Our organic and heirloom peppers from 2017 seed took 10 or more days to pop up and a full tray of six took almost three weeks and I was going to toss them but lo and behold those little peppers must have read my mind and decided they better show themselves! Lol. I bought season end clearance seeds for .05, yes 5 cents per pack. I walked out of the store with my entire 2018 garden seeds paying less than $10. Our garden is 30’ x 40’. Luckily I found Larks Garden from zone 5 in WI on You Tube and she uses large plastic clear totes as mini greenhouses. This was a real space saver and she put her transplants in them an on her deck even in cold spring weather. So if you run out of windowsill space, check her out. 😉 thanks for sharing your tips and method. 👍🏻
What a great deal on your seeds! I will have to take a look at Larks Garden, I think I know who you are talking about. Love the idea of clear plastic totes as greenhouses. Anytime I can save space, I am all for it!
My friend, I start seeds in small newspaper cylinders, rolled up, glued with folded up bottoms around a wooden form I made years ago on my lathe. I've been doing this for several years and it's a no cost way of starting seedlings. I can then just peel away the paper or place it into pots. I use 24 oz cottage cheese containers with holes in the bottom by getting holes with a drill or heated nail. The hot nail works best. Then I place the transplanted seedlings under a grow light system until it's time for their summer homes. 24oz containers are the right size and allow for a nice root system to develop -- plenty of room. Once a week I water from the bottom for about 20 - 30 minutes in a plastic tray like you have. Then they sit under lights for about 14 hours. Then I turn off the lights for 10 hours or so. I'm not too picky about the hours and neither are the baby plants. They just seem to grow fine, judging by the canopies of the plants. Cheers, dear, I hope others will give the cottage cheese containers a try -- they are very tough and roomy. Easy to lable with masking tape stuck onto the side. Bob in fast approaching spring in Montana
Hi Bob, thanks for watching. I like the idea of using the larger cottage cheese containers. Also, I have really embraced the concept of bottom watering this year too. Seems a better way to water the young plants. Cheers!
@@TheWoodlandGardener Can I offer you another suggestion? If you grow your seedlings in a window box or on a south facing windowsill, the sprouts can get leggy, tall and very weak. I know from experience, the very first time I tried a couple pepper and maybe 4 tomato plants many years ago. They will crave light, so here's the solution, if I may: put a refection device on the back side, the "dark", room side. Make or better yet, get your hubby to make you a support frame work of some sort ( 3/4 X 1 inch pine, will work just fine). Let you engineer the size, or together as a team. If he has a table saw in a shop or garage, he can use so called 1X4 or 1X6 lumber from a box home improvement center and cut out the frame pieces.My first attempt I used aluminum foil on the frame I made. It is very easily torn or otherwise damaged or wrinkled. Better yet, see if you can visit a sporting goods store and find something called a "space blanket" sheet. It comes in a folded up packet , not expensive at all and will be reusable for more than once, maybe 3 or more years. It's made of a mylar type material with a silver coating ( not silver, the metal, just the reflective coating). This framework you folks have designed and built will help your baby plants to grow stronger, as they get more light. My light system, for example, consists of a folding table, 3 X 4 or 5, covered with an old shower curtain. I made a 4 legged frame, to which I could hang those 4 foot fluorescent bulb fixtures, you know, two bulbs each. Well, I use three fixtures in my frame, plugged into a multi outlet power strip. The bulbs are the so called T-12 size. Look for the high Lumen value, and this is important -- they have to be 6500 K value. That is one step below natural sunlight, or at least as good as sunlight for your plants. It's balanced anyway, and my baby plants can get a good amount of foliage with about 14 hours on, and 10 off. I water a bit from the top with a squirter/ spray bottle periodically, but mostly once a week, by placing the pots in a tray and putting a half inch of water around the bottoms. After about 20 or 25 minutes, the pots will have absorbed much of the water. Yesterday, I threw in a good teaspoon of the pink Miracle Grow fertilizer. I don't recall the N P K values of the pink stuff but it's supposed to be for toms and pepper plants, and I'm not sure the roots are big enough it reach that far into the moistured/ fertilized soil, but it will be there when they get there. I may not put MG in the water next week, I don't know yet. I'll admit to one thing, tho -- i tend to baby my toms and pepper plants. If we get another warm, hazy cloudy day with no wind, I plan on putting them outdoors for a bit -- maybe an hour. I don't want the full sun breaking through, tho. Im sure full sun for an hour could damage the leaves (sunburn the poor babies, don't you think?). But a bit of real daylight should be beneficial. Hopefully by the end of May, they can go into their summer homes. Yeah, I know, it's a lot of work, but it sure is fun, and the toms and peppers ripening in July and August makes it all worth the effort. I'm in south central Montana where the weather can be anything, at anytime. Last season, we had a two day cold snap that would have killed the plants had a not moved them (10 plants) into my garage 'til the weather warmed at night back into the 40s. So, my friend, I hope this comment hasn't bored you. Relating my methods, tips and information gives me great pleasure to share with other growers that value real home grown food. Cheers, dear lady, and good luck with all your endeavors. Bob
@@robertshorthill4153 This is great info! I appreciate all the thought that went into your reply. Do you have photos/videos online of your setup? I'd love to see. I find that gardening (if done well) is an exercise in learning and continuous improvement
@@TheWoodlandGardener if you get that space blanket stuff, take some masking tape, fold it over the top edge and push pin it to the wood frame -- that way it's harder to tear and fall off. I don't know what else to tell you that you folks can't figure out on your own. I don't have a way to show you my setup, but I just hang those lights by a chain so I can raise them up when plants get bigger. Good luck and thanks for the nice comments. Bob (PS -- If think of anything else, I'll let you know, but that should about cover it)
BobMels//// I USED SOME PEAT POTS,THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS YEAR.HATE THEM,THEY CAME FREE WITH A NEW HIGH DOME,SEED STARTING KIT,SO I TRIED THEM.NOTHING BUT MOLD PROBLEMS WITH THE PEAT CUPS!!!!! NO PROBLEMS WITH THE OLD SCHOOL,BLACK PLASTIC CUPS!!!!!
Hi there! Nice to meet you too :) I"m upping my pepper game this year as well. So many interesting varieties, hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can manage!
Aren’t they too small yet to transfer or are they good enough? Cause I have the same size and curious if I should transfer a bigger pot. I just don’t want them to die. Thanks
Hi! I've always read that once they get their first set of true leaves, they can/should be bumped up into a bigger pot. Getting them out of that tiny cell allows them to grow better. They can stay in that bigger pot until it's time to go outside. That's what I do every year and they seem to do well. Hope that was helpful :)
Thanks! I have two different kinds of bells going. The Canary bells took 8 days and the Horizons took 10 days. Those are older seeds from 2016 or maybe even 2015, so maybe that plays into it. What kind of peppers are they? Hang in there - they will show up!
I attempted with an entire pack of new seeds and no luck with any of them coming up. I then did the paper towel and zip loc baggie....Now I have 10 pepper plants...they germinated witing 5 days and I planted in small pots and now under light and they are thriving! Good luck to you
It's better to remove the peat pots before transplanting. That way the roots settle down better than when they are in the pots because the latter don't disintegrate easily. My experience! The seedling suffer in a way in the long run. Again, through experience!
At that time, I was moving only 1 plant into the intermediate containers. Last year I tried 2 per container and they did very well. I'm planning to stick with that going forward. One other new thing I tried last year was to start setting the pepper seedlings out every day as soon as day temps were warm enough. So essentially they started the hardening off process very early. Meant I had to bring them in every night for quite a long time, but it was worth it. Access to that sunlight every day really gave them a boost. By the time I put them in the ground, they were very large and full plants. Hope this was helpful!
@@TheWoodlandGardener Yes, the information is very helpful. We'll be experimenting with large trough container gardens this year. Last year's zucchini struggled in medium pots, but the tomatoes, tomatillos, and potatoes did well in their makeshift containers despite heavy wind, frequent fog, and foraging deer.
Hi there, sorry such a late response. The pots that I transfer my seedlings to are roughly 3"- 4" (HxWxD). I have a few different ones I've collected over the years and they vary a bit, but generally 3-4" each side.
Our organic and heirloom peppers from 2017 seed took 10 or more days to pop up and a full tray of six took almost three weeks and I was going to toss them but lo and behold those little peppers must have read my mind and decided they better show themselves! Lol. I bought season end clearance seeds for .05, yes 5 cents per pack. I walked out of the store with my entire 2018 garden seeds paying less than $10. Our garden is 30’ x 40’.
Luckily I found Larks Garden from zone 5 in WI on You Tube and she uses large plastic clear totes as mini greenhouses. This was a real space saver and she put her transplants in them an on her deck even in cold spring weather. So if you run out of windowsill space, check her out. 😉 thanks for sharing your tips and method. 👍🏻
What a great deal on your seeds! I will have to take a look at Larks Garden, I think I know who you are talking about. Love the idea of clear plastic totes as greenhouses. Anytime I can save space, I am all for it!
Very good video.....well done nicely explained 👍
Thanks so much! I appreciate your kind words.
Yes, give them to a friend..hate to toss the seedlings out.. good video and good info..
Thanks, Tom :)
Tom Reyes ...yes good advice. I have 18 extra seedlings and just can't throw the extras away. I plan to share the plants as well.
My friend, I start seeds in small newspaper cylinders, rolled up, glued with folded up bottoms around a wooden form I made years ago on my lathe. I've been doing this for several years and it's a no cost way of starting seedlings. I can then just peel away the paper or place it into pots. I use 24 oz cottage cheese containers with holes in the bottom by getting holes with a drill or heated nail. The hot nail works best. Then I place the transplanted seedlings under a grow light system until it's time for their summer homes. 24oz containers are the right size and allow for a nice root system to develop -- plenty of room. Once a week I water from the bottom for about 20 - 30 minutes in a plastic tray like you have. Then they sit under lights for about 14 hours. Then I turn off the lights for 10 hours or so. I'm not too picky about the hours and neither are the baby plants. They just seem to grow fine, judging by the canopies of the plants. Cheers, dear, I hope others will give the cottage cheese containers a try -- they are very tough and roomy. Easy to lable with masking tape stuck onto the side. Bob in fast approaching spring in Montana
Hi Bob, thanks for watching. I like the idea of using the larger cottage cheese containers. Also, I have really embraced the concept of bottom watering this year too. Seems a better way to water the young plants. Cheers!
@@TheWoodlandGardener Can I offer you another suggestion? If you grow your seedlings in a window box or on a south facing windowsill, the sprouts can get leggy, tall and very weak. I know from experience, the very first time I tried a couple pepper and maybe 4 tomato plants many years ago. They will crave light, so here's the solution, if I may: put a refection device on the back side, the "dark", room side. Make or better yet, get your hubby to make you a support frame work of some sort ( 3/4 X 1 inch pine, will work just fine). Let you engineer the size, or together as a team. If he has a table saw in a shop or garage, he can use so called 1X4 or 1X6 lumber from a box home improvement center and cut out the frame pieces.My first attempt I used aluminum foil on the frame I made. It is very easily torn or otherwise damaged or wrinkled. Better yet, see if you can visit a sporting goods store and find something called a "space blanket" sheet. It comes in a folded up packet , not expensive at all and will be reusable for more than once, maybe 3 or more years. It's made of a mylar type material with a silver coating ( not silver, the metal, just the reflective coating). This framework you folks have designed and built will help your baby plants to grow stronger, as they get more light. My light system, for example, consists of a folding table, 3 X 4 or 5, covered with an old shower curtain. I made a 4 legged frame, to which I could hang those 4 foot fluorescent bulb fixtures, you know, two bulbs each. Well, I use three fixtures in my frame, plugged into a multi outlet power strip. The bulbs are the so called T-12 size. Look for the high Lumen value, and this is important -- they have to be 6500 K value. That is one step below natural sunlight, or at least as good as sunlight for your plants. It's balanced anyway, and my baby plants can get a good amount of foliage with about 14 hours on, and 10 off. I water a bit from the top with a squirter/ spray bottle periodically, but mostly once a week, by placing the pots in a tray and putting a half inch of water around the bottoms. After about 20 or 25 minutes, the pots will have absorbed much of the water. Yesterday, I threw in a good teaspoon of the pink Miracle Grow fertilizer. I don't recall the N P K values of the pink stuff but it's supposed to be for toms and pepper plants, and I'm not sure the roots are big enough it reach that far into the moistured/ fertilized soil, but it will be there when they get there. I may not put MG in the water next week, I don't know yet. I'll admit to one thing, tho -- i tend to baby my toms and pepper plants. If we get another warm, hazy cloudy day with no wind, I plan on putting them outdoors for a bit -- maybe an hour. I don't want the full sun breaking through, tho. Im sure full sun for an hour could damage the leaves (sunburn the poor babies, don't you think?). But a bit of real daylight should be beneficial. Hopefully by the end of May, they can go into their summer homes. Yeah, I know, it's a lot of work, but it sure is fun, and the toms and peppers ripening in July and August makes it all worth the effort. I'm in south central Montana where the weather can be anything, at anytime. Last season, we had a two day cold snap that would have killed the plants had a not moved them (10 plants) into my garage 'til the weather warmed at night back into the 40s. So, my friend, I hope this comment hasn't bored you. Relating my methods, tips and information gives me great pleasure to share with other growers that value real home grown food. Cheers, dear lady, and good luck with all your endeavors. Bob
@@robertshorthill4153 This is great info! I appreciate all the thought that went into your reply. Do you have photos/videos online of your setup? I'd love to see. I find that gardening (if done well) is an exercise in learning and continuous improvement
@@TheWoodlandGardener if you get that space blanket stuff, take some masking tape, fold it over the top edge and push pin it to the wood frame -- that way it's harder to tear and fall off. I don't know what else to tell you that you folks can't figure out on your own. I don't have a way to show you my setup, but I just hang those lights by a chain so I can raise them up when plants get bigger. Good luck and thanks for the nice comments. Bob (PS -- If think of anything else, I'll let you know, but that should about cover it)
Good luck with your pepper plants. If I use the peat pots I usually remove most of it when I pot up. Best wishes Bob.
Good tip! I can see why that would be good, will do next time. Thanks for visiting ~Angela
BobMels//// I USED SOME PEAT POTS,THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS YEAR.HATE THEM,THEY CAME FREE WITH A NEW HIGH DOME,SEED STARTING KIT,SO I TRIED THEM.NOTHING BUT MOLD PROBLEMS WITH THE PEAT CUPS!!!!! NO PROBLEMS WITH THE OLD SCHOOL,BLACK PLASTIC CUPS!!!!!
Awesome 👌 Sending full support
Thank you!
Nice video thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks so much for watching!. I appreciate your kind comment.
Nice to meet you! I’m all about peppers this season lol
Hi there! Nice to meet you too :) I"m upping my pepper game this year as well. So many interesting varieties, hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can manage!
Awesome
Thank you!!
@@TheWoodlandGardener your welcome
Your peppers are doing well, mine not sprouted as yet Cheers Ray
Thank you. I find peppers can be finicky. They need TLC. I might do a pepper for my #singleseedchallenge2021. That way I can baby it :)
Aren’t they too small yet to transfer or are they good enough? Cause I have the same size and curious if I should transfer a bigger pot. I just don’t want them to die. Thanks
Hi! I've always read that once they get their first set of true leaves, they can/should be bumped up into a bigger pot. Getting them out of that tiny cell allows them to grow better. They can stay in that bigger pot until it's time to go outside. That's what I do every year and they seem to do well. Hope that was helpful :)
Good video , but camera needs to be a touch more up and back
You're peppers look great! How long did it take for them to peak through the soil? We are still waiting on ours. (10 days and counting)
Thanks! I have two different kinds of bells going. The Canary bells took 8 days and the Horizons took 10 days. Those are older seeds from 2016 or maybe even 2015, so maybe that plays into it. What kind of peppers are they? Hang in there - they will show up!
I planted 6 different kinds this year. I love growing peppers.
Me too! They are such pretty plants, in addition to providing food :)
I attempted with an entire pack of new seeds and no luck with any of them coming up. I then did the paper towel and zip loc baggie....Now I have 10 pepper plants...they germinated witing 5 days and I planted in small pots and now under light and they are thriving! Good luck to you
It's better to remove the peat pots before transplanting. That way the roots settle down better than when they are in the pots because the latter don't disintegrate easily. My experience! The seedling suffer in a way in the long run. Again, through experience!
Hi Kaoline! Thanks for the input. This makes sense!
1 plant per intermediate container?
At that time, I was moving only 1 plant into the intermediate containers. Last year I tried 2 per container and they did very well. I'm planning to stick with that going forward. One other new thing I tried last year was to start setting the pepper seedlings out every day as soon as day temps were warm enough. So essentially they started the hardening off process very early. Meant I had to bring them in every night for quite a long time, but it was worth it. Access to that sunlight every day really gave them a boost. By the time I put them in the ground, they were very large and full plants. Hope this was helpful!
@@TheWoodlandGardener Yes, the information is very helpful. We'll be experimenting with large trough container gardens
this year. Last year's zucchini struggled in medium pots, but the tomatoes, tomatillos, and potatoes did well in their makeshift containers despite heavy wind, frequent fog, and foraging deer.
@@danbolton3180 Best wishes!
Can you please tell me the size of these black pots please.
Hi there, sorry such a late response. The pots that I transfer my seedlings to are roughly 3"- 4" (HxWxD). I have a few different ones I've collected over the years and they vary a bit, but generally 3-4" each side.
Maybe give them away??
Yes for sure. That's what I ended up doing. And also giving away a bunch of extra seedlings this year - share the wealth!