Last year was a bit of a let down in the chilli stakes. Most of the exotic varieties started then stopped with only 2 ‘Tongue Of Fire’ chillies fruiting (they have also survived the winter!). And with me concentrating on trying to get these varieties growing I never sowed any ‘Jalapeno’ or ‘Cayenne’ with I had success with the previous year.
I have different growing conditions for the chillies this year and I’ve also tried a new method for germination. The exotic varieties of last year have all been started in the hope that a longer growing season will help, coupled with the fact that the bathroom in my new house seldom drops below 15 degrees and is can be as warm as 20 degrees even in the winter, and has a south-facing window.
I started the germination process 3 weeks ago taking some tips from a chilli growing book I got in a gift set for Christmas. I placed the seeds in zip-lock bags with warm water, then placed the bags inside a flask of warm water to maintain the temperature. The seeds were then placed inside a normal propagator in the bathroom.
Thus far? 29 out of 48 seeds have germinated after less than 3 weeks! Very pleased at this, and I’m not finished as I’ve still got Jalapeno and Cayenne to start of next month and also sweet peppers.
Next to construct some selves in the bathroom to cater for all these…
