Trying Again

I ditched this thing for so long that it's time for seed-starting again! Ok basically, last season didn't turn out so well. I made the mistake of trying out those Topsy Turvy pepper planters, which gave me about 13 scrawny plants stuffed into 2 flimsy buckets o' dirt hanging from my porch. I only got a few teeny Gusto Purples and the Bulgarian Carrots never grew to full size or ripened. The only plus was that slugs couldn't get to the plants.


But it's a new year now, and I'm trying new techniques and new varieties. I got my seeds from fatalii.net this time! He's got a ton of very cool varieties, all grown by him. The rest of the site's got detailed growing advice. Which is great for me because I did so poorly last year. I suppose everyone else already has their own system down...
Anywho: Bolivian Rainbow
             Turbo Pube
             Aji Cristal
             Aji Amarillo
             Brown Habanero
             Black Scorpion Tongue
             Cajamarca
             Hungarian Hot Cherry

I'm using rockwool for germinating this year, and it all fits one tray up on the fridge with the heating pad. So, we'll see how it goes.

Sprouts!

Everything I've read says that peppers take at least 10-14 days to germinate. Well, looks like I've hit on something with my growing technique, because 57 plants were up on day 7. It's day 10, and I'm up to 65. It's fun to watch the leaves unfurl from the seeds. The little stem elbows pull the seeds up from the dirt and slide their leaves out of it. Now that they've hit air, everyone's off the heating pad and there are two fluorescent lamps playing sunshine for 15 hours a day. Again, I'm guessing on temperature. The thermometer's been spazzy lately. Some things just weren't made to live for 14 years, I guess. It's funny how protective you can feel of tiny little seedlings. I'm always looking to check on their leaves, their soil, and their light. 

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A stem bends up from the dirt and unfolds leaves, its seed on the end

Something very strange has been happening lately. Twice now, I've found a perfectly uprooted seedling lying in the container of another one. The first time, the two were neighbors and there was a telltale hole where the uprooted pepper had been. But the second time, it took me a while to realize where the mystery pepper belonged. Thankfully, I'd made a chart of current germination, so I found the correct empty container. Strangely, the soil was smooth and looked undisturbed. While that's explainable since I watered this morning, it still doesn't explain how the plants are uprooting and moving themselves so tidily. Any ideas?


~Allie

A Little Explaining

All of a sudden, I'm growing chile peppers. The varieties are Gusto Purple, and Bulgarian Carrot, both of which I bought from Territorial Seed Company.* When it comes to actual growing know-how, my only source so far has been thechileman.org. Bad grammar on some stuff, bad punctuation on others. But hey, they grow peppers, don't they? And that's what counts. Aside from confusion over "peat-free seed compost" (um, I think they meant "seed-starter mix?"), I'm off to a good start. 


To be honest, I should have started these babies like a month ago, but that's what "budgeting" is for, I guess. Once I finally ended up with materials. Now they're in trays of dirt, germinating. Well, that's what they're supposed to be doing, anyway. Waiting for seedlings is weirdly stressful, and there's a week and a half left until I see sprouts. Somehow it doesn't seem like covering these small seeds with some dirt and water and popping them on a heating pad will do anything. The fact that there are peppers in supermarkets should be some proof that it works, though. ^_^

Seeds in dirt on a fridge. Impressive. :)

~Allie


*My seeds happen to be some of the non-GMO varieties...