Chilis are a Disaster Every Year :-(

Hi,
About four years ago, I decided I wanted to try growing chilis. So I got
half a dozen small pots, fired some seeds into them and stuck them on the
windowsill.

Come autumn, I had five glorious chili plants and a supply that let me give
a bunch of chilis to friends and families and still have enough to keep
myself going for eight months after freezing them.

The second year - disaster. I did the same, but they all died. Every
single one of them.

Last year, the same. On that occasion, I had got one of the little 'beds'
with multiple compartments, and covered it in clingfilm in a darkened, warm
room. When I went in to check a couple of days later, there was mould on
top of the earth, and not a sapling to be seen. I gave up, went to my
local supermarket and bought a couple of pre-grown plants about two or
three inches high. That gave me my 'fix' for the past six months.

This year, I bought a pack of fatali red, one of Cayenne long purple, and
one of chili calico. I set aside dates in the diary as advised on the
packets, and planted them in January, February and March respectively.
Small pots on the window sill, good quality compost, and three seeds per
pot.

Of around thirty seeds, one has germinated.

What am I doing wrong? How can I have had such good results the first
year, and every single time since that has been a complete disaster?

 

Ah, I'd not thought of that. Tell me: is it possible to keep one's own chili seeds from a previous year's crop? Will freezing them kill them?

 

OK, so I suppose I just have to have a successful year, then. Where do you get your seeds? Are you in the UK? I bought the last two year's crops from Nicky's.

 

Chilli seeds are better soaked before sowing. But it vastly depends on the seeds themselves. I would say it is mostly luck. I ordered Shishito chilli seeds from a nursery website and none of them germinated. I then had to order the same seeds from a eBay shop. This time 100% germination rate. They are holding well in the greenhouse and waiting for May now.

 

Hi. Soaked in what? Water? For how long?

 

Hi JWK. It's difficult for me to guage what is 'moist'. How does one know? I look at the top of the pots and the earth is dry. Should one stick a finger into the soil? If I do that, don't I risk damaging the seeds?

 

So I'm thinking that this year (for planting early 2018), I'm going to score them from several different sources.

 

@joh98.mac I buy all my Chilli seeds on Ebay . I sow the seeds late January or early February , no later , as they need a long UK growing season . I do soak my seeds in a weak luke warm tea solution for 8 hours , whether this has any advantage - I don't know . I use seed compost which is just wet in a small propagator as shown below . To wet the compost mix water into the compost until when you squeeze it in your hand it holds together , but no water drips out . Then fill the prop with the moist compost and surface sow the seeds - sprinkle a little compost over the top to just cover them. Then find the warmest place you have in your house , they do not need light to germinate . I put them in the airing cupboard and take them out after germination normally 7 - 12 days . Keep them warm in the prop with plenty of light and a little water . until they are big enough to prick out into 3" pots

 

People say weak chamomile tea is the best. But I just use water for 24h

 

Hi Harry.

So..

1. soak seeds in weak tea for 24 hours

2. mix water and compost until just moist

3. surface sow seeds and cover with a little compost

4. keep warm in propagator until they are ready to pot

Sound good?

Incidentally, is it too late to sow for this year?