[jamesbrownontheroad]

Hello... time to launch myself with a first post to reveal just how green we are

We quite unexpectedly landed ourselves the dream half-plot we've been waiting for in our Glasgow allotment site. There were some forgotten remnants from the previous tenant and plenty of weeds, but I had enough time after Christmas to weed the hell out of the soil, removing as many roots as possible before turning it in time for some of the harsher January and February frosts. Half a pick-up truck load of horse manure (not woodchip based) didn't go far, but we spread it over the surface a week or two ago. We've been occupied building a shed the last week or two, and are preparing quite an ambitious first growing season, based on the old theory that if you chuck enough spaghetti at the wall, some of it will stick.

So far we're successfully chitting two kinds of first early potatoes (Lady Balfour and Vales Everest) and have had plenty of advice from other plot holders about hold to plant them out. In propagators, however, we're not having much luck since we ambitiously decided to try some peppers (Yellow Bell F1 and Matador F1). Unfortunately, while our big tall ceilinged 2nd floor Glasgow tenement offers lots of sunshine, we can't keep them warm enough (those big windows are drafty). After more than a week and a half in propagators in the sunshine during the day and above radiators at night, there is very little sign of germination - just some very fine white fuzz around the seeds.

Were we foolish to think we could germinate, let alone grow, capsicums in our conditions? Is there anything more we can do, other than ensuring daytime light and night time warmth for them... or will that fluctuation not help?

Thanks in advance

[noshed]

Hi JamesBOR
Try getting a couple of seeds and putting them on wet paper to see if they sprout. The seeds may be duff anyway. You could put them in the airing cupboard for this.
They mainly need heat until they germinate, then they need light, so the daytime draughts might be the problem.
Have another go. I haven't even started mine yet so you've got some time. Although you do need a few good weeks in the summer to get them to ripen.
Not sure about the spaghetti though...

[jamesbrownontheroad]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately not only do we not have draft proof windows we don't have an airing cupboard (d*mned Victorians and their lack of architectural foresight : ) so we'll have to improve a warm place for them.

[spottymint]

Hi

I have been  lazy, didn't bother with my heated propagator and decieded to grow my pepper seeds and chilli seed on the window sill (admitedly I'm in the south), but even with drafty windows, they have eventually germinated. (took a couple of weeks though, slowest seeds by far)
 The windowsills are above radiators, not on all day, just a few hours.

I'm a real novice, so listen to others (like noshed) who are very experienced, but don't give up just yet.

I have had seeds, not germinated, tried sowing again or a different method, ie soaking/scarifying and they have come up a treat.

Practice makes perfect as they say.   



 

[GreenOwl]

I've germinated peppers on a windowsill.  It can be done but it is very slow.  3 weeks or so I would say, so they still might go for it.

Other than splashing out on a heated propagator all you can do it wait - and don't overwater them. 

[Trillium]

sometimes the top of a fridge offers enough sprouting warmth, if you have such a surface available. Sounds like when they do sprout and grow that you might need to keep the mature plants growing inside a cold frame out of sheer weather protection. I recall seeing pix of UK plants from back in the 60's and cukes, courgettes, peppers and toms had to stay inside greenhouses or large cold frames just to survive.

[BILL251]

 Hi ,am from  Motherwell peppers  seem  to take  a  long  time  to show    but they do     .. You  could try cutting    the  draft  by  puting   some    fleece   or bubble   rap     over  your  plants..    I f seeds  dont  come     replant   some  more  they  will  maybe  better   and it still a bit early  for   us up here as yet    a  lot  colder than  south .     I started  tomatos   in    late  Jauary  then agin in   Feb    the   ones in Feb are  doing   so well    faster than the  January  one ..  ALL    THE  BEST         

[gregmcalister]

I've only ever grown chillies but they're pretty much the same as sweet peppers in terms of germination. I bought a cheap heated propagator a few years ago and I germinate the chillies in that.  I sow them in a small seed tray filled with compost and lightly cover the seeds in a bit more compost, water and put them in the progagator.  It normally takes a week or two for them to germinate then once they've got a few leaves I transfer to 3" pots and so on.

I haven't had much success growing outdoors as they really need a bit more warmth than we've had recently.  My allotment is out at Petershill if you're wondering.  I grew them in a plastic greenhouse last year and they did fine despite the weather.

[jamesbrownontheroad]

Thanks to all the replies posted above. Just to update the thread, we left town for six days up on Skye, and came back to find (with a bit of loving care from our catsitter) that everything had surged ahead, including...


Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbrownontheroad/3391290277/

Woohoo!

The Matadors are, as you can see, doing well. A couple of the Yellow Bells have started to show shoots, but not nearly as quickly as these Matadors.

Thanks again!

[buckstar555]

Weldone!  :DIm new to growing plants from seeds,this year? Anyway,  thought give my (green-fingered) side "o" me a go? He,he, Im really into it. Ive found myself,mooching in skips for things six months ago, I would throw out. I have been growing seeds the poor mans propergator style? Morrisons polly bag over an old bucket,placed in spare room,west facing windowsill.He,he, seems to work jeezt done Rhubarb,this way and thinking about garlic chives later today. But Ive got some Aldi strawberrys to plant out first. I live in Dumfries,and apart from recent strong cold winds everything seems to do well. Best of luck 

[jamesbrownontheroad]

Just to update the thread a bit, and to ask a new question. In the last two weeks or so since I posted the photo that a few of the Yellow Bells have emerged, but in general the Matadors haven't grown much further. So it's time to move them out of the propagator tray, but we're not sure whether to put them into individual pots in our apartment or into the containers in our 'greenshed' (half greenhouse half shed).

We salvaged a couple of large white plastic trawlerman's crates (the kind you see stacked up on harbours to carry fish from boat to fishmarket: about 80cm W x 40cm D x 20cm H). Inside these is a healthy mix of growbag contents, multipurpouse fertiliser, a bit of silver sand. I might also stir in some chicken manure pellets. Our self-built 'greenshed' offers superb warmth in the day time, but less so at night. Would these little plants be ok going out into big, deep spacious containers now with plentiful daytime heat (20 -  25ºC +) even though its unheated at night (1 - 10ºC for the next few weeks)? The risk of frost and cold seems to have passed, but we're completely unsure of how strong these little fellas are.

Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks again,

James

[Stripey_cat]

I'm not sure.  They seem happiest in a warm room all the time (over 20C, ideally).  They are pretty slow growing if it's colder, and if they're already slowing down indoors the overnight drop might be too much for them.

[gerpsych]

I'd stay indoors with them. I got half way there and the minute they went to the greenhouse it all failed. Greenock is probbaly not that much colder than up the road.

[Elcie]

Hi James, why don't you put them out in the day and bring them back in at night?  Maybe a bit of a pallaver but they will enjoy the increase in light and warmth!

[jamesbrownontheroad]

Thanks for the thoughts (and no, Glasgow ain't much warmer than Greenock : )

I think we're caught between a rock and a hard place here. We didn't think this through (this is our first year so we're trying a bit of everything) and having both come from other places to Glasgow we didn't have much local knowledge when we ordered seeds etc.

We could take them up and down - the allotment is a ten minute walk away and the twice daily exercise isn't a problem because as two postgrad students we aren't constrained by a 9-5 in an office. However they'll need to come out of the propagator soon, but carrying a dozen pots up and down isn't going to be easy. I was wondering whether we could plant them out in the greenhouse containers and then cover them with cloches or insulation each night. Uncovering them each morning and covering them each night would allow much more sun and daytime heat than they'll ever get in the apartment, and perhaps with extra care they will survive the nights. It'll also involve less risk of damaging them moving them up and down each night.

The problem is we're hardy northern folk so the heat is off now at home and we don't have an airing cupboard or accessible fridge top to keep them snug on.

On a side note, I'm developing an ad-hoc 'trombe wall' for our shed. I'll put some pictures up this week. I was inspired by the fifth photograph in this blog, belonging to a downshifting couple in Nova Scotia, who visited a organic farm in their region.

http://floramary.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/organic-gardening-on-the-kitchen-table/

The lady who runs the farm uses a big collection of old plastic milk bottles (filled with water) to absorb heat during the daytime and then release it at night. Aware of the problems we have with cool nights, I've started collecting (admittedly smaller) 1L and 2L milk bottles. I'm painting them matt black and arranging them along the edge of our south facing shed's window. Of all the colours, black absorbs the most and reflects the least amount of heat energy. I'm hoping that once we have enough these will absorb some warmth during the day time and then release it as they cool during the night, making a small contribution to the warmth of the shed.

Thanks again, we'll also consult our local friends and have a think.