Chillies - growing and overwintering 2017

[Small pumpkin]

sp i was just wondering if you have a heater in your grow area (im thinking of calling your grow area ,area 51 if you dont mind ) or do you just get heat from the lights ? im not sure what im going to do when my seeds sprout and get too tall for the propergaters ,i was going to take the lids off the prop but leave it switched on and try to heat the roots that way but that will mean i cant start more seeds as it will still be in use ,any thoughts ? cheers

That's brilliant. I love Area 51 . I'm going to start calling it that as well
A bit of juggling goes on where heat is concerned. Get very little heat from the lights because it's got a built in fan to keep them cool. When I first got the light set up I had the heated propagator set up on a little table just in front of the window cill because I thought it would help stop newly germinated seeding from going leggy ( when they are still to small to prick out ). I noticed very quickly that this was a bad plan as the plastic lid of the propagator was stopping some of the light frequencies get to the seedlings and they were going brown and dieing ( I'm just guessing here by the way). But the seedlings that were already potted on and under the light properly were doing really well. Once everything had germinated and been potted on, I put the heated propagator under the plants under the light without the lid. They are without heat again now as I've got my next lot of seeds in. Propagator is now at the other end of the room as far way from the light as possible. Once this lot have come up and been potted on I will put the heat back under the light for a couple of weeks to give them the best start possible.
The best bit of advice I got when I went to the EGS last year was keep your chilli roots warm, especially when they are young. So I think propagator without lid would work ( hope so it's what I'm doing). I use tepid water when watering as well.

[the big lebowski]

thanks sp sounds like we are trying the same sort of thing then ,whats the EGS ? something gardening show ? cant work out the 1st word ,cheers

[Small pumpkin]

thanks sp sounds like we are trying the same sort of thing then ,whats the EGS ? something gardening show ? cant work out the 1st word ,cheers

Sorry yeah it's the Edible gardening show. It was brilliant. Unfortunately it's never going to happen again. The organisers aren't going to put it on again.

[jacks10]

With my seedlings under the grow lights they r all growing at different stages so once a week I have to move them around and adjust the lights accordingly.

The best is the Friggitello which is not a Chili but z pepper. Then the jalepnos then red cherry and finally hungarian hot wax which has done nothing

few days ago tried to germinate the HHW new batch in the kitchen roll method in the airing cupboard. So shall see how they get on.

Pictures in the new year to see how they progress all of them old and new!

[Scoot]

What are the chances of chilli's growing outside in a blow away through the summer having been started in doors. Would they be alright to go out in mid June say?

[the big lebowski]

yes i think that would be fine scoot ,just like toms if you wait till the last frosts have past then you should be fine ,the only prob i have with the blow aways is just that it blew away ha ha if you can strap it down or secure it to a wall or post then that would help ,cheers

[Scoot]

yes i think that would be fine scoot ,just like toms if you wait till the last frosts have past then you should be fine ,the only prob i have with the blow aways is just that it blew away ha ha if you can strap it down or secure it to a wall or post then that would help ,cheers

Oh well, that's good news. I secure them down well and as of yet I have had none blow away.

[the big lebowski]

sounds like a plan,good luck ,cheers

[Philthy]

Some interesting selections posted so far!
Mitzi, especially liking your list

I'm scaling back this year. Drastically. Just can't devote the time to growing and maintaining a big range at the moment unfortunately. Going to stick with tried and tested, couple of each. This is my proposed list for sowing in a few weeks:

Habanero Chocolate
Fatalii
Hot Lemon (aka Lemon Drop, Aji Lemon)
Thai Dragon
Paper Lantern

Sante Fe Grande (maybe)
Espelette (maybe)

I have overwintering Hot Lemon plants, Thai Dragon, and a Fatalii, 5 in total.
I had quite a few more, but I left them in the GH and imagine they're completely knackered now after all the frosts. Weirdly I'm not actually that bothered about the losses this time around. I think on a sub-conscious level I was looking to start afresh.

[Mitzi]

Well, some say they are "cousins" others say they are they same I know that the manzano that I grow is the "Apple" shape. The seeds I most often see on sale are sold as the rocoto but they aren't round like the manzano. Lots of the chilli databases seem to think they are they same but I'm not so sure.

I'm probably wrong but the impression I get is that the manzano (which means apple in Spanish, so should definitely be apple shaped) is one type of rocoto, and there are others. So all manzanos are rocotos but not all rocotos are manzanos.

[Mitzi]

Not looking to grow any superhots as I just don't have a taste for that level yet. Plus I wanna grow stuff that the family can enjoy too. I found the Apache hot enough last year and ended up chucking 50 or so away, with another 50 or so still in the freezer!

Current List as follows

Habanero Hot Mustard
Black Olive
Birdseye
Scotch Bonnet
Cayenne
Tesco Supermarket (could be cayenne)
Padron
Hungarian Hot Wax
Bulgarian Carrot
Ancho Poblano

It will be interesting to see how you get on with the Habanero Hot Mustard and the Scotch Bonnet if the Apache was hot enough for you. Mind you, I've not grown Apache and it might be hotter than I think.

I've never heard of Black Olive; will have to look that up. Good luck with your grow!

[Mitzi]

Some interesting selections posted so far!
Mitzi, especially liking your list

Thanks! It remains to be seen whether it's achievable. I sowed Bhut Jolokia and Purple Peach over a month ago and they haven't sprouted. I've also added Bahamian Goat to my list which will hopefully fill the gap.

This is my proposed list for sowing in a few weeks:

Habanero Chocolate
Fatalii
Hot Lemon (aka Lemon Drop, Aji Lemon)
Thai Dragon
Paper Lantern

Sante Fe Grande (maybe)
Espelette (maybe)

I have overwintering Hot Lemon plants, Thai Dragon, and a Fatalii, 5 in total.

Am I reading this wrong? You're overwintering Hot Lemon, Thai Dragon and a Fatalii but you're also going to sow seeds of the same varieties?

[Mitzi]

Apologies for the multiple posts but the multiquote button isn't working on this computer. In fact quote only gives me a partial quote, I have to copy & paste the rest, and Edit post doesn't work either. Sigh.

Anyway, here is my update. On Friday I sowed more seeds: Purple Peach and Bhut Jolokia because the first ones haven't sprouted in over a month. Peter Pepper because although two seeds sprouted, one never actually made it up out of the soil, and I want at least one plant to keep and one to give to my friend (without telling her what it is.)

Sugar Rush peach and Aji Pineapple are the other two. I've seen people say that Aji Pineapple is identical to Lemon Drop. I've never grown either but I know a lot of you on here grow Lemon Drop, so perhaps we can compare notes if/when the Pineapple grows and fruits.

All of these seeds were sowed into seed compost in a Garland 7 propagator tray, after soaking for a few hours in chamomile tea. I figured since I tried the damp tissue method first, I'd try direct sowing this time round. Nothing showing yet, but it's still early days.

Some of the seedlings from the earlier sowings have been potted up into self-watering pots made from pop bottles. I used multi-purpose compost mixed with perlite and a bit of mycorrhizal fungus in the planting hole.

I was going to get a couple of T5 sunblasters but the man in the hydroponics shop persuaded me that LEDs are the way to go, so instead I bought a Secret Jardin TLED 26W growing light. The little seedlings in Jiffy 7s are still in the Garland 7 propagator under the IKEA light, then once I pot them up into the pop bottles they go under the Secret Jardin light. They're not as impressive as Small Pumpkin's but here they are:



From left to right: Peter pepper, 2x Reaper, Choc Hab and Scotch Bonnet.

[AdrianH]

Nice list Adrian. Would be good to see you becoming a regular contributor here

Will keep popping back to update!

[jacks10]

Like all the different types!!

Lemon drop seems to be popular.

I think my hot hungarian wax is a no show after 60 days and not an incling!! I have some in the airing cupboard trying to germinate about a week think I will put them under the grow lights tomorrow .

Will also take pics of the others and post them on here.


Oops just realised mentioned nearly all the above in my previous post a few days ago!!!
Losing my marbles already