Looking for super small operation advice

Dykealiscious

Dykealiscious

New user with intro today......
 
Sure, I've grown plants from seeds before. But I'm so very new to the peppers thing. I live in ice-cold Seattle (as of right now) and I have an impossibly small apartment that lends me zero room for any kind of indoor grow. So, I'm thinking of literally doing a handful (3-4) seedlings if I can sprout them and then taking them outside.
 
Timing is everything, so I hear. When is the best time to start this and take them outside, given the current weather. Cold with a chance of cold. But no snow. Beautiful springs and summers here. Should I even bother?
 
Total experimentation at this point. Moruga Scorpion seeds is what I'm working with right now.
 
Hey there, I'm also here in (not so) sunny Seattle.  I would think what your proposing is totally doable, though you'll probably need to get some extra gear for light and heat requirements.  The biggest things you'll fight with here in Seattle is a lack of light and heat.  

Here is what I'd recommend.  First off, get those seeds in the dirt now!  Seattle has a pretty short growing season, so you need to get those plants going early.  I planted mine in early Jan, and a lot of people plant in Dec.  You still have plenty of time, but the sooner the better.  Second, unless you keep your appt pretty warm you'll probably want to get a small germination heat mat.  They are useful for heating the soil temp 10 - 20 degrees above room temp.  You can get small'ish ones at almost any plant nursery.  Because its always cloudy out in the late winter/early spring, you probably wont get enough sun if you put your plants on a windowsill.  So you'll probably want to get a grow light.  I also have indoor space restrictions, so I got a 2 foot, 4 bulb florescent grow light.  So far its been working really well and my plants are very happy (checkout my glog to see my indoor setup).  You don't absolutely need a grow light, but peppers often grow tall, thin and with fewer leaves (kind'a sickly looking) if you just put them on a windowsill.  A grow light will encourage lots of leaf growth and a good thick base.

Once it warms up enough to move them outside, where do you plan to put them?  if you have a balcony, I'd recommend putting your plants in 3 - 5 gallon plastic pots.  A friend of mind had really good success with tomato plants in pots on her balcony last year.  Make sure you put them in a place that will get the most amount of sun possible.  And good luck!
 
     Definitely try it! If you're starting chinenses (habaneros, superhots…) start them asap - they grow slowly at first and need a big head start. 
     With so few plants, you'll want to be very sure you're growing something that you know you'll like. And try to find a very heavy-producing variety. Also read up on soil mixes for containers (I'm guessing that's how you'll grow). Theres a great thread about that on this site.
     What you're doing is exactly what I did two years ago. I only had 4 plants, each in a 5gallon bucket - two Caribbean red habs, one jalapeño and one anaheim. It was a good grow, but it would've been SOOOO much more productive if I had known then what I do now. 
     Plan on putting them outside permanently (in their final pots) when nighttime temps stop dropping below 50 or 55F. Make sure you read up on "hardening off" - start exposing them to outdoor sun and wind in small doses long before they go outside for good.
     Good luck! You're in the right place to start growing peppers.
 
     Keep in mind if you don't think you have the time or money to germinate your own, you can buy seedlings from several members here. This will take out a lot of the hassle and expense of a first time grow, so you can concentrate more on soil, containers etc. right now.
 
 

Dykealiscious said:
asdfasdf
Click to expand...
 
don't take em outside till the last freeze. You can start asap.
 
If you're only doing 3 or 4 here is my suggestion.
1. "Grow room" Get a carboard box for free somwhere. Line the inside with alum foil trying not to create creases.
Camping_Oven.JPG

2. light do you have a desklamp? Or you can buy a cheap clamp lamp.
    Now buy a Daylight CFL bulb linky
3. containers put plants in cups of some kind, solo cups are popular(have to poke a couple holes in the bottom)
4. soil get some miracle grow or whatever else you can find
5. water water them every couple days from the tap, letting the soil dry between watering
 
 
 
when you are ready to put them outside pot them into 3-10 gal containers (5gal is popular) Walmart fabric bags are 50 cents and are close enough.
 
OKGrowin said:
 
 
5. water water them every couple days from the tap, letting the soil dry between watering
 
Click to expand...
     Just don't ever let them dry out at all when they are germinating. If they dry out soon after sprouting, they will die in the blink of an eye! A little plastic wrap over the top of your pot will help regulate soil moisture, as well as keep the soil warmer. 
     After they've popped out of the ground, however, letting them dry out is good for the plants and GREATLY reduces the chance of disease.
 
turbo said:
Here is what I'd recommend.  First off, get those seeds in the dirt now!  Seattle has a pretty short growing season, so you need to get those plants going early.  I planted mine in early Jan, and a lot of people plant in Dec.  You still have plenty of time, but the sooner the better.  Second, unless you keep your appt pretty warm you'll probably want to get a small germination heat mat.  They are useful for heating the soil temp 10 - 20 degrees above room temp.  You can get small'ish ones at almost any plant nursery.  Because its always cloudy out in the late winter/early spring, you probably wont get enough sun if you put your plants on a windowsill.  So you'll probably want to get a grow light.  I also have indoor space restrictions, so I got a 2 foot, 4 bulb florescent grow light.  So far its been working really well and my plants are very happy (checkout my glog to see my indoor setup).  You don't absolutely need a grow light, but peppers often grow tall, thin and with fewer leaves (kind'a sickly looking) if you just put them on a windowsill.  A grow light will encourage lots of leaf growth and a good thick base.
 
Click to expand...
 
I happen to be growing my plants in a stealth grow box and a bunch of plants to give away to friends in a window. I took pics of both, so you will have to thumb through them to see the comparison, but look at my photobucket on the hot pepper, you will see exactly what Turbo said to be 100% true.
 
Here is the Photobucket. I update this about once a week, same link, new updates here and there.
http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mrgrowguy/library/Ultra%20Peppers
 
 
 
 
And here is a link to the Youtube vid I posted earlier in this forum, I am posting it again because it shows an idea for a very small indoor "stealth" setup. I used an old dresser and gutted it, used hte drawer faces and attached them to a solid backing and threw some hinges in there:
http://youtu.be/tUyn4h8ObZ4
 
Obviously the bear that got dash2's peppers was not Bear That Guy!   Bear That Guy can handle his peppers! ;)  (THP joke)
 
 
 
dykealicious, 
megahot  is in Seattle and has a glog http://thehotpepper.com/topic/42533-megas-13-14-indooroutdoor-jigsaw-grow/?hl=megahot#entry893522
PaulG is in Portland OR and has a glog.
Super Hots Canada is in Nova Scotia with a glog 
 
You can find their glogs (grow blogs) in the Growing Hot Peppers section.
 
 
Perusing some of those will give you some good insight as to when the plant out, etc. 
 
Oklahoma and the others are right, you gotta go for it!
 
For what little it's worth, this Noob is having good success with a few CFL bulbs warming, germinating, and lighting a dozen+ seedlings sitting in a cooler.  See the 'Ghetto' thread ( http://thehotpepper.com/topic/26985-show-us-your-ghetto-growing-gear/ ) for pics of this and similar quick-and-dirty setups that work.  The plants take a while to really get going; I don't think it's 'too early' to get those suckers in the ground.  What varieties are you looking to grow?
 
turbo said:
Hey there, I'm also here in (not so) sunny Seattle.  I would think what your proposing is totally doable, though you'll probably need to get some extra gear for light and heat requirements.  The biggest things you'll fight with here in Seattle is a lack of light and heat.  

Here is what I'd recommend.  First off, get those seeds in the dirt now!  Seattle has a pretty short growing season, so you need to get those plants going early.  I planted mine in early Jan, and a lot of people plant in Dec.  You still have plenty of time, but the sooner the better.  Second, unless you keep your appt pretty warm you'll probably want to get a small germination heat mat.  They are useful for heating the soil temp 10 - 20 degrees above room temp.  You can get small'ish ones at almost any plant nursery.  Because its always cloudy out in the late winter/early spring, you probably wont get enough sun if you put your plants on a windowsill.  So you'll probably want to get a grow light.  I also have indoor space restrictions, so I got a 2 foot, 4 bulb florescent grow light.  So far its been working really well and my plants are very happy (checkout my glog to see my indoor setup).  You don't absolutely need a grow light, but peppers often grow tall, thin and with fewer leaves (kind'a sickly looking) if you just put them on a windowsill.  A grow light will encourage lots of leaf growth and a good thick base.

Once it warms up enough to move them outside, where do you plan to put them?  if you have a balcony, I'd recommend putting your plants in 3 - 5 gallon plastic pots.  A friend of mind had really good success with tomato plants in pots on her balcony last year.  Make sure you put them in a place that will get the most amount of sun possible.  And good luck!
Click to expand...
Well, here's the problem....I literally have zero space for equipment. I'd explain but you'll just have to take my word for it. 3 humans, 2 animals, tiny place, furniture, 1950's windows that mold (stupid landlord). 
 
SOOOOO, here's what I came up with...I have a friend who is a master gardener in Woodinville and she just built a greenhouse on her property and bought a heat mat for sprouting....not only did I give her my seeds, but I bought a bunch more from Joes: caroline reaper, yellow devil's tongue, butch T, and chocolate fatalli. Problem solved. She's going to do it for me!!!!!!!!!!!!
OKGrowin said:
 
 
 
 
don't take em outside till the last freeze. You can start asap.
 
If you're only doing 3 or 4 here is my suggestion.
1. "Grow room" Get a carboard box for free somwhere. Line the inside with alum foil trying not to create creases.
2. light do you have a desklamp? Or you can buy a cheap clamp lamp.
    Now buy a Daylight CFL bulb linky
3. containers put plants in cups of some kind, solo cups are popular(have to poke a couple holes in the bottom)
4. soil get some miracle grow or whatever else you can find
5. water water them every couple days from the tap, letting the soil dry between watering
 
 
 
when you are ready to put them outside pot them into 3-10 gal containers (5gal is popular) Walmart fabric bags are 50 cents and are close enough.
 
Click to expand...
Now this I might actually be able to do...A box under the dining table (which is in our living room due to the small apartment) might actually work with a little lamp. My friend is growing them for me at this point, but I'd like to give this a fair shake for me as well.
mrgrowguy said:
 
I happen to be growing my plants in a stealth grow box and a bunch of plants to give away to friends in a window. I took pics of both, so you will have to thumb through them to see the comparison, but look at my photobucket on the hot pepper, you will see exactly what Turbo said to be 100% true.
 
Here is the Photobucket. I update this about once a week, same link, new updates here and there.
http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mrgrowguy/library/Ultra%20Peppers
 
 
 
 
And here is a link to the Youtube vid I posted earlier in this forum, I am posting it again because it shows an idea for a very small indoor "stealth" setup. I used an old dresser and gutted it, used hte drawer faces and attached them to a solid backing and threw some hinges in there:
Click to expand...
Sadly that's even too big for my place. BUT, nice setup. I'm very jealous. 
Thanks to everyone. I will give that little aluminum foil box a try when my seeds arrive that I just ordered, but otherwise, since I was offered a space at my friend's greenhouse, I think I can sit back and afford to be a bit lazy about it now. Seriously, I can't tell you how terrible the room situation is at my place. Between layout and the worry about mold, etc. I mean it's not a sh!t hole but there's just no place to put anything, no storage, nada.
 
I'll keep you posted with the greenhouse issue. :)
 
That's awesome news that you have a friend that can give you greenhouse space!  Once they are big enough and mature enough to go outside, you might look into putting some of them in a P-Patch community garden.  I know that Seattle has several of these around the area. 
 
Check out this link for a list of locations: https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/
 
That's great that you got that greenhouse space!  It's always exciting to get the Babies growing. 
 
 
here's a great link for Bonchi's-
http://www.fatalii.net/Bonsai_Chiles_Bonchi
and there's a thread on here about bonchis also. 
 
turbo said:
That's awesome news that you have a friend that can give you greenhouse space!  Once they are big enough and mature enough to go outside, you might look into putting some of them in a P-Patch community garden.  I know that Seattle has several of these around the area. 
 
Check out this link for a list of locations: https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/
Click to expand...
She runs a Ppatch too!!! Alas, the waiting list for the Ppatches is ridiculous. Great idea though! I think when a couple mature I'm taking them home for my deck to see how that goes.
salsalady said:
That's great that you got that greenhouse space!  It's always exciting to get the Babies growing. 
 
 
here's a great link for Bonchi's-
http://www.fatalii.net/Bonsai_Chiles_Bonchi
and there's a thread on here about bonchis also. 
Click to expand...
I freaking love this idea!
 
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