seeds Too late to start from seed? Moving in August.

[dannyd]

Hello everyone,

This is the first year I am growing peppers, and they will be the first vegetable/plant I have ever grown. I have thought about growing them in the past, but I didn't start reading about how to grow them until the past few days and I am afraid that I may have missed this years growing season. Is it too late to start growing plants from seeds? I will only be living in my current location until the end of August, and I don't think the plants will be ready to harvest by then since I started late.

I am asking because I planted seeds yesterday (jalapeno, cayenne, and habanero) and I am wondering what the best approach to growing is. I am considering using buckets so that I can take them inside when it gets cold and take them with me when I move. The habanero packet says 95 days, but I am not sure if that means 95 days after planting the seed, or 95 days after transplanting the seedling.

-Dan

 

[Spicegeist]

Jalapeno and Cayenne might work. For those varieties you can always go to your local mega- hardware store and just buy plants too.

 

[dannyd]

I would buy plants at the hardware store, but I want the experience of growing from seed to harvest... that way I'll know what I am doing next season when I try some different varieties. I didn't realize how many different varieties there were. I can't wait to try some.

The Jalapeno and Cayenne packets listed 70-75 days until harvest, but again not sure when to start counting.

When you say Jalapenos and Cayennes might work, do you mean that they might be ready for harvest by the end of August? Why don't you think the habeneros will work? They won't be ready by the end of August, they don't like to grow in buckets, or they wouldn't like being transported/transitioned to an indoor grow?

 

[MGOLD86]

Nothing beats the experience. I would say, go for it. The worst case is you don't get a harvest and the best case is you get some harvests AND get your seedling/seed growing methods figured out (or at least kinda figured out).

The Jals and Cays are much shorter season growers than the Habs. It really has nothing to do with pots and stuff, it is more the time it takes for the peppers to set, and then ripen. Like I said, you have a decent chance of gettin some jals and cays, and the benefit of starting to get the whole germination/growing process down is invaluable.

GO FOR IT!

 

[Spicegeist]

Yes, what MG said... jalapenos and cayennes are both in the Capsicum annuum species and habaneros are a different species that generally takes longer: Capsicum chinense. I'll be curious to see how they turn out.

 

[dannyd]

Thanks for the replies. I'll start a glog tomorrow so you can see how they turn out.

 

[Eephus Man]

Danny,

You might also look for early developing varieties of baccatums (Aji Omnicolor, Criolla Sella and Kaleidoscope have all fruited early for me this year - the Criolla Sella is an historically early producer for me each year), also. It sounds like you may want to mix it up and try something different than the usual. There are also, of course, some very cool annuum varieties that will yield quickly and still give you something different (e.g. Shishito, Santa Fe Grande, Hinkelhatz, Fish - all of these have fruited very early for me).

Good luck. You won't regret trying!

 

[Mezo]

Take them with you when you move, overwinter them & your away next spring with a healthy plant.

Mezo.

 

[dannyd]

You might also look for early developing varieties of baccatums (Aji Omnicolor, Criolla Sella and Kaleidoscope have all fruited early for me this year - the Criolla Sella is an historically early producer for me each year).

Good idea, but at this point I am going to stick with what I have already planted. I will keep those varieties in mind for next season. The reason is, I have already planted 24 seeds each of jalapeno, cayenne, and habanero, and I have to find people to give them to. I am only keeping 2 of each variety for myself.

Take them with you when you move, overwinter them & your away next spring with a healthy plant.

Mezo.

Thats the plan!

 

[HwyBill]

First off, those advertisements on the seed packet determinate dates are dramatically underestimated.

If your plants aren't ready to produce by the time you are moving, look for someone in your area who would like them.

If nothing else, just leave them on the sidewalk. Someone like me will pick them up and take care of them, or otherwise they might get destroyed. Nothing lost.

Lots of good advice for you in this thread.

Early producers like Cayennes and Jalapenos might give you some early pods by sometime in August. Always worth trying to transport them at that point. I doubt any shipping insults would dramatically effect such a mature plant.

Worst case scenario, this is a great opportunity for you to learn how to grow chiles.

 

[bamaboy1975]

You can always try hydroponics at your new location and get some results indoor too!

 

[mrz1988]

I would grow in containers and give it a shot. Hey, my first year I sowed the first week of June, although they were pretty much all fast-growing annuum species (as guys have said). I had green pods starting in August and they finished in October, although I had to bring them inside for their last little stint. No guarantees they'll finish but it's totally worth a shot. I'd definitely avoid super-hots and probably all C. chinense types from seed though since they take a bit longer. Best of luck to you.

If you can find some plants already started in the hardware store grab those as well, they'll give you a better shot at finishing than the ones from seed.

Edit: I noted you're from New England like me
If you live in the northern states up there you'll find it tougher to finish in time but most places don't start getting frosts til mid October anyway. How close do you live? If you don't finish I'll send ya some real fire or if you're close maybe even drive some over

 

[dannyd]

First off, those advertisements on the seed packet determinate dates are dramatically underestimated.

If your plants aren't ready to produce by the time you are moving, look for someone in your area who would like them.

If nothing else, just leave them on the sidewalk. Someone like me will pick them up and take care of them, or otherwise they might get destroyed. Nothing lost.

Lots of good advice for you in this thread.

I have approximately 113 days until I move back to Michigan. I have only experienced Michigan weather for one year, but it seems similar to the weather here in Southern New Hampshire, just a few days earlier, and the temperature on average should stay in the 70's through most of September before cooling off in October. That should give me about 153 days if the plants make it through the move. I'll just put them back outside for a few weeks once I get there.

If they aren't ready by the time I move, I will take as many plants as I can fit in my van with the rest of my stuff and leave the rest with my dad. Everyone else I know that likes peppers will already have plants if they want them because I'll be giving away seedlings when they are ready to go outside.

And you are right. Lots of great advice on this forum. Glad I found it. Thanks!

You can always try hydroponics at your new location and get some results indoor too!

I just started reading into that, and it seems like a good idea if I have room for it. But, since my plants will already be potted, I may just buy a few lights and keep them potted inside instead of starting new plants. I'll be moving around a lot over the next few years. Once I find a more permanent place I will definitely set up a grow room and experiment with hydroponics. I love learning new things and improving my methods, but I feel like I should learn the basics of traditional gardening before going hydroponic.

I would grow in containers and give it a shot. Hey, my first year I sowed the first week of June, although they were pretty much all fast-growing annuum species (as guys have said). I had green pods starting in August and they finished in October, although I had to bring them inside for their last little stint. No guarantees they'll finish but it's totally worth a shot. I'd definitely avoid super-hots and probably all C. chinense types from seed though since they take a bit longer. Best of luck to you.

If you can find some plants already started in the hardware store grab those as well, they'll give you a better shot at finishing than the ones from seed.

Edit: I noted you're from New England like me
If you live in the northern states up there you'll find it tougher to finish in time but most places don't start getting frosts til mid October anyway. How close do you live? If you don't finish I'll send ya some real fire or if you're close maybe even drive some over

Thanks! I live on the border between NH and MA. And yeah, I plan on going to the hardware store to buy a plant tomorrow, just in case my plants don't harvest by August. I'm not adding other varieties this season, but I wouldn't mind tasting a few What are you growing?

 

[8Planets]

Just a quick note: you can grow plants hydroponically with super simple setups that can easily be moved, used outdoors, or set near a window. The image below is a pequin pepper in a 2.5 gallon bucket: the pepper seed was rooted in rockwool, then placed into a perlite-vermiculite mix. Simple, relatively cheap, and highly-effective.