Day 36 - Pick A Pot That's New.

The following chilli varieties were re-potted on Saturday (Day 34);

• Tabasco (8 seedlings)
• Ancho 101 (6 seedlings)
• Early Jalapeno (8 seedlings)
• Habanero Orange (7 seedlings)
• Thai Bangkok Upright (7 seedlings)
• Jalapeno (8 seedlings)
• Scotch Bonnet (8 seedlings)
• Rocoto Yellow (8 seedlings)
• Hot Banana (7 seedlings)
• Misc. (8 seedlings)
• Cayenne Hot (1 seedling)

This means that the following seeds are still growing in their trays by the patio doors;

• Tepin (3 seedlings)
• Anaheim (7 seedlings)
• Cayenne Hot (2 seedlings)
• Ancho 101 (1 seedling)
• Prairie Fire (5 seedlings)
• Cayenne Long Thin (2 seedlings)
• Habanero Orange (5 seedlings)
• Serrano (4 seedlings)
• Habanero Red (7 seedlings)
• Purple Tiger (6 seedlings)

Unfortunately, we still don't have any of the Scotch Bonnet Red. I have now given up any hope of these germinating. Shame, but I'll cope.

Day 35 - Location, Location, Location.

Location 1 - The Conservatory

Great light from all angles, but cold at night.

Location 2 - The Patio Doors
Large south facing window, good light all day long, reasonable warmth at night.


Location 3 - Sister's Room
North facing window with possibly some light in the morning, above radiator.

Location 4 - Reading House
South facing window, obstructed daylight, but good warmth at night.

Day 34 - Pot The Green.

Day 34 is here. And what a day! The majority of my seeds have grown into healthy little plants. I've therefore decided to re-pot all the shoots that have outgrown their trays. Another indicator that these seedlings are ready for re-potting is that they have begun to grow their second set of leaves.

First, I assembled all the necessary ingredients on the patio; a big bag of compost, a whole load of 3 or 4" pots, and a small digging implement. I then took an indelible marker and labeled the pots. My plan is to grow the seedlings in four different locations to see which perform the best. Details of the four locations can be found in the next post.

I then half-filled the pots with compost, dug out the seedlings and re-potted them in their new pots. I added a bit more compost and gave each a healthy watering. Done!

Whilst re-potting I found that I often had far more chillies than locations to put them. Consequently, I often placed two chillies in each pot. If both grow well, I can always remove the weaker at a later date.

All that was left then was to put all the chillies in their new locations and hope that the sunny weather would continue.

Day 21 - Where There's Stalk, There's Prairie Fire.

19 out of 20 varieties have now produced some sort of life. Today a solitary shoot emerged in tray 1A, Prairie Fire. It looks like quite a healthy seedling, but I could do with some more, just in case. Most of the varieties that I sowed have now produced many plants. However, I am still concerned by the lack of growth of two kinds.

There is only one shoot in the Cayenne pot, and only two Tepin seeds have germinated so far. I am going to try to find somewhere warm for my seed trays at night in the hope that heat will act as a catalyst for the remaining seeds. Oh, and let's hope for some progress in the one variety yet to produce anything at all; Scotch Bonnet Red.

Day 18 - He Sees Shoots, He Scores.

The first signs of life can now be seen in two more of the seed trays. According to my notes, these new seedlings are Serrano and Anaheim (above) varieties. I am no longer able to place the trays above the boiler at night. This means that all the seeds, whether they've germinated or not, remain in front of the French doors all day and night. Although this place is fairly bright (when we actually get some sun), it is not particularly warm. The effect of the cold temperatures has been visible in the slow growth of the emerging seedlings and may explain why the other seeds are taking a long time to germinate. I hope to move the seeds to the super-bright conservatory when the weather gets warmer, but for now the chillies will have to fend for themselves by the window.

I continue to water them regularly and monitor their progress. Most of the developed seedlings look perfectly healthy and should survive for re-potting later in the season.

Day 14 - Come On, My Sun!

Two weeks have now passed since I sowed the seeds. I now have seedlings in each of my trays. However, there are still no signs of germination for Prairie Fire, Serrano, Scotch Bonnet Red or Anaheim. I have read that the hotter varieties can take up to a month to germinate. This may be the case with the Scotch Bonnet, but I know from last year that Anaheim is certainly a mild pepper. I, therefore, do not hold out too much hope for these plants.

The good news is that the varieties that have germinated have done so in large numbers. Most trays have between 6 and 9 seedlings. This is a great return for the number of seeds planted. I am slightly worried by the Cayenne Long Thin. I currently only have one seedling. It looks strong, but might need special care if no more seeds germinate. The other varieties that have germinated, but are yet to produce any proper seedlings are Tepin and Cayenne Hot.

Aside from the above varieties, all the seedlings look great. My major problem is keeping them in enough sunlight and making sure that the soil does not get too cold. This appears to be a battle that I'm losing. The weather has turned dull and cold. What we really need are days filled with plenty of sunshine and warmth - the kind that prompted me to sow the seeds so early. Fingers crossed.

Day 10 - Tray Bien.

These pictures were taken this morning. As you can see, there are seedlings in all but one of the trays. I don't have nearly enough room on my window sills. For the moment I've left them by the patio doors during the day. Unfortunately, this spot won't be warm enough at night. I'm also frustrated by the lack of sunlight we've been getting at the moment. One of the possible draw-backs of sowing in January!?!