Seed Starting Alert

Well, there’s no artichokes for me this year.  I’m not sure what I did wrong in starting the seeds, I’ll need to do more research on them.   I dug them out yesterday, and the seeds look the same as when they went in- nothing going on.  They may need warmer temperatures to germinate, or they need to be scarified, because they have one hard shell!

Anyway, yesterday I started all the pepper seeds.  I’m not starting any pepper seeds for anyone this year,  yet I filled 18 little cells with pepper seeds- 13 of them with hot peppers.  I wasn’t as sparing with them this year either, in most cells I planted 3 or 4 peppers, thinking that then I can cull them to the healthiest seedlings.  But I want to ensure that I have at least one seedling from each pepper.   Here is my list of hot peppers:

  • Hungarian Hot Wax
  • Black Hungarian
  • Chile De Comida
  • Cascabella
  • Aji Cristal
  • Georgia Flame
  • Hinkelhatz
  • Maule’s Red Hot
  • Joe’s Round
  • Bulgarian Carrot
  • Serrano
  • Anaheim

Many of those are small peppers- intended for the pickle pot.  I love pickled peppers, but hate paying for them.  The rest are all different varieties of hot peppers that I cannot wait to use in salsa.   One of them is specifically a great one for drying and using as crushed red pepper- I think that’s the Georgia Flame.   This is my last year for the Chile De Comida, as I’ve had poor germination from it, and most of the rest are new to me this year.  I can’t wait! I’ll also have a few jalapeno plants coming from Minnesota.

For sweet peppers, two of them are varieties Zander wants to grow- those are the first two, the rest are pretty basic, just some bells and some minis.

  • Red Mercury
  • Yellow Belle
  • Sweet Red Stuffing Pepper
  • Sweet Yellow Stuffing Pepper
  • ACE Bell Pepper

The sweet peppers I plan to intersperse in the gardens wherever, while the hot peppers will have their own bed.

I also sowed a few more herb seeds yesterday.   I had intended to do a couple a few weeks ago, but decided to just wait until I got out the pepper seeds.   My parsley is doing well, and I actually potted that up yesterday too.  In addition to the parsley, I have these herbs now sown, and I am hopeful for good results.

  • Lovage
  • Marjoram
  • Thyme
  • Summer Savory
  • Sweet Basil
  • Genovese Basil

My lettuces are still growing like gangbusters, and I’ve harvested from the patch once already.  I added some thinnings to a salad we were having for dinner, but from the looks of things, it looks like I’m going to need to do some more harvesting quick, as the patch is bursting at the seems.

I’m just over a week away from starting tomato seeds.  I better get that grow list finished up here!

9 comments

  • My chinense still haven’t popped up, so I am soaking them right now and will plant them again once they get a real good soak in. They just don’t want to come up 🙂

    I will be planting the rest of my peppers tomorrow, and the tomatoes next weekend. The bug is back – I just want to be out in the garden petting and talking to my plants again.

  • Ben, when you plant your seeds, speak Matthew 13:8 or Mark 4:8 over them. And then when you check on them each day, do the same thing.

    I’m still working on the ideal scripture for the actual growing stage…

    Seriously. That’s the only thing I can attribute to the fact that my less-than 50% germ leeks came up in abundance.

  • Well soaking the seeds worked. Within 2 days I had 7 little sprouts coming up with my chinense pepper seeds. I can’t believe how quick those came up.

    I didn’t get a chance to plant the rest of my peppers yet, I will probably try either tonight or tomorrow night. I am going to do the same thing with those peppers, soak them for 8 hours or so before I plant them.

  • Planted the rest of my peppers last night, and had a bunch more sprout from what I planted on Monday. I have never seen peppers sprout so fast, have to remember to soak them before I plant them!

  • Hmm, do you think that would work with tomatoes too? I’ll be starting those next week. My peppers are slow to come up so far…

  • I guess it probably would, though pepper seeds are much tougher than tomato seeds. Seems like tomato seeds have germinated in 2-4 days already, not sure if I need to try and speed that up.

  • I did soak my other pepper seeds before I planted them, and lo and behold came home from work today to find that most of them were poking up through the soil.

    I am also using a dome and a heating pad for what it is worth.

    Looks like I will have to wait until late Wednesday night to start my tomato seeds, I will make a post then listing what I started.

  • Well, I’m soaking some hot pepper seeds. It’s been two weeks, and I really should have more than one seedling up. I’m going to soak them overnight and throw them under the lights tomorrow with some dirt.

    I don’t know… I know it’s warm in there, because I’m using a dome and the bili light- it’s putting out plenty of heat.

    Guess I’ll start some tomatoes while I’ve got the dirt out.

  • Planted my tomatoes tonight, scaled back a bit this year though I am planting the same number of plants in the garden. Detailed report to follow.