[ilan]

I have had no problems with getting the seeds to grow except sweet pepper seeds toms chillis aubergene , etc all doing fine but I have tried three different packets of sweet peppers (a few from each ) sown into multi compost and put on the window cill in a heated propogator 3 weeks ago and managed one seedling ? is there a trick to getting them to go / thanks

[Yorkie]

Doesn't sound as though you're doing anything too wrong.  How much are you watering the compost?

[GrannieAnnie]

Have a bit more patience, mine are just starting to peep through and they've been in their pots longer than that.

[Headgardener22]

I always reckon on a 50% failure rate for peppers. I will say that they seem to have been really slow this year. Treated then exactly the same as usual but they're still at the seed-leaf stage, I would normally expect them to be bigger by now.

[shoozie]

Mine have taken 5 weeks to eventually decide to begin showing their first true leaf - which is still tiny - I'm guessing the increasing brightness and warmth on the windowsill over the last week has helped (got the foil behind them too)

[Trillium]

I chitted my seeds in damp paper towels set in a sealed poly bag and even that took 3 weeks to sprout, so yes, sweet peppers are definitely a slow starter.

[DD.]

Mine took 12 days of neglect, in a seed tray in a polythene bag.

[shokkyy]

Mine normally take a couple of weeks to come up, but I usually get 100% germination with no special treatment. I just stick them in a pot with a poly bag over the top.

[DD.]

A poly bag takes a lot of beating - especially when it comes to cost!

[Yorkie]

A poly bag takes a lot of beating - especially when it comes to cost!

Thought you'd written that it took a lot of heating!!

[DD.]

Naw - stick it in the bedroom and leave it!

[Lady Rosemary]

I sowed my pepper, chilli and aubergines back in early February. Put them in individual small pots and kept them in a 4 tier mini greenhouse in the front room just in front of the window, near the radiator. All came through, 100%, so am well chuffed. They're all doing really well. If I can figure out how to upload photos, I'll post them on here!   

Perseverance is truly a blessing.

Mandy

[ilan]

Thanks will give it another go with the poly bag method and some patience

[shokkyy]

PS - I never sow seeds in compost that's any wetter than just damp. Usually I give the surface a quick spritz with a water sprayer, chuck the seeds in and cover with compost. That way you know they've got enough moisture to germinate but not enough to rot the seed or give the seedlings damping off problems.

[PupStar]

PS - I never sow seeds in compost that's any wetter than just damp. Usually I give the surface a quick spritz with a water sprayer, chuck the seeds in and cover with compost. That way you know they've got enough moisture to germinate but not enough to rot the seed or give the seedlings damping off problems.

That is exactly what I do.

I sowed some sweet peppers and chilli's in a propagator a week ago today and the sweet peppers are yet to show but today the chilli's are coming through nicely (not bad considering it was a pound shop special woohoo)

Mark