Peppers and Patience

I always get frustrated because it seems to take forever for most types of peppers to germinate . All the tomatoes have germinated and are doing well , but the only peppers that have shown any progress are the Serranos . So far there are 5 of 6 cells showing some green . Anaheims never did germinate last year , this year the seed is from a different source but still haven't germinated . Sweet peppers and Jalapenos were planted a couple of days later , they're not showing signs yet either . I guess I should just hang in there , it's only been 9 days and I know they can be slow . Patience may well be a virtue , but it ain't one of mine !

Reply to
Terry Coombs
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I had the same problem last year, so I've been doing a bit of study. Growing/starting hints:

1)Peppers need bottom heat to sprout, soil temps above 75f are required. 2)Sphagnum peat causes germination issues. 3)The hotter the pepper, the longer it takes to germinate.

Good luck, Steve

Reply to
Steve Peek

Well , I have no heat under the shalf , but it is close to our wood burning stove , the warmest part of the room . I try to maintain 76? - 80? average room temperature so that shouldn't be a problem . I'm using potting soil in toilet paper tube halves , no moss AFAIK . The Serranos are now 6 for 6 , I just need to be patient and wait for the rest . I think the jalapenos are probably the hottest , we're more after flavor than heat .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

I just made a small shelf above and near the stove to set the pepper trays on . Will be looking for germination soon ...

Reply to
Terry Coombs

The top of the fridge works well if you can get the light there.

Reply to
Steve Peek

Our refrigerator is built in to the camper ... the wife has a chunk of money that will be available in August . That money will be enough to get the kitchen framed up and dried in .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Reply to
George Shirley

hey all I'm new to the group, posting from 6000 ft. elevation in southern Utah. Thi s is our weekend to start seeds, and I want it to work this time. I've trie d a lot of little kits and trays but never a heat light or mat, whatever I get needs to pay for itself vs. buying starts at our local nursery (and res ult in plants as big as theirs, but sooner!) Do you have a seed heating mat you love or a starting medium that's superior? How about ways to rig your own, on the cheap? Any advice appreciated thanks

Reply to
Michael Evangelista

A decent grow light is fairly affordable and essential. For a heat pad you can use an regular heat pad that is adjustable but you will need something inflammable sitting atop it to keep from cooking your seedlings. The heat pad I have is intended for growing seedlings and is made of a heavy rubber or plastic cover and has a wire stand. Have had mine for years so don't remember what I paid for it. Take a look on the web and you will see many sorts of grow lights and heat pads.

Reply to
George Shirley

He could also try a light bulb under whatever sheld he's using as a germination station . Distance and wattage will give control over how hot things get . So far I've got serranos and bell peppers to germinate , still trying for the anaheims and jalapenos . I WILL NOT let them l'il SOB's defeat me two years in a row , they will germinate or else !!

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Being in Texas it is easy to go to one of the many garden centers here and buy chile plants from everywhere. One of my favorite poblano types is "Carmen," ripens bright red, is mild in taste, thick walled, and delicious. Even the big box stores like Lowe's carry Carmen.

Years ago I used to start all my own seed and traded chili seeds all over the world. One of my favorites came from a fellow in Bulgaria and I lost it one odd spring when a frost hit and had kept no seeds that year. Can't even remember the name now. Another favorite I traded for is Aji Limon de Peru, a flat, bright yellow, very spicy chili, still have some seed from that one and it is now available state side. Burned out on the hot stuff several years ago and now am only eating sissy chiles.

Reply to
George Shirley

I never really got past the "sissy chiles" . Jalapenos is about as hot as I like - though pickled cayennes are quite tasty too . That was tasty , believe I'll have another ! Those have been in the refr since mid-September , and they're good ! Too bad cayennes aren't on the list this year - I had 4 VERY productive plants last year and now have a 3 year supply of dried cayennes . So does my neighbor ... The reason for the serrano and anaheim peppers is chile rellenos , a dish I've had in several Mexicam restaurants and think I can do better . They cheap out on the stuffing ... and they use smaller peppers .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

See if you can get some Carmen seed, they make really nice rellenos as do the Giant Marconi, somewhat thicker walls than real poblanos. I just can't handle the really spicy stuff anymore, guess eating so much hot stuff over 60 or 70 years gets to your stomach lining. I do like Tiger Sauce, Pic a Peppa, and Louisiana hot sauce in smaller bits though. I never order chile rellenos unless I know the restaurant and how they make them. We have about seven Mexican restaurants within a two mile radius of us, two of them are really good, five of them are really terrible. We lived in Corpus Christi, TX for a few years while I was in the oil patch, had some really, really good Tex Mex restaurants there.

Reply to
George Shirley

I make a killer Mexican pickled vegetable mix, but Jalapeno is as hot as I go for those. The goal this year is to grow everything that goes in the mix , the big question mark is how to have cauliflower ready at the same time a s the carrots and jalapenos...we'll see, there's always the produce section to back me up.

Last year I made a really pretty bright orange hot pepper sauce, it started out as 4 quarts of pepper puree and ended up as less than 1 quart cooked d own. Seeking the perfect pepper blend this summer.

I'll look for Carmen peppers, also interested in anything near jalapeno hea t level (i.e. you can actually eat the things) but maybe larger, less proce ssing etc when I make my pepper sauce.

thanks for all the tips, great to have found this fun group.

Reply to
Michael Evangelista

I got a heat mat from amazon , comes with a little plastic starter dome tha t will probably last one or two seasons, but together less than a similar m at alone. Now comes the question of light.

My workbench has a regular shop florescent fixture about 5 feet above the w ork surface. It is fixed (can't lower it) but I could hang a separate light below it, or swap out the tubes for super-UV or whatever bulbs you use, if it would work from that height. It is also next to a window, which will ad d some ambient but not direct sunlight during the day.

Reply to
Michael Evangelista

I used two different tubes for my grow light set up. One was Full Spectrum, the other was "Instant Sun," mimicked exactly the spectrum of true sunshine. Worked well for several years and then we moved and are now just using a screw in grow light in a clip on medium base fixture. No longer have a 17X27 foot garden but just three raised beds, one 4X16 feet, two 4X8 feet. Had a nearly 14K lot in the old house, have a 6500 square foot property here with a 1960 square foot house, driveway, sidewalk, etc. Downsizing of a sort I guess.

I miss the soil of the old place, spent 22 years amending that garden. Plus we had a large fig tree, a large kumquat tree, several blueberry plants, a Japanese persimmon, and, until the peach borer's got it, a nice peach tree. Our best tree was huge cherrybark oak, nine feet in diameter at three feet above the ground. Beautiful shade tree and never dropped an acorn. Had a 400 year old white oak in front but Hurricane Rita ate that one. Nice old neighborhood, bunch of old people like us with a scattering of young families, close to supermarket, hospital, church, all the fast food joints for when you didn't want to cook, and a few very good restaurants. All in a 12K population small town in rural Louisiana. Ran my own consulting business for seventeen of those years right out of the spare bedroom. I miss it since I retired completely in

2007.

I guess gardening keeps you young to a certain extent. Someone will probably find me slumped over my shovel one day with a smile on my face and the sun shining on me.

Reply to
George Shirley

There are worse ways to go ... I realized the other day that my garden is bigger than my "house" ... at just over 1,000 SF .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Then you're doing it right.

I just bought a food preservation book for my middle grandson, now 32 years old with a wife and two kids. Lad is an elevator repairman. Taught him to fish when he was about three years old, he took up fishing on his own, I coached him on hunting and he took his first white tail this past season. Helped him with his first raised bed garden and share seeds and starts with him. He's teaching his two boys all those things now. Already have him started on vacuum packaging excess vegetables and meat, now is about time to start him on both pressure canning and boiling water bath canning so therefore a starter book. Notation inside cover by me: Those who grow, catch, or hunt for their food will never go hungry. I'm pretty sure he will get the message. Either that or I will quit loaning him my power tools.

When we married 54 years ago I never thought I would be the patriarch of a large family. Two children, five grandchildren, six great grandchildren, all pretty good people. The two kids both garden, one fishes, only one grandchild gardens, fishes and hunts. Greats are still a bit young but eldest great grandson, now eleven, got his first whitetail while out with his Dad. Can be sure he has the fever now.

72F here today at high noon, expecting more tomorrow. Reckon I will build that raised bed for the blueberries tomorrow.

Life is good.

Reply to
George Shirley

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