I live in central Florida. I have been saving all of my bell pepper seeds, because my family eats a ton of them.
I do worm composting and yard composting.
What is the best way to get the seeds to germinate? Should I plant them? Should I wrap them in wet paper towels? Should I plant them and cover them with a glass jar (would be hard to come up with enough jars)?
If you can't tell I am green thumb challenged, but I am internet savvy. I am hoping to borrow enough knowledge to put a dent in my Bell Pepper family budget by learning how to grow a ton of them for us. We are also trying some other seeds that we bought and I am just planting all of them in cups with worm compost and following the instructions on the packages.
I only own an 1/8 of an acre, so some general gardening tips would be appreciated as well.
Thank you,
-Sam
Thank you nes for the water bottle tip.
I have been told that the cover creates a greenhouse effect and keeps the moisture in. I wonder though, does the plant suffocate if you leave it on too long?
Any tips on the greenhouse effect would be great too. Maximizing the humidity without killing the plants.
I have been told that the cover creates a greenhouse effect and keeps the moisture in. I wonder though, does the plant suffocate if you leave it on too long?
Any tips on the greenhouse effect would be great too. Maximizing the humidity without killing the plants.
I think the bigger issue is baking the tiny plants if it gets too warm. That's why I use the top part of the water bottles, so I have a cap to undo when the weather is not quite warm enough but still too cool.
[img]https://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu269/knitness/Garden/DSC_0023.jpg[/img]
(Cauliflower)
[img]https://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu269/knitness/Garden/DSC_0023.jpg[/img]
(Cauliflower)
- tn_veggie_gardner
- Senior Member
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:49 pm
- Location: Hermitage, TN.
- Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
- Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
I am trying your method. I have one batch of seeds in wet paper towel, in a ziplock bag, in a dark place and I set my blackberry calendar for a week so I don't forget to check them.malkore wrote:I've had luck with all sweet and hot pepper varieties by putting them in a wet paper towel in a warmish area for a good week til they start to sprout. then I know which seeds are good, and those go into starter pots/peat pots/whatever you're using.
I have also put some in the ground. I wish I had marked it on the calendar, so I knew how long ago, but I don't have any sprouts yet. I did 7 plants last year and only one made it and gave me two peppers one orange and the other red..tn_veggie_gardner wrote:I don't ever feel a need to soak my bell pepper seeds. I simply sow them in a peat pellet or some type of seed starting mix in a coir pot. I will keep them in dark until they germinate, then move to a sunny window or whatever.
For the green vs. mature statement. I will tell you that we always eat yellow and red peppers so those are the seeds we are using. I ask my wife to buy green because they are cheaper, but like many things she doesn't listen to me.
I planted mine no more than 1/2" deep in the worm casting/compost/soil/peat/perlite mix. I watered them pretty good and left them covered. The humidity stayed pretty consistant in there and no need to water them beyond that (ensure that if in a tray, there is water on the bottom of the tray).
About 8-10 days later, I noticed some of them sprouting so I removed the cover.
They all followed suit soon there after (bananas, bells, cayenne, jalepenos, etc).
About 8-10 days later, I noticed some of them sprouting so I removed the cover.
They all followed suit soon there after (bananas, bells, cayenne, jalepenos, etc).