Trying to Start Green Peppers Indoors

Ginny, your kids are adorable, really. I could steal both of 'em and have four cats! Although, I am pretty sure my two would not be impressed.

Smokey and Tipper are beautiful! I love Smokey's soft-looking fur, and Tipper's nice white boots. Franklin, Sophie and Scruffy say that Smokey & Tipper can come over & play anytime.....well, okay, that's really me saying that...lol :-) Thanks for posting these pics!

Shannon

Lovely kitties Ginny. Like most of their kind it looks like they are King/Queen of their Castle. ;)

Pam

They are both very lovely cats. Looks like they both have adorable personalities. Thanks for showing them to us.

LOL...Yes, these two are definitely the rulers of this little kingdom! They make an excellent tag team too. One of them will distract me while the other one "goes for it". Then when I make a wild grab for that one the other zips right in there too. Yesterday I had to distract them with twigs to play with while I was potting up some of my seedlings or they would have chomped them all on me!

Here are 5 more pics of them that I think show more of their personalities, but they were much younger then too. This first one is of the two of them in October 2003 when Tipper was 10 weeks old and Smokey was 6 weeks old.

Now I have 4 more that show them about 5 months later, right around the 6 month mark. Here's one.

Here's number 2.

Here's the 3rd.

And here's the last one.

Oops - I just realized that maybe I should have started a new "Pets" thread or something for these. They don't really belong in a green peppers thread, unless of course you think of green pepper plants as cat food like these two do ;-) Anyway, sorry for keeping this off topic. --Ginny

not to worry about topic lines - if we ever stayed true to a thread topic for any length of time we would expire from shock (or boredom) LOL

Well, I for one, don't mind. I can't get over how beautiful their eyes are, so bright and alert. And what ever you are feeding them, sure does wonders for their gorgeous coats. Very pretty furbabies.

More on peppers--but I love your kitties, Ginny. Great eyes--with no red-eye! And such sweet expressions.

Anyhow, peppers. Sandy, on March 3 I soaked bell pepper seeds overnight, then rolled them in a dampened paper towel, in a baggie, and put them on top of the fridge. It took 8 days, but on March 11 most had sprouted. I planted them in large 6-paks. By March 13, several had popped up already. I think that's fairly good for peppers? It works well for me with tomatoes, also.

Ginny, your pics are gorgeous! Smokey and Tipper have such nice, soft-looking coats. I think you'll always find an admiring audience for them around here, no matter what the title of the thread! :-)
Have you dropped in on the Pets forum yet? There's generally lots of ooohing and aahhhhing to be had there too.

Personally I love the tangents that our threads go on.

Thanks for the paper towel advice, Rosemary. It's a great way to not use up potting space on certain seeds, until you know if they're going to germinate.

Shannon

Ginnylynn, this is your thread, you started it so you can take it anywhere you want. And I for one think that the kitties far outshine any veggies. We are mostly a pet loving lot.

Those are two gorgeous cats Ginny. They both have such lovely markings. I love the tiger stripes on Smokey. You don't really expect that on a gray and white cat. Don't worry about changing the topic. Nobody minds around here and pet pictures are always welcome. IMHO

Thanks for the tips Rosemary. I guess I shouldn't be opening up my little baggies and checking them yet eh? After all it's been all of what?....2 days?....since I put them in there. *Ü* Got any tips for starting broccoli?

Sandy

Sandy, definitely open the baggies every day--they'll go moldy if they don't get a shot of oxygen daily.

Actually, I start broccoli the same way. That's because I have my garden pretty carefully planned, as to space allotment, so I don't grow more than I need, plus a few extra for the occasional death!

I find that broccoli, cabbage, etc. start very easily and often sprout almost before I get them out of the soaking water. As each one sprouts I just pop it into a plastic cell, usually using 4 or 6-paks, and put it somewhere around 70F, not in bright sun. Within a couple of days they're germinated.

In lotus land where you are, you could probably set them out by the time they're 4-6" tall so you wouldn't need to pot up, but I pot up to 4" pots and sometimes even to 6" pots, if it's a late spring. The brassica family will take a bit of frost, if I harden the plants carefully, and once planted out (I stagger plantings of broccoli so I have it until well into September) I cover it with agricultural fleece (floating row covers) in case of a sudden drop in temperature. Probably your main concern would be slugs? A circle of ash, or a circle of a carpet underlay, helps to deter small slugs but I don't know if it would deter your giants.

Also, I grow the sprouting broccoli types, that produce more than the one head. (I don't mean the recently popular "Raab" which is grown for sprouts.) If you're growing the Paragon type, once the main head is cut off you might get some side shoots but often not enough to keep taking up space with the large plant.

I think it's terrific that you are getting into growing from seed! It is so rewarding, and you have much more choice of varieties.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures this summer of masses of beautiful blue poppies....have you planned yet where you're planting them?

Rosemary

Thanks for all the information Rosemary. I've been so busy repotting brugs into gallon pots and washing and bleaching more pots today that I haven't been on here till this evening. Also checking all my little seedlings. Some of them are getting their second leaves....not the blue poppies though. Some of them are getting a bit bigger but they're growing very slowly. Probably because they're out in the cold frame....not in the solarium where it gets up to about 30 degrees every day lately. I just opened all the little baggies with the pepper seeds in them. No sign of any germination yet but I know it's too soon. Oops, just read the above instructions again...I don't have them in a warm place. I'll have to try to find room in the tray on the heating mat tomorrow. I hope it's not too late to do that. I'll put the broccoli seeds in baggies tomorrow too. I have some Green Sprouting seed from 2001...hopefully it'll be good. During spring break I'll have to dig over my veggie plot at the Community Garden so it'll be ready for all my little seedlings.

I still have quite a few flower seeds I need to plant too. The Salvia farinacea Victoria are the seedlings that are starting to get their second set of leaves. Some of the seedlings are getting long and leggy and some aren't, yet they're under the same lights. Why is that and will the long, leggy ones be alright do you think?

Sandy

Sandy--if you're using a heating pad, remember that seeds on paper towels will heat up faster than seedlings will! Maybe put them on top of the fridge? Not too near the back. Too hot will fry them. Really, just comfortable room temperature will probably do the trick. Peppers like slightly higher temps than brocolli for sprouting. Plant the sprouted seed in the largest of your cells, and then pot up to 4" pots when they are about 3" tall. If they are good and strong when you set them outside, they have a better chance of surviving weather extremes, critters, etc.

You'd think all those pesky seeds would react the same way, but sometimes a few go their own way...a flat of calendula is just sitting there sulking--except for 3 that are 2" tall and really spindly! (I today wiggled them out and put them into cells).

Salvia needs light to germinate, so perhaps those more eager seeds got moreI I find Salvia in general grows rather slowly. Transplant them about 5 weeks after sowing--they should be just starting their true leaves--and handle carefully.

Your community plot sounds like fun--how much room do you have? Are you going to put a flower border around it, marigolds or something? When is spring break?

Rosemary - I guess I'll just leave the pepper and broccoli seeds where they are at room temperature. There's no advantage to putting them up on top of the fridge because we have a new fridge that isn't warm on top like the old one.

You're right, the salvia is slow growing. It looks great...it's not getting long and leggy at all. It seems to be the tiny sprouts that get long and leggy like the Linaria.

Have you ever grown Cobaea scandens? I'm really having trouble with them. They sprout a root but the leaves don't seem to be able to get out of the seed casing and then they rot. I've started a second batch but I think the same thing is happening. I had the first batch inside a plastic bag but the second batch isn't because I thought maybe there was too much moisture with the first ones.

I love my plot at the Community Garden. I'm one of the original members that helped get it started about 6 years ago. It was started by the Recycling Society and I was on the Board of Directors at the time. It became a joint project with one of the churches that had quite a bit of spare land and the Regional District that put a compost demonstration garden in one quarter of the space. The soil in my plot isn't great so I've had to amend it with lots of steer manure every year. The garden gets lots of sun and we've even had enough hot days the last few years for some people to grow a few cantaloupe. Last year a couple of us tried some Baby Doll Watermelon plants. I only got one small melon but I kept the seeds so I'm going to try to start some myself this year.

I always put lots of marigolds and nasturtiums in my plot and I have a separate little flower bed along the fence near one end of the plot. The soil there is very poor though so I can't grow too much. Portulaca does well there and I have lots of volunteer white violets and viola pansies. I have put some of the compost from the demonstration garden into my plot so I have volunteers of all kinds coming up like calendula, cosmos, feverfew, lychnis coronaria, batchelor buttons, foxgloves and tons of different poppies. Last year my neighbour in the next plot gave me a single white datura that grew huge. It dropped tons of seeds so I'm sure I'll be picking those out like crazy.

This coming Friday is the last school day before spring break which is two weeks long this year. So next week I'll go up and start turning the soil over. I have a few things that I leave in over the winter like some leeks and Red Russian kale. I also have a couple of dozen garlic plants that I started last October, some asparagus that I noticed is starting to come up, a few herbs, some rhubarb and way too many strawberry plants. I'm going to be digging out most of them. Hopefully other people will take some or the church will take them and sell them at their annual garden sale that takes place in the middle of April. I'm looking forward to getting started on my plot although I don't have as much time to spend in it as I did the first few years so it gets a bit neglected.

Sandy

Sandy, I'm starting a batch of Cobaea this weekend as well - I've never tried them before, so thanks for asking the question. I hope someone has some tips.

School break is two weeks long - ! Government cutbacks, I presume?

Anyway, hope all's well,
Shannon

I haven't grown Cobaea--most climbers don't do well here because they get frosted. Do they have fat seeds, like sweet peas or dwarf morning glories? When I'm pre-sprouting those I spray them occasionally with H2O2, and then when planted, I don't cover with plastic. I grow those in soil blocks and water from the bottom. If they rot before dropping their seed casings, I wonder if they're not warm enough?

Your community plot sounds terrific--it must be huge, if you have asparagus, strawberries and rhubarb.

Sigh.. I'd forgotten what it is like to live in a climate that allows self-sowing! The only thing here that self-sows and reaches maturity is Malope. Oh, and the violas do spread.

Nasturtiums like poorish soil--have you tried the non-vining types? I collect Nasturtium seeds to make my own "capers"--I make lots of Tapenaude each year, and it uses lots of capers--an expensive proposition when buying those little jars.

I'm starting a few seeds I got in a trade. They are suppose to be stuck in the medium on their side. I gave mine a soak first in water/peroxide. They are big seeds, sort of flat, but lumpy. about the size of pumpkin seed, thick and brown.

Plumies?

Sorry, no I was still thinkin Cobaea

I forgot to say that my Community Garden plot is about 10' x 30'. I have room to grow quite a variety of things so it's pretty nice to have the plot. It only costs $20 a year.

Maybe I should try to sprout the Cobaea scandens seeds in some wet paper towel first and then peel the seed husks off, if I can, before planting them. I did plant them on their sides like the instructions said. I only have the last 4 left to try. Let me know how you make out with your seeds Shannon and Brenda. Maybe I'll wait and try whatever methods either of you have success with. I think I wet the seed starter mix with water and H2O2 but I noticed one of the roots had little worms in it. I think even though the soil starts out sterile those &^%!#@ little fungus gnats get in there and lay their eggs. Grrrrrrrr! Oh well, maybe I'll just have to add Cobaea sacandens to my list of things I can't grow from seeds along with Passiflora.

This is the first year we've had 2 weeks at spring break. I think they just decided to combine it with Easter this year and I don't really know how they got the extra 3 days to add to it. I'm sure they'll have to make them up somewhere in order to get the prescribed number of school days in there. All I know is that I'm going to really enjoy it.

Sandy

Nasturtium seed capers??? How are they in comparison to the real thing and how do you make them. You can buy the capers in a 4 litre jar quite reasonably and the 'jar' is plastic so it would ship well if you have a hankering for the real thing.

A FOUR litre jar? Wow! And they'd probably keep forever...do you get them from Costco or some such? Next question: How to find inexpensive anchovie paste!

I just drop the nasturtium seeds into boiling vinegar, and seal. One on one you might be able to tell the difference in taste but in recipes, at least my tapenaude and a couple of others, I can't. I get a kick out of using stuff from the garden that's a bit different. But I never get many...so that 4 litre jar is looking pretty good!

i get it from my italian wholesaler, don't use anchovy paste, buy the 1 pound tins of the fillets and my handy dandy cousin art does the rest am paying about $11 per pound I think but will confirm that. If you want a care package I could arrange to ship stuff.

I did my first indoor sowing of the year today. I sowed 6 tomato varieties and 3 types of peppers. I am going to try and keep records this year for the first time. Every year I wish I could remember what happend and what worked in previous years. I am always wondering when I planted what and how long it took to germinate or grow to a transplanting size. I look forward to comparing results with everyone.
Susan

Good luck with your seedlings, Susan. I decided to make up my own journal this year with all the pertinent information about planting times, firsts, etc.

Wow, those broccoli seeds sure germinated fast Rosemary. I only put them in the wet paper towel on the 17th and they're almost all sprouting. I'm off to plant them. I'm just doing a 6 pack of each kind.

Too early for broccoli for me, (scheduled for next week, and then monthly) but I've got cabbages--they did the same thing. Neat, isn't it!

I've been keeping records of all my seed-starting for about 15 years. Each entry shows how I started it, the dates and into what they get planted, TP dates, and setting out dates. I also note the first fruit or bloom. I highlight anything unusual, and also on the left note if the seeds are finished. Then at the end of the season I go through and transfer any comments to a single sheet for reference the following year.

I can't rely on that information solely for starting and setting out dates (the climate is changing so rapidly) but it gives me an idea. I might note: "Too Late , Start 2 Weeks Sooner" on something but for outdoor vegetables still have to judge by how the spring is progressing. I'm lucky in that I can just cram stuff into the greenhouse if it's too cold to set out.

And whoever said that the greenhouse is NEVER big enough, is right!

Re tomatoes: All varieties are pretty consistent in that they sprout for me in about 4 days (on paper towels) including a soaking overnight, and then germinate in another few days (in cells). I transplant them to 4" pots in about 5 weeks. Depending on variety, the first little green tomato shows in about 2 months from starting, and (on the cherries) I'm eating them in 3 months. The larger tomatoes usually take 14-16 weeks.

Rosemary

Anchovies in 1# tins? Wow! What do you use them for, Caesars? Do I remember correctly you've something to do with commercial kitchens? Of course, if I didn't have to buy them in tiny cans I'd probably eat a lot more!

Many thanks for the offer--I'll e-mail you.

Rosemary

This is Lynn's restaurant's website Rosemary: http://www.unheardof.com/ I go there only after I've eaten. ;) She is the owner and a Chef.

Ohhhh....worth a drive to Edmonton!

I'm jumping into this a bit late, but I just wanted to add a note about the peppers. One thing that works for me...when I put the peppers into the garden I make a mini greenhouse from old windows, just by staking the windows in a rectangle and I put a window on top for nights. The peppers grow huge and plentiful, and you should see the ladybugs that live in there!
Oh, I can't wait for spring, we are back into winter big time here, with snow, wind, icy roads, drifts up to our knees in places. Yuck!
Pat

I do something similar to that as well Pat.....I use a cold frame to grow my peppers and egg plants in.

edited to say it sounds like you got the storm that went through Edmonton. We've only gotten another 6 inches here.

This message was edited Mar 22, 2005 8:56 AM

It's not coming here. It's NOT coming here. It IS NOT coming here!!!

LOLOLOL.......I sent it straight to you....no SASE necessary. :)

Pat, I did the same thing, only higher, covering the top with plastic at night. It worked somewhat with tomatoes, pretty well with zucchs, not at all with beans or cord. But I never did try peppers--they're small enough that I've room for lots in the greenhouse.

Speaking of peppers, I'd read that they prefer to grow in pots--so last year I left mine in 8" pots, buried in the greenhouse beds, and had terrific crops. I think it concentrated the water, and perhaps the nutrients.