Topic: Chilli growing time!

[noble ox]

Hi Martin,

What is this myth about drying out seeds in the airing cupboard? Just put them in some paper towel in a bowl and put them on the window ledge.

I don't even bother drying mine out, I just remove them sometimes from the chilli and pop them straight into the compost

Hi 976bar

Is this method of cutting chillis open and planting a certainty, i'm up for cutting one of my finger chillis open but as it takes 2-3 weeks to appear I'll be gutted if nothing happpens

W

While nothing is a certainty in this game, I do it all the time with all sorts of seeds gifted from produce I've bought, and can confirm that it does work. And on the occasions when it doesn't, it hasn't cost you anything other than around a week of time waiting to see if they sprout. (I'd recommend planting 3 seeds per pot to give yourself the best chance. You can always thin out if they all sprout.)

Nature is a wonderful thing. In 2010, for instance, I chucked some rotting supermarket tomatoes into my compost bin, and in 2011 worked the compost into my raised beds. A few weeks later what I thought were strange-looking weeds started appearing everywhere, and as it transpired their distinct tomato plant appearance was entirely due to the fact that they were, in fact, tomato plants, which had sprouted from those rotting supermarket tomatoes. I let a handful of them do their own thing, and they turned out really well.

Previously I'd gone to all the trouble of scooping tomato seeds out of the flesh, painstakingly separating them and placing them carefully on blotting paper to dry out.

Now I don't bother - just scoop a few out with a teaspoon and whack them in some compost and let them get on with it.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Gary

 

Hi Gary
Yes its very rewarding harvesting seeds from bought produce, often they will all germinate the problem is with the fruiting, very frustating after waiting 8 months and no chillies.The way to avoid this is to buy a packet of seeds named but not a hybrid then save and use them every year
 I have been using tobasco seeds from 1 packet for some 25 years no problems
hope this is of some use

[Salvador Dhali]

Hi Martin,

What is this myth about drying out seeds in the airing cupboard? Just put them in some paper towel in a bowl and put them on the window ledge.

I don't even bother drying mine out, I just remove them sometimes from the chilli and pop them straight into the compost

Hi 976bar

Is this method of cutting chillis open and planting a certainty, i'm up for cutting one of my finger chillis open but as it takes 2-3 weeks to appear I'll be gutted if nothing happpens

W

While nothing is a certainty in this game, I do it all the time with all sorts of seeds gifted from produce I've bought, and can confirm that it does work. And on the occasions when it doesn't, it hasn't cost you anything other than around a week of time waiting to see if they sprout. (I'd recommend planting 3 seeds per pot to give yourself the best chance. You can always thin out if they all sprout.)

Nature is a wonderful thing. In 2010, for instance, I chucked some rotting supermarket tomatoes into my compost bin, and in 2011 worked the compost into my raised beds. A few weeks later what I thought were strange-looking weeds started appearing everywhere, and as it transpired their distinct tomato plant appearance was entirely due to the fact that they were, in fact, tomato plants, which had sprouted from those rotting supermarket tomatoes. I let a handful of them do their own thing, and they turned out really well.

Previously I'd gone to all the trouble of scooping tomato seeds out of the flesh, painstakingly separating them and placing them carefully on blotting paper to dry out.

Now I don't bother - just scoop a few out with a teaspoon and whack them in some compost and let them get on with it.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Gary

 

Hi Gary
Yes its very rewarding harvesting seeds from bought produce, often they will all germinate the problem is with the fruiting, very frustating after waiting 8 months and no chillies.The way to avoid this is to buy a packet of seeds named but not a hybrid then save and use them every year
 I have been using tobasco seeds from 1 packet for some 25 years no problems
hope this is of some use

Top advice indeed (and it sounds like you and I have been doing this for about the same length of time).

I've been pretty lucky to date with fruiting (more luck than judgement), but as you say you can't be certain which produce has had the Monsanto touch, so best to be on the safe side - especially when starting out.

If you've got room, I guess a safe way to proceed would to be to plant some bought seeds to be assured of a crop, but also a few taken from fresh or dried chillies to grow alongside to see how they get on. If they work, then harvest the seed for next year.

I've just loaded the propagator with some finger chilli seeds from a few chillies I begged from my local restaurant, along with some Kashmiri, habanero, cherry bomb, jalapeno, poblano, lada api (a chilli from Borneo I've not tried before) and a few others.

Now the wait....





 

[noble ox]

Hi Martin,

What is this myth about drying out seeds in the airing cupboard? Just put them in some paper towel in a bowl and put them on the window ledge.

I don't even bother drying mine out, I just remove them sometimes from the chilli and pop them straight into the compost

Hi 976bar

Is this method of cutting chillis open and planting a certainty, i'm up for cutting one of my finger chillis open but as it takes 2-3 weeks to appear I'll be gutted if nothing happpens

W

While nothing is a certainty in this game, I do it all the time with all sorts of seeds gifted from produce I've bought, and can confirm that it does work. And on the occasions when it doesn't, it hasn't cost you anything other than around a week of time waiting to see if they sprout. (I'd recommend planting 3 seeds per pot to give yourself the best chance. You can always thin out if they all sprout.)

Nature is a wonderful thing. In 2010, for instance, I chucked some rotting supermarket tomatoes into my compost bin, and in 2011 worked the compost into my raised beds. A few weeks later what I thought were strange-looking weeds started appearing everywhere, and as it transpired their distinct tomato plant appearance was entirely due to the fact that they were, in fact, tomato plants, which had sprouted from those rotting supermarket tomatoes. I let a handful of them do their own thing, and they turned out really well.

Previously I'd gone to all the trouble of scooping tomato seeds out of the flesh, painstakingly separating them and placing them carefully on blotting paper to dry out.

Now I don't bother - just scoop a few out with a teaspoon and whack them in some compost and let them get on with it.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Gary

 

Hi Gary
Yes its very rewarding harvesting seeds from bought produce, often they will all germinate the problem is with the fruiting, very frustating after waiting 8 months and no chillies.The way to avoid this is to buy a packet of seeds named but not a hybrid then save and use them every year
 I have been using tobasco seeds from 1 packet for some 25 years no problems
hope this is of some use

Top advice indeed (and it sounds like you and I have been doing this for about the same length of time).

I've been pretty lucky to date with fruiting (more luck than judgement), but as you say you can't be certain which produce has had the Monsanto touch, so best to be on the safe side - especially when starting out.

If you've got room, I guess a safe way to proceed would to be to plant some bought seeds to be assured of a crop, but also a few taken from fresh or dried chillies to grow alongside to see how they get on. If they work, then harvest the seed for next year.

I've just loaded the propagator with some finger chilli seeds from a few chillies I begged from my local restaurant, along with some Kashmiri, habanero, cherry bomb, jalapeno, poblano, lada api (a chilli from Borneo I've not tried before) and a few others.

Now the wait....

I agree with all you say there start easy then experiment

It is the same with tomatoes If you choose seeds  for flavour there are some excellent varieties compared with the commercial tasteless objects.

[mr.mojorisin]

I used to put seeds into wet cotton wool to let them sprout first before planting into soil

ok, this was back in the day and the seeds were marijuana but a seed's a seed and the process is the same...?? right??

[976bar]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone earlier in the day, it was not intentional in any way...

All I will say is, take a look at nature. Birds and rodents alike, crack open pods and carry seeds for miles, and drop them, the seeds work their way into the ground and before you know it, a plant has sprouted.... Take a look around you the next time you go for a walk in the woods or even on the way to your local shops. Do you think all those trees and plants were planted by a human being?

We all know this is natures route, but it's not difficult to imagine that cutting open a chilli or a pepper and scooping out the seeds and popping them into some compost is rocket science... it works...

But as said earlier, if those seeds do fail, just like any shop/online bought seeds can fail too, no matter what method you use to germinate them, at least the ones you got from the pods you bought in the supermarket have'nt cost you much in revenue....

But you could also reap the rewards as I have for many years

[loveitspicy]

Hey Terramamba
great link to the South Devon Chili Farm and their products - the chilies must grow really well there.

best, Rich

[Terramamba]

Hey Terramamba
great link to the South Devon Chili Farm and their products - the chilies must grow really well there.

best, Rich

Hi Rich,

Great place to visit and yes with plenty of sunshine and the chillies under polytunnels they do very well there.  ;D

I was amazed at the variety of plants, and the people who run it are very enthusiastic about chilies, as you would expect!

All the best,
Colette  ;D

[Les]

Hi Les
Its not a case of opinions when it comes to scientific facts re growing things
Lots of things work but to me its a case of the best ways for better results and passing them on
Les

[/quote]

I hear what your saying my friend,
In the early 90s I attended a Horticultural collage for my NVQ level2, and some of the things I see today as regards to seeds and plants make me wonder how we ever get things to grow, But we do, So it does make me wonder if we where taught the right things at collage way back then and was it really necessary, Like the guy's on here now that just throw in a hand full of seeds from fresh chillies, we would never have been allowed to do that. we had to check the seeds first to see if they where viable or not, so as not to plant seeds that wont grow, which is obviously a waste of time, But as I said Times change

Les

[976bar]

Hi Les,

I do get some seeds that won't grow, that's why I always put more in than I need. If they do all come through and one or two years they have, I end up with an abundance of plants and usually just give some away to friends and family

I wouldn't have a clue as to what to look for to see if a seed is viable or not lol...

For those of you with a sweet tooth, I'm going to post a recipe for Chilli Chocolate Truffles which are absolutely gorgeous!!

[Les]

I wouldn't have a clue as to what to look for to see if a seed is viable or not lol...

Hi 976bar
The way I was taught was
Put some water into a glass, Drop in your seeds, If they FLOAT Not Viable (air in seed)
If they SINK they are viable, then either plant them or dry them off and keep for another time, (make sure they are dry or they will rot)
It's that simple ;D
This would apply to almost any seeds.

Les