Getting Started 2017

[oakley]

Originally Posted by agee12

Here's my quandary, where to start my plants - fyi this will be my first year growing from seed. I have an unoccupied basement area that gets good sun. It does not get icebox cold but it does fall below 60 degrees, am I correct that the seedlings should be in an area that is above 60 degrees? One thought is to get some heat mats. I am low on funds - it's not that I can't afford heat mats at all, but I have to figure out everything I need to get for the upcoming season and I may not be able to afford everything so I have to prioritize.

The second option is setting up a grow area in my bedroom. The basement gets way better light so if I grow in my bedroom I will have to rig up lights. The upside to creating a grow area in my bedroom is that it will meet the temperature requirement, it will be constantly attended and I need a reason to clear things out of the room that I have no use for. The downside is the clean up part will take time, if only because I will do it it incrementally. It may be easier said than done because I will still have to move in shelves and lights, they will be shop lights. These will not be new purchases, rather things already around the house and garage. Another factor is that I know that shop lights are not that energy efficient but I don't know how inefficient they are, so it's possible that I am adding costs by an increased electricity bill.

As I write this out I am leaning towards the basement option but may work on clearing an area in my room in case we get an extended cold snap and want to move the plants to a warmer part of the house.

Only one way to find out!
Seeds are cheap. How is your stash? If you have extra seed, just give it a go. My basement is 60-62. I've got a jungle going now. Started seeds Nov 6th.
I do have a seeding heat mat and give a new tray a couple days on it. Peppers i'll start soon and they need a bit more time on the heat mat.
No need to get fancy. Start a small tray upstairs where it is warm....above the fridge?
Out of the way. Cover with saran wrap or a zip-lock loosely and check every day or so.

That will give you lots of time to figure out an inexpensive basement rig. Peppers take forever to germinate and are very slow to get going.
Dive in. Thats how we all learn.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by rdback

Nice list Salt. What popped up already? Are you done with pepper seeds for this season?

I haven't checked which ones are up yet, but I did notice the NuMex Twilight is coming up. I took the seeds directly from the pepper and planted those.

Yes, I hope I am done with planting pepper seeds for this season.

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

The ones that got planted 12-31-2016

Pepperoncini from Pisa, Italy

Did you try those last year, Salt? I had 100% germination and the plants grew like weeds --- unfortunately due to house projects I did not even get them transplanted. I still have enough seed to get them started this year so I will give it another go.

[AlittleSalt]

I didn't grow them last year. However, I just checked, and yes, the Pepperoncini from Pisa, Italy are coming up.

[AlittleSalt]

All of these are up:

Aurora
Bolivian Rainbow
Chinese 5 Color - just spouting today
Gemstone
Tabasco
NuMex Twilight

Those are planted in two 12 cell trays. There are 4 cells of each variety. They are the ones I chose as ornamentals this year.

The main 72 cell tray is around 50% up.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Well, okay pepper sauce guru then. But you have to start that sauce from somewhere.

I finally found a commercial sauce that is low enough in sodium that I can eat and cheap enough to risk trying. Its a Taco Bell red sauce. Not much flavor besides vinegar and a faint ketchup undertone but at $1.29 a bottle it is a treat. I haven't had any commercial salsa or taco sauce in 8+ years. My growing partner warned me that the non-bell peppers I planted were too hot for even himself and his family that likes spicy food.

- Lisa

I have been making my own pepper sauce for years and some of the hot peppers definitely are too hot for us. A few years back I tried a pepper called Pappadew and had the best tasting hot sauce ever and it was very mild. In fact it is now the main ingredient to all my hot sauce except vinegar sauce for greens. Every year depending upon the weather I will add or not add some hot peppers to my mix when making my sauce depending on how hot my Pappadews are that year. I have never had them get hot enough to be called hot but they sometimes will have a slight bite to them in a very hot dry year.

Bill

[dmforcier]

Peppadew™

'Discovered' in S. Africa in the '90s. I tried them a few years ago and wasn't impressed with the fresh pods, but apparently there's a market for them pickled so sauce makes sense. They will never get "hot". Try adding a small amount of something with some kick.

[adewilliams]

Hi Salt,

I'm on the border of 7b/8a and I've always started my peppers in mid February along with my tomatoes. Should I be starting them earlier,like you, since you're also in 8a? I'd love any reason to start my plants sooner! ��

[AlittleSalt]

Actually, zone 7B is near me too. I do start peppers sooner than tomatoes. I have read many times that superhot peppers need to be started at least a month before you start tomato seeds. Some superhots can take a month to germinate. (I haven't grown any myself, but that is what I've read.)

[Father'sDaughter]

I've found that super hots do often take a bit longer to germinate and they also grow very slowly. I have to start them at least a month before I start tomatoes.

And then up here, wait at least a week or two after planting out tomatoes to plant out the hot peppers.

[roper2008]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

I've found that super hots do often take a bit longer to germinate and they also grow very slowly. I have to start them at least a month before I start tomatoes.

And then up here, wait at least a week or two after planting out tomatoes to plant out the hot peppers.

I don't grow super hot peppers anymore, but when I did grow them, I started them
after Christmas to the beginning of January. I would have some ripe peppers in
June.
Right now I have two Aji Angelo's, and 3 Tepins growing. The tepin seeds I bought from
Monticello in Charlottesville when I visited last fall.

[AlittleSalt]

I promised some pictures. I also updated the list. The ones that are struck through didn't grow.

Peppers for 2017

Bell
1-2 Enjoya one plant
3-4 Keystone Giant
5-6 Margaret's Bell
7-8 Mini Bell Chocolate
9-10 Mini BellOrange
11-12 Mini Bell Red
13-14 Pinot Noir F1 one plant *Burpee
15-16 Yolo Wonder

Paprika
17-18 Alma
19-20 NuMex Garnet
21-22 Leutchauer

Chili Relleno Types
23-24 Anaheim *Burpee
25-26 Ancho San Luis
27-28 New Mexico Improved
29-30 NuMex Big Jim
31-32 NuMex Heritage 6-4
33-34 Poblano

Jalapenos
35-36 Fooled You F1 one plant
37-38 Jalapeno Grande
39-40 Mammoth Jalapeno
41-42 Purple

Hot
43-44 Serrano

Not Hot
45-46 Cheese, Orange
47-48 Cheese, Red
49-50 Pepperoncini
51-52 Pepperoncini from Pisa, Italy
53-54 Santa Fe Grande
55-56 Sheepnose Pimento
57-58 Sweet Cayenne
59-60 Topepo Rosso

Other
61-62 Aji Dulce
63-64 Aji Fantasy
65-66 Chili de Arbol
67-68 Garden Salsa F1
69-70 Guajillo
Banana 71-72 *Burpee

Ornamental
Aurora three plants
Bolivian Rainbow
Chinese 5 Color
Gemstone
Tabasco
NuMex Twilight

The ornamentals are growing in the 12 cell trays. I wish I had more of them, and need to find where to get more. The smaller trays were easier to get the starting mix warm. = much better success in germination.

[dmforcier]

They look very good!

The ones that "didn't grow", you mean that they haven't germinated? Did you plant directly into the cells? (I gather that you did.) Still early; you can re-sow.

[AlittleSalt]

Thank you.

I just dug out one more 12 seed cell planter...well, pieces of it. I'll have to use a dome as the bottom piece, but it'll work.

I think I'm starting to understand why Burpee destroys seeds after their sell-by date. They aren't any good anymore... http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=35127

[Jimbotomateo]

The seedlings look great salt!. Jimbo