Yeah, every year I start the seeds all at the same time and everything except for the peppers show signs of life. The peppers usually start to show 2-3 weeks after tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
It makes sense now that you guys confirm that. Last season I started seeds straight into small pots and the peppers took goddamn forever to come up. I had a little mini greenhouse set up outside and again blamed temp. Looks like they just take longer. So, that being said, next year I'll be starting peppers first, followed by toms, then squash and zucchini. I just remember the squash and zucs popping out almost instantly, and getting really big really fast. I'll probably start those and the melons and cucumbers in just a couple weeks. It snowed this past weekend. I was worried I was behind the ball a little but I think I'm on track. It's been a bit cold in the area I have my pots set up and they haven't been growing fast. Hopefully they are up to size by the time May comes around.
Yep, it's a testament to the person I am. This is the first year in 3-4 years I am growing super hot peppers from seeds. Every year I tell myself. Got to get them started in January. Every year. It's april/march. Historically I over wintered 3-4 in planters and then start 3-4 for the garden. I think Im going to try a smaller planter style this year and try and save more over the winter. Ive got 4 sprouted in my little heat mat started. I don't know about bell peppers but super hots like the scotch bonnet I have need germination temps of 85+ degrees. I initially set it for 85 but it is a variable temp that turns on and off and I think the draftiness wasn't allowing it to get warm enough. I cranked it up to 90 and have 3 more sprout since I last posted.
Ideally its 75-85, 85+ might be a tad over stating. But super hots like scotch bonnet are gown around the equator. I think my mat turning on and off with the draftiness of the area I had them in it was probably in the low 70s when I had it at 85. I get why the mat is designed that way for seeds you can easily cook them if you aren't careful. I did it my first year about ten years ago I put a electric blanket out on its lowest setting with some towels over it and the next morning the bags had puffed up with the rapid evaporation. The seeds and paper towels molded over in a few days. Also if you start in baggies use coffee filters instead of paper towels, it's denser woven and the seedlings roots dont grow into them. You don't end up damaging the root when you pull them off.
All of that is very interesting. I've never used a heating mat before. Or an electric blanket! I am in Zone8a and can fortunately start the seeds in our warm-ish basement. But I certainly can understand your issues and frustrations with that mat. The coffee filter tip is a wonderful one. @Nettdata and @bewildered were discussing the slow germination of peppers here. Right there with you. I have no clue if this is accurate or not, but I've found that the hotter the pepper, the slower the germination. Further, the hotter the pepper, the slower the growth. I've been growing Tabasco peppers here for a few years, making jars of hot sauce, and saving the seeds each year. These boys are pretty hot. They take about two weeks, or more, to germinate and then just sit there with their "seed leaves". I get them into the ground or pot, weeks and weeks later than I do the sweet peppers and Shashito's. Then, all of June and all of July, this Tabasco plant does nothing. Some leaves, some branches, whatever. All the other peppers are going nuts. It isn't until September and into October where this Tabasco really starts putting on fruit and by then it is just bonkers. Patience with the hots.
Exactly my experience. This year I’m leaving a few of the peppers in pots so I can bring them back inside once the frost hits.
@binx bolling I think you live in a more ideal climate for the germination. While they do seem to take longer than the tomatoes in general, it was even the sweet peppers that took awhile. My CA wonder bells and jalapenos are the last to successfully germinate, and the bell peppers were purchased as new seeds this season. @Nettdata that's a good idea, and I think I'll do the same. I had a few CA wonder bells and jalapenos that were a little slower to sprout compared to the others in their batch and they are still on the napkin. I'll put those in standalone pots tomorrow so I can easily bring them in over winter. @Kubla Kahn you have overwintered peppers, right? Don't you basically let them go dormant and they have minimal water and light needs, or am I way off base?
Yeah, should mention that the reason I'm bringing them inside is that I think they take SO long to mature that, especially last year, we didn't have enough time for them to fully produce. It was such a short and shitty year that it seemed like everything was cut short. I'm hoping that they do so this year, outside, naturally, but in case they don't I want to be able to easily bring them in and pop them under the grow lights and let them finish out. If they last longer, into the winter, so much the better. I found last year the final haul was a lot of immature peppers that ended up going into a hot pepper chutney type thing I did. It was a bit depressing.
It's not as bad as where you are here, but the season is a lot shorter than what I'm used to. We have actual winters now and the place I have seedlings set up has to have a heater running to maintain proper temps. It would be nice to have a few things coming in earlier in the season. I wasn't seeing much til late June/early July last season.
Last year was brutal... cold rain until way late in the Spring, and then snow/frost hit so early. So many farmers around here ended up screwed and fell back on their insurance against crop damage... even in the States near here had issues. Sounded like only the farmers that used the super short term GMO corn managed to get real crops off... and normal strains that were 85+ days maturation rotted out or didn't mature in time to be harvested. It was also so wet to start with and so dry near the end... totally bizarre year. Here's hoping it isn't the new normal.
Yeah I just moved my planters inside and let the growth die off on its own. Ive seen instructionals that had you trimming the rootball and branches back but it was more of a gamble that the plant would survive. Saves a lot of space though.
I was worried that the recent rainstorms were gonna be too much for the plants. We’ve had tornados in the area, no hail (Id cover them for that) but it’s been a pretty rough few days. Figured I’d leave them out and let the strong survive. Yeah these fuckers are looking like they just took viagra cut with steroids. Apparently I can over-water them once and they get all pissed at me. But then they get biblical rain and turn into Incredible Hulk.
My Dad dropped this off yesterday. He made it out of scrap lumber my brother salvaged from the local hospital he works at. I guess it was shipping crates for beds or something: I need to get my heirloom 'maters and eggplant going. I don't even eat them, but some will be for my in-laws and the others I'll use to collect yet more seeds. My new plan is to have a good inventory of heirloom seeds going forward.
I've tried bringing my hot peppers in multiple times - both to extend the season and to see if I could overwinter a couple to get better production the next year instead of starting over from seeds. The problem I run into, without fail, is aphids. The little buggers overrun the house in a matter of weeks (we don't have a heated garage or anything that would work instead), and the Canadian options for insecticide are so shitty that I inevitably end up throwing them back outside to die. If you find a solution for this, let me know.
Yeah, me too... I bought an in-house bug zapper and have lots of aphid killer ready and check very closely for them every couple of hours (benefits of working from home). They are NUTS, and appear to show up out of nowhere to everywhere in an hour.
I’ve decided to try sprouting a couple of orange and grapefruit trees, indoors in Colorado. I’m starting the seeds in 4” pots wrapped in plastic today. I’ve done some reading on it and I’m prepared to set up lighting in 5 or so years when I can try for for fruit. Any other tips are appreciated. The only other new green starts are some bulbs I picked up for a buck at the grocery store a week ago. Fairly certain those were irises and hyacinths, they’re shouting leaves up quick after repotting.