Help wanted - Chillies, Peppers & Tomatoes - when to sow

[george356]

OK guys - having read about how some of you are starting Chillies, Peppers & Tomatoes in propagators or on windowsills prompts me to ask some questions.

As you can see, I live in Durham (NE England).

I have a 4' x 1'6" soil cable heated bench in the potting shed




It is thermostatically controlled and I have tested it and it can easily maintain temperatures to 25C.

I have a greenhouse with a gas heater (also thermostatically controlled).



My questions -

When to start sowing the above seeds?
How quickly will they germinate?
Will there be enough light in the greenhouse to transfer them to there once germinated?
What temperature will I need to maintain in the greenhouse?

Sorry if this is a bit long winded, but as a novice greenhouser (?) I want to get it right.

Thanks
George

[george356]

Bump - 70 views and no advice yet I think you guys are stealing a march on me

[WendyC]

Don't know the answers to all of your questions as I don't heat my greenhouse so have no experience of that. Also never grown chillies. However I find tomatoes take about a week to ten days to germinate and peppers about the same if a tad longer.
I start my tomatoes inside during the first week of March. Then I keep them indoors til they look like they need more light and put them in the greenhouse. They seem to be able to cope with around 10 degrees but need warmer to grow. Perhaps someone else will be able to fill in the gaps in ny knowledge.

[george356]

Thanks for the answer WendyC.

[RedThorn]

I think you'll find we're not used to heating like that. As said by Wendy

If memory serves me, toms need 15 deg to grow and chillies a bit more. The other problem you've got is light levels. Too much too soon and they get leggy

[RedThorn]

forgot to mention, there's nought wrong with experimentation just make a journal and see what seems to work best for you and your gear, that way you'll have a better idea for next year

[Bren In Pots]

I usually sow my chillis the first week in February then toms end of Feb to the beginning of March otherwise I end up carrying them between the house and the cold GH for far to long.

[catgirl]

I'm experimenting with my peppers this year, as it's the first full growing year that I've had access to a heated propagator and a greenhouse! I sowed mine about two weeks ago and the first two seedlings have just appeared, so they've taken quite a while. I'm planning on keeping them indoors until about April time, depending on the weather, as my greenhouse isn't heated. I'd seriously doubt that you could heat yours to an appropriate level for peppers this time of year without getting in trouble with your bank manager! But that is of course up to you.

I know most seed companies don't advise starting your peppers until February at least, but because they take so long to reach maturity I started mine a month sooner.

And... yep. That's all the advice I have to offer! I'm not terribly experienced myself so hopefully somebody else will be along soon.

[Spunky]

I'd go for it but don't rely on them, keep sowing fresh seed in case they Kop it

[Paulieb]

I think toms need 12° and chillies/peppers need 15°.

I tried heating my gh last spring and it was more trouble than it was worth. Toms sown in jan were only about 2 weeks ahead of march sown.

Go for it though. I think im gonna start heating my gh from march, but thats only to keep it frost free (+3/4). 15° will cost quite a bit I reckon. Especially when its -5 outside.

[chilli_grower]

i will be sowing mine at the same time intervals as bren in pots.

[lottie dolly]

Unless your having a trial like some of us do,then march time is plenty early enough to start toms off,if the weather is still to cold to put in the green house,have you a spare room,you could also try some in the green house with bubble wrap or something else as insulation,a few years ago i had polystyrean under some plastic,with my plants on top,with fleece around,some peeps put bubble wrap inside the green house as like a double glazing,but not recomended until at least march when the light leves start to improve,

[teakdesk]

Main points have already been answered.

I could add that:

1/ If you do heat the greenhouse and grow early then you will find better results if you only heat to 15 degC on days with good light. At night and during poor light a temperature as low as 5 degC can generally be tolerated. Otherwise the plants will become too leggy.

2/ Heating a greenhouse is very wasteful of energy (even when double or triple glazed) and not a particularly "green" thing to do.

3/ You will also need to address issues poor ventilation and dampness rotting the plants in a too-warm greenhouse during winter. Dampness leads to mould and fungal infections that can destroy a whole season in the greenhouse.



However, you have all the ingredients for extending the growing season by making some changes:

1/ Consider moving your propagator tray into the greenhouse... you will need an electrician's help to do this safely.

2/ Then build a clear cover over the propagator tray and use this to both start your seedlings and grow them into plants. This way you are only heating a small volume which is easily ventilated during the day.

3/ Start seedlings from mid-February and sow again twice more at two week intervals.

4/ As the plants become too big for the propagator tray in April you can move them out and start to add a bit of heat to the greenhouse. By May the need for heat will be almost over (except maybe to prevent the temperature falling below 5 degC on the coldest of nights).

5/ Be prepared for some failures as daily light levels are the biggest factor in success and these vary from year to year!



Oh, and Good Luck!

[BertieFox]

HEAT is not the only factor, and it is LIGHT which is the key to success as long as it is warm enough for these things to keep growing without being frosted.

Peppers will grow quite well early in the year with low light levels as long as they are warmish, and won't get leggy, as they form short bushy plants. Aubergines need to be started a little later as they have a tendency to get leggy.

Tomatoes really should be left to later as they are a. Fast growing b. Get very leggy or 'etiolated' to use the 'posh' word without sufficient light. c. Won't really produce decent plants until late spring anyway. Planting out a leggy tomato with pale green leaves will mean a late crop and those sown later, in March say, will not only catch up but will be healthier and will overtake the others in the time to fruiting, in my experience

The ideal with tomatoes early is a heated propagator with GOOD grow lights capable of high levels. But with all that expense, and very little advantage in terms of crop time, you would do better to let somebody else take all that trouble, and buy a well grown plant in the spring You can then take side shoots from it and root these to multiply the number of plants you have. Rooted sideshoots grow on more quickly and vigorously than seedlings and root incredibly easily in ordinary compost. Just keep the tops moist with a hand sprayer.