So, I got a bit of a late start, but nonetheless I am proceeding with my first pepper grow.
On May 1st I planted 36 seeds. 12 each of jalapeno, cayenne, and habanero. In the picture below, these are the seeds in the right half of the tray. I hadn't done much reading at the time I planted the first 36 seeds so I just bought a seed starting kit with pellets that expanded into potting soil when I poured water over them. After a bit of reading that night (I couldn't stop, and still can't, reading learning and watching my peppers (thanks THP!)) I started to worry about the potting soil that I used, so I planted 34 more seeds on May 2nd in a MiracleGro orchid mix, in the right half of the tray.
For fertilizer I am using:
I am just starting to learn about different fertilizers and the nutrient needs of pepper plants, so I know it's not ideal for my plants, but I figure it's better than nothing. I didn't realize when I bought it that it was meant to be used when the plant is fruiting. I didn't realize different fertilizers were used at different stages of the season. I plan on buying a different fertilizer for the growing phase.
After a few nights of worrying that I may have started too late and that I may not get many peppers this season, I went out this morning and bought a serrano plant and thai hot plant:
My plan is to pot 8 plants, and give as many away as I can once they are ready to go outside.
Next weekend I will be buying the potting mix from a local landscaping center. I plan on using the 1/3 compost, 1/3 top soil, and 1/3 sharp sand recipe that I found in the sticky thread all about soil. I also have bonemeal and bloodmeal to add to the soil if I decide to after reading a bit more.
Nights are starting to warm up, so the serrano and thai hot will go outside soon. In fact, they were outside when I bought them at The Home Depot, on a cold, rainy day with no sun. For now, they are in front of a fairly large window and should get a lot of light.
On May 1st I planted 36 seeds. 12 each of jalapeno, cayenne, and habanero. In the picture below, these are the seeds in the right half of the tray. I hadn't done much reading at the time I planted the first 36 seeds so I just bought a seed starting kit with pellets that expanded into potting soil when I poured water over them. After a bit of reading that night (I couldn't stop, and still can't, reading learning and watching my peppers (thanks THP!)) I started to worry about the potting soil that I used, so I planted 34 more seeds on May 2nd in a MiracleGro orchid mix, in the right half of the tray.
For fertilizer I am using:
I am just starting to learn about different fertilizers and the nutrient needs of pepper plants, so I know it's not ideal for my plants, but I figure it's better than nothing. I didn't realize when I bought it that it was meant to be used when the plant is fruiting. I didn't realize different fertilizers were used at different stages of the season. I plan on buying a different fertilizer for the growing phase.
After a few nights of worrying that I may have started too late and that I may not get many peppers this season, I went out this morning and bought a serrano plant and thai hot plant:
My plan is to pot 8 plants, and give as many away as I can once they are ready to go outside.
Next weekend I will be buying the potting mix from a local landscaping center. I plan on using the 1/3 compost, 1/3 top soil, and 1/3 sharp sand recipe that I found in the sticky thread all about soil. I also have bonemeal and bloodmeal to add to the soil if I decide to after reading a bit more.
Nights are starting to warm up, so the serrano and thai hot will go outside soon. In fact, they were outside when I bought them at The Home Depot, on a cold, rainy day with no sun. For now, they are in front of a fairly large window and should get a lot of light.
