seeds Using seeds from store-bought dried chiles

[Avon Barksdale]

Does anyone here do this? It seems like a very cheap and easy way to get seeds, plus I already have a lot of dried chiles that I would like to grow next year, such as morita (jalapeno), ancho (poblano), guajillo, pequin, thai, japones, pasilla, etc. I get these for $1-2 a bag at Mexican/Asian stores and could probably get 100+ seeds from each bag.

Just to see what would happen and get a little practice with seedlings I put about 7-8 poblano seeds in a cup with some dirt and water and left it on a table outside. After about 5 days a couple had sprouted and after about a week I had probably 5-6 little seedlings that looked very healthy. I didn't count but I must have had at least 75% germination without even trying. What are the drawbacks? What are the odds these seeds are cross-pollinated? I would imagine they're grown in big, uniform fields so the odds of cross-pollination would be low. I did the same for the other varieties I had but only a few days ago so I'll have to wait to see how well they germinate.

 

[Burning Colon]

I've purchased fresh then seeded habanero and fresno. I have several plants from them and the fresno's have pods and are about a foot in height, the habs are still quite small.

 

[Silver_Surfer]

What are the drawbacks? What are the odds these seeds are cross-pollinated?.

Cross pollination probably isn't a big concern, but if the farmer used hybrid seed your saved seed will not grow true. All you can do is grow them and see, but seeds for the varieties you mentioned are pretty easily obtained and you have to weigh that against the time and effort involved to bring a plant to maturity only to discover it's not what you expected. OTOH, you might get a pleasant surprise and find the plant produced worthwhile.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

I suppose I should try it a few out and see how they go. If one of the piquins sprouts I'll probably try keep it as an indoor plant this winter.

Burning Colon, do you think the plants are growing more slowly than seeds from a packet would? Did you dry them out and wait a few months or just germinate them fresh?

 

[Burning Colon]

Avon, try out a few seeds what do you have to lose?
For the habs, both package and fresh seed are slow (all my chinense are slow), I don't have packaged fresno to compare growth rates.
The fresno was actually in the freezer, it was there for at least 2-3 years then I decided to get rid of it and tossed it into a stew. I only let the fresno dry for a couple of hours before dropping them into soil and about a dozen plants popped up.
The hab seeds were dried for about a month as once I removed the fresno seedlings into their own pots I got this wonderful idea - let's try the habs ..... didn't have the same luck, I think three sprouted(randomly) and then again about another appeared a few weeks ago, it is now in its own container and under my grow lights.... let me look..... it now has its second set of leaves ... better yet heres's a pic:

the back plants are left, a purchased habanero(home depot) and right is one of the smallest fresno.
the middle row, left golden bullet hab(package), middle grocery hab, right grocery hab.
the front row, golden bullet hab(package), then ignore the right, front, back plants as they are cherry tomotoes, but the small litte plant is the newly sprouted hab (around it is a magnet - I am trying voodoo gardening).