AlabamaJack
eXtreme
Carol, you are ingenious...
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2009 pepper season on the cheap
- Thread starter caroltlw
- Start date
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
super genious 
Carol,
That's very close to what I have been doing. The difference is I cut slits in the bottom and rather than poking holes in the soil, I use a pair of hemostats to place the seed just below the soil then add a layer of potting soil to it. Sit it in a tub of water until the soil is supersaturated, put the plastic lid over it and set the tray over a heat source. With the exception of one flower, most of my seeds sprout between 5-11 days.
Mike
That's very close to what I have been doing. The difference is I cut slits in the bottom and rather than poking holes in the soil, I use a pair of hemostats to place the seed just below the soil then add a layer of potting soil to it. Sit it in a tub of water until the soil is supersaturated, put the plastic lid over it and set the tray over a heat source. With the exception of one flower, most of my seeds sprout between 5-11 days.
Mike
Some seedling porn for you this morning.
First up is my pride and joy, my eldest lemon drop (12/17). It was the only survivor from a set of 4 but I have 6/6 from a second planting. I'm real excited to have something more exotic than a habanero this year and I can hardly wait to taste them.
It stretched a little when I first put it in the LED box (wrong height) but it's doing better now.
The outdoor plants are really stretching with the short (
First up is my pride and joy, my eldest lemon drop (12/17). It was the only survivor from a set of 4 but I have 6/6 from a second planting. I'm real excited to have something more exotic than a habanero this year and I can hardly wait to taste them.
It stretched a little when I first put it in the LED box (wrong height) but it's doing better now.
The outdoor plants are really stretching with the short (
QuadShotz
Banned
Fantastic work there...I'm a bit of a salvage-and-make-it-work sort as well. My Franken-Grow I call it....heheh.
Like using all my old butter/cottage cheese/etc containers as, well...containers. Those plastic thingys they sell tomatoes in work nice for seedlings too.
My problem is figuring how to get enough light, space and all for an entirely indoors grow.
Oh, and holy crap..you have the same camera I do!
I got mine for $40 on Craigslist awile ago and it's been pretty good to me.
Kewl.
Like using all my old butter/cottage cheese/etc containers as, well...containers. Those plastic thingys they sell tomatoes in work nice for seedlings too.
My problem is figuring how to get enough light, space and all for an entirely indoors grow.
Oh, and holy crap..you have the same camera I do!
I got mine for $40 on Craigslist awile ago and it's been pretty good to me.
Kewl.
Well, I managed to dump the group planted seeds on the ground the other day in a bizarre accident. Lost most of my catnip sprouts too. Zorro is heartbroken over that - I promised to plant some more for him later.
Anyhow... since I lost a week(?) I decided to go back to the ol' germinate-in-a-bag system and only keep the strongest ones I don't damage in the transplant to dirt. This way I can fit 140 bell, 40 wax, 40 jals, and 40 greek seeds in containers on the furnace shelf. Got my thermometer alarm in there too.
I'm using an old favorite - cotton makeup removal pads. Sometimes if you wait too long the roots will 'dig in' to the cotton, then you can just cut around the root and plant the little piece of cotton too. I should start seeing root sprouts in a few days if all goes well.
These are wax seeds in a plastic coffee container lid:
In better news, I transplanted 18 more seedlings to 4" pots and all are doing well. The weather is super good this week and next. I have a cayenne flower too. Probably should pinch some more buds.
c.
Anyhow... since I lost a week(?) I decided to go back to the ol' germinate-in-a-bag system and only keep the strongest ones I don't damage in the transplant to dirt. This way I can fit 140 bell, 40 wax, 40 jals, and 40 greek seeds in containers on the furnace shelf. Got my thermometer alarm in there too.
I'm using an old favorite - cotton makeup removal pads. Sometimes if you wait too long the roots will 'dig in' to the cotton, then you can just cut around the root and plant the little piece of cotton too. I should start seeing root sprouts in a few days if all goes well.
These are wax seeds in a plastic coffee container lid:
In better news, I transplanted 18 more seedlings to 4" pots and all are doing well. The weather is super good this week and next. I have a cayenne flower too. Probably should pinch some more buds.
c.
Carol its all amazingly awesome. I love your creativity.
Seedling update:
Here's the cartful of old seedlings. Mostly annuums of various types.
These are the ones that get additional hours of light in the boxes. They are lemon drops, carribean reds, hawaiin sweet hots, orange habs, purple jals, super chile, tabasco, a few more bells and greeks. And some more jals that wouldn't fit in the picture.
c.
Here's the cartful of old seedlings. Mostly annuums of various types.
These are the ones that get additional hours of light in the boxes. They are lemon drops, carribean reds, hawaiin sweet hots, orange habs, purple jals, super chile, tabasco, a few more bells and greeks. And some more jals that wouldn't fit in the picture.
c.
Plant out!
Yes I'm insane to plant this early. Only did a few expendable ones that had been sitting in their pots WAY too long. I'm dying to see how they do in the new garden bed. I only added some Epsom and eggshells at this point. I'll wait and see if they come up with any sign of deficiency before I go for the miracle grow. Also pruned and repotted 2 of my over-winters.
And they're kind of too close together so I can protect them from frost if need be.
They are: cayenne, jal "S6", jal "J9", bell, greek, deArbol.
c.
Yes I'm insane to plant this early. Only did a few expendable ones that had been sitting in their pots WAY too long. I'm dying to see how they do in the new garden bed. I only added some Epsom and eggshells at this point. I'll wait and see if they come up with any sign of deficiency before I go for the miracle grow. Also pruned and repotted 2 of my over-winters.
And they're kind of too close together so I can protect them from frost if need be.
They are: cayenne, jal "S6", jal "J9", bell, greek, deArbol.
c.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
Great looking plants Carol...you make me jealous with your weather where you live...
I was reading the farmers almanac and for my area, it says to plant out peppers March 1-10....maybe they will be ready to start hardening off in 10 days...
I was reading the farmers almanac and for my area, it says to plant out peppers March 1-10....maybe they will be ready to start hardening off in 10 days...
Awesome ideas and I love the egg carton thing...we eat lots of eggs..hmmm...maybe I should start a few more...
Elliot
Elliot
AlabamaJack said:
I'm supposed to wait until March 15th +/- 2 weeks. But last year we had a hard freeze in April and yesterday it was almost 80F. And these plants are plenty hardened - "tortured" may be a better word.
You won't be so jealous in a couple of weeks when I'm trying to keep them warm, or pulling them up. And last night something (possum?) dug small holes next to 2 of them looking for the eggshells... when threre's a pot FULL of eggshells right next to the garden! No harm to the plants, but I'll have to make sure the shells are totally clean if I keep using them.
c.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
caroltlw said:
bet it was an armadillo