[clarebear]

I have planted a few chillie seeds in a wee pot in the kitchen on the windowsill. They are now about an inch high with two leave thingies at the top of each one.

What do I do now?

[richyrich7]

Put some silver foil behind them to help stop them going leggy, when they have their first true leaves pot on into individual 3" pots.

[wildeone]

oooo why the silver foil?? is it to protect them from alien radiation?  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

[clarebear]

thanks rich i'll do that. juat out of interest how does that work? I mean how does it stop them going "leggy" and what does leggy mean.

[richyrich7]

OK the foil bounces back the sunlight coming through the window onto them, creating a more even spread of light.

All plants react to light by hormone action, it makes the darker side grow quicker bending the plant toward's the light, Leggy just means tall, thin and spindly, weak that sort of thing.

[WG.]

Like Peter Crouch?

[wildeone]

Like Peter Crouch?

couldn't agree more!

[richyrich7]

Like Peter Crouch?

 :?:

[clarebear]

Awww i like crouchie.

Thanks rich. I'll do that.

[mushroom]

I have 2 long john f1 chilis growing in 9" pots. I started them in September. Right now they are overwintering in my flat. I've kept them out of the sun mostly. My reasoning is that I wanted the plants to kind of hibernate. The room never goes above 21C. They have been kept dry. I don't know if this is the "right way" of doing things. I need to put together a cold frame on the plot before they go back there, hopefully sometime in February (need to see the long term forecast for February - they hate frost). I'm now starting to let them get some sunshine.

[Rob the rake]

http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/plants.html

These folks recommend treating chillies as perennial houseplants, with the compact type giving best results.

[mushroom]

http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/plants.html

These folks recommend treating chillies as perennial houseplants, with the compact type giving best results.

cheers Rob! interesting... next on shopping list is a heated propogator

[paintedlady]

I've had a middling success growing peppers out on the allotment plot (2006 was excellent, last year so-so down to the weather) and this year I hope to try a few chilli plants as well.  As an experiment, I hope to use some left over insulation (the silver foil bubble wrap you can put behind central heating radiators on outside walls) with the shiny side facing south (about 12-18" height) along the bed they'll be in, to increase heat and light and reduce some draught factor for some of the plants.  Does this sound a bit silly (the old boys on the allotment site already think I break all the usual rules of how things should be done), or worth trying?

[Sadgit]

I didn't start growing my chillis till March last year.. 14 diff types and had about 200 plants (gave about 100 away). due to the terrible summer I only had a very okish crop...

My habs were pretty, no sorry, VERY poor this year, so I might start them off in Feb as they just didn't get bigger than a small marble and didn't really ripen.

I am trying to over winter about 20 plants and they have been pruned like mad.. Problem I am having is with mildew...

problem I have is the only room I am allowed to grow stuff in is north facing, tis a warm room but not a great deal of sunlight, which doesn't help.. and to have my greenhouse heated would cost a small fortune..

[gobs]

I've had a middling success growing peppers out on the allotment plot (2006 was excellent, last year so-so down to the weather) and this year I hope to try a few chilli plants as well.  As an experiment, I hope to use some left over insulation (the silver foil bubble wrap you can put behind central heating radiators on outside walls) with the shiny side facing south (about 12-18" height) along the bed they'll be in, to increase heat and light and reduce some draught factor for some of the plants.  Does this sound a bit silly (the old boys on the allotment site already think I break all the usual rules of how things should be done), or worth trying?

I would not recommend growing peppers outside without cover (poly, cloche, whatever you can knock up in the way of that), chillies might do better in a sheltered warm corner.