[SOLVED] ping songbird: how may pepper seeds?

[T]

Hi Songbird,

I painstakingly collected seeds from my Anaheim (California) peppers last fall. I followed collection your directions.

It is getting close to planting. I have to risk the freezes and the hatching earwigs. Too soon the get frostbite; too late they get eaten.

How many seeds would you plant per hole? I do five with zucchini, but how many for hot peppers?

Would you add a bit of organic fertilizer, or wait for them to grow a bit first?

Many thanks,

-T

[songbird]

i'm not a pepper expert. :) they are warm weather plants so you can't plant them outside into cold ground or chances of cold weather at all.

start them early in pots indoors in a place where the soil will be kept warm. that is about all i know about starting them aside from the common sense that you don't want them to be completely dried out.

organic fertilizer is usually weak so perhaps ok but to my habits i never fertilize anything until it is actively growing unless i'm amending the garden for some specific plants like tomatoes and onions which don't mind more nutrients.

songbird

[T]

Thank you!

[T]

How many seeds per pot?

[songbird]

3-4, how many plants you want?

warm soil temperature is really important for peppers 80-85F.

songbird

[T]

I have the seeds. You gave me beautiful instructions on how to harvest them.

I am well aware that they may fail because of the cold. If I wait too long, earwigs will eat the sprouts.

I would try them indoors, but my wife is allergic to soil (mold allergy). Worst come to worst, I will have to buy them from Bonnie from Wally World.

[bill]

Me too!

[Bloke Down The Pub]

You could still plant them in pots outside, chose a sheltered position and use 2 litre soft drinks bottles with the bottoms cut off as mini green houses. Obviously use pots that will fit inside the bottles which will protect the soil as well as the plants.

Mike

[T]

Thank you!

Do they protect against the freeze?

Do you need t open them up in the day to let new air in and respiration out?

[songbird]

i don't recommend this sort of thing for someone who's not around frequenly enough to keep track of conditions.

you can fry, freeze or dry out a plant too easily left out, it's much better to do things in a more controlled area until the weather outside gets at least warm enough to make sure you're not freezing the plants and you have enough roots in the ground to provide a moisture buffer for drying out and also the thermal mass which keeps things at least a bit more stable.

a plant in a pot with a cover over it, you can do that for some plants, in dappled light and under trees and such, but once there is direct light that can get way too hot too quickly.

i just know that some people are not that attentive and can forget to water or check on things so ... imo better to be safer than to lose plants.

one problem i can have with some planted things in pots here are raccoons seeking food or smelling fertilizers and thinking they're food. some potting mixes have long-release fertilizers included and often that is made with fish emulsions or other stuff that smells too much like food to a raccoon.

songbird

[Bloke Down The Pub]

I agree with most things here you do need to keep them in a sheltered position possibly under a tree or the eves of the house, keeping them closed maintains the humidity and if the pots are in a container you can top the container up with water to keep the pots moist. Certainly don't try this in direct sunlight or during the summer, just imagine sitting in your car in the sunlight.

Mike

[T]

Every so often I see something about sticking some fish (Asian carp?) at the bottom of your hole and "see what happens". I can't help but think "Oh, I see something dug up all my plants with fish under it!"

:'(

The fertilizer I use, if chicken scat based.

[Snag]

Be careful T , fresh chicken shit can be very hard on your plants . I let the hay/shit from out hen house compost for at least 6 months before using it on the garden - I don't know the history of the stuff you're using so ... Rabbit shit , however , can be used right away , and has better long-term nourishment for your plants .

[T]

Ya, I have heard that several places.

I buy my chicken s*** in a bag at wally world. Organic fertilizer for tomatoes (means it has more calcium).

I have heard that goat s*** works well too.

And the freakin' neighborhood cats keep s***ing in my garden too. Time to place some toothpicks!