[Growster...]

This year, we're trying to grow more chillies. Mrs Growster has an addiction to them (the hot kind - like minds), and I also like the saladdy ones, of which there are loads of seeds of every type everywhere now.

She sowed some from an air-dried 'Apache' many  days ago, and nothing seemed to happen until a day or so ago, when we noticed the tiniest of life emerging! What a result!

I'm trying some 'Baby Bell' sweeter peppers and the seeds are taking ages to germinate. They're quite large too.

Is this common?

[mumofstig]

They do like a bit of heat to germinate, mine often get bunged on the radiators when I get fed up with waiting for them to sprout 
If you try that, in desperation, do keep them in a polybag or similar to stop them drying out completely in the heat.

Good luck!

[Plot 1 Problems]

Yep, some of the hot ones can take up to 3 weeks to germinate in my experience.

[jambop]

I was given some scotch bonnet peppers as a gift and I saved some of the seeds. I sowed them the next year and they eventually did germinate. I got an amazing harvest of really hot peppers from the plants but even down here after a long summer they came very late in the season.

[Growster...]

Aaah, many thanks all, I think it was about three weeks for Mrs Growsters' efforts, and the only problem with the others is that they're in the same seed tray as some toms, so a sort of Harlem shuffle will be on the cards no doubt!

Mind you, pricking out tom seedlings is about the most pleasant gardening experience ever invented! Even better with a bit of Pink Floyd nearby...

('Comfortably numb' indeed)...

[rowlandwells]

these are something i would definitely not grow i hate um but the wife likes growing and eating them i can't even stand the smell when there cooking and the hot ones are a no no for me

but everyone to there own and the wife does most of the pricking out I'm to clumsy i always get told of  :mad:because I'm not pricking the seedlings out properly

[Growster...]

Just peering at a few sites about peppers, I didn't know that to lose some of the heat, one needs to get rid of the pith and ribbing as well!

Hmmm, no wonder they take ages to germinate, the killer instinct starts when they're just seeds...

[Plot 1 Problems]

The thing with chilli plants is that they're perennials but our climate is obviously no good for them. I tried once to keep a pepper plant alive over winter but the lack of light did for it. We're hopefully moving house in the next few weeks and then I'll grab some growlights and see if I can sustain chillies for more than one year and reap some monster crops in subsequent years.

[Growster...]

I did that with a couple of tomato plants, P1P, it worked to a certain extent, but they were pretty groggy after a winter of being curtained off, moved around, fed a little, watered as usual etc...

I didn't know they were perennial though - thanks for the info!

[JayG]

Pic shows my cayenne pepper plants on a bedroom windowsill this morning; not pretty, but still producing 24/7/365 after 3-4 years.   

Not sure all varieties would be that durable though...

[Growster...]

Hey, that's some success there, Jay!

I suppose we should consider doing this in a South-facing conservatory, but it's full of spring flowers at the moment, then will come the plants...

I'll ask Mrs Growster - she's the Pepper Queen!

[Jiskoot]

I'm struggling with chillies again this year, had no success last year either, not sure what I'm doing wrong.  I've got one seed into each module, they've been kept in the airing cupboard well watered.  I've had one Anaheim chilli appear out of 3, no Zimbabwe Black and no peppers, has been about 3 weeks now 

[I Love Spuds]

Pic shows my cayenne pepper plants on a bedroom windowsill this morning; not pretty, but still producing 24/7/365 after 3-4 years.   

Not sure all varieties would be that durable though...

That's very impressive Jay.

Every time (and there have been many!) I try to overwinter chilli's I always get white fly / aphids etc. which totally wipe them out and make me unpopular with Mrs Spud, as our windows end up with a lovely sticky residue!

This year I thought I'd cracked it, until a few weeks ago the same thing happened! 

[JayG]

Every time (and there have been many!) I try to overwinter chilli's I always get white fly / aphids etc. which totally wipe them out and make me unpopular with Mrs Spud, as our windows end up with a lovely sticky residue!

This year I thought I'd cracked it, until a few weeks ago the same thing happened! 

A couple of years ago a few greenfly and whitefly did appear - I tried squishing them but their breeding rate was rapidly outpacing my squishing rate. 
Took them outside and tried to blast them off with the garden hose - greenfly loved it, plants looked battered. 

Finally had to resort to picking the ripe fruit and spraying with Bug Clear (the fruit and veg version) which did the trick in one spraying, and not had to do it since.
Not something I like having to do of course, but I was reluctant to throw away such productive plants.

[Robster]

Well done on then overwintering Jay.  Tried it once and had a two year plant but was as others have said groggy and sad.  Think I'll have another go this year having seen what you managed it would be good to have earlier Chillies.  Have sown, germinated and potted on.  Always sow into a propagator and they seem to do fine same as toms really.  I like the quiet mild type, Cayenne and Jalape񯠭y favourite.  Scotch Bonnet- No thanks far too hot for me.  As for Califoirnian Reaper- had a pack of freebie seeds recently- didn't sow them, no way.
Good luck to all