the headsup! Ooops :rotfl:

The central heating won't be on until winter, i can leave the window cracked for fresh air if this would help?

Will post some pics if any growth spurts and fruit occurs :eek:

Paul

smallblueplanet

Hi Paul

Nice looking seedlings you've got there - you have more chance of lots of fruit if it was April.

Edit - misting plants with water can help against red spider mite, etc they don't like high humidity. A spray of a squirt of washing-up liquid in a litre hand sprayer of water will help kill off the aphids/whitefly.

Here's a link to helping you sow/grow/eat/save seeds from your chillis/peppers next season. At the bottom of the page is a link to overwintering, you could try it with a couple of your plants as 2nd season you'll get a head start and maybe a bigger crop.

http://www.thechileman.org/guide_home.php

If you don't mind me saying your 'jalapenos' look more like a cayenne variety, were they self-saved? They look good peppers though and if cayenne type will be hottest when red - chilli heat is often dependant on weather. Here's a database to search for info on jalapeno chilli varieties -

http://www.thechileman.org/results.php?chile=1&find=jalapeno&heat=Any&origin=Any&genus=Any&submit=Search

Good luck with the crops, its only a small step further to becoming a chilehead!

Davesnave

pault123 wrote: »

Hi Dave,

thanks for the headsup! Ooops :rotfl:

The central heating won't be on until winter, i can leave the window cracked for fresh air if this would help?

Will post some pics if any growth spurts and fruit occurs :eek:

Paul

Well, they didn't cost you anything and, as I say, you can always prove me wrong. You will get fruit in the 3 months of decent light that you have; it's ripening it which will be a problem.

Also, they don't stay in those wee pots for ever.....If I have made one mistake with chillies and peppers, (and actually I've made loads!) it has been trying to grow them in too small a final pot. That is what restricted my harvests, until I saw what the pros put them in. Now I give 'em four litres or more depending on the variety. I have a decorative edible one that's variegated, and therefore weaker, and with that I get away with 2 litres.

Your chillies look like they'll be turning red soon. I agree with smallblueplanet that they look too pointy for jalapenos, but it won't matter. In this country what you get heatwise depends on the weather. Last year was a bit of a nightmare.

pault123

smallblueplanet i took the current fruiting plant seeds from some mixed organic chillies i bought from Tesco, a mixture of green and red but all the same shape. Would the red colour further suggest cayenne variety?

I'm already a chillehead just begrudge the supermarket prices