Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[z-bob]

What temp? Peppers like it hot, about 80-90F. Don't know much about shelf life of pepper seeds or additional specific measures to help germination. I do ok with most varieties but bells I don't seem to get enough starts.

It's not on a thermostat, so I just checked the soil temperature with a thermometer: 90°F (that's a little warmer than I expected) If it's *too* warm, I can rig up my Inkbird to keep them around 80°.

 

[Tartan1]

Why is it that pepper seeds won't germinate after a year in storage? I store all my seeds under vacuum and the peppers are the only ones that don't pop. I have pasillia seeds from last year and will plant them on Mar. 15th. I don't have much faith.

I too store 🌶 seeds under vacuum as well as storing them in the fridge until planting time. I have been saving seeds from some for years using this method and have had no problems
I find heirloom varieties store better than hybrid types though. Hybrid types can be a crap shoot as they can creep from the original strain due to genetics.

 

[Mr. Vern]

<deleted> misread statement

 

[Deadalus]

It's not on a thermostat, so I just checked the soil temperature with a thermometer: 90°F (that's a little warmer than I expected) If it's *too* warm, I can rig up my Inkbird to keep them around 80°.

I set mine 85 for peppers and tomatoes and I think eggplant. Everything else I plant I use 75 (70-80). Once they germinate, since I've been doing this the past few years in a greenhouse outside, I set the controller for 55-60 (not sure I've been consistent). That's so they don't get too cold at night.

You may have cooked them without a controller. The watts on the seedling mats are low but if in a warm or heated space you may have sent the temperature soaring.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I’ve had great luck using a cottage cheese container and planing 30 seeds. I use a seed mat with no controller. I put plastic wrap on top. Flip it everyday to keep the moisture down. Seeds last for years, although I bought fresh this year. I’ll save them again this fall and have enough for another 5 years. They separate easily at 5 weeks old after being under the lights. Then bury them deep in their container. I have 3x3x6 square pots. Then hope for warmer weather to move the flats out to the cold frame for about a month. My germination rates are 90%. It’s usually temperature and moisture. Obviously seed quality, but rarely do I have issues. I start peppers a month before my tomatoes. I’ve given up on peppers and then they start popping up. Peppers are dang slow to germinate. Peppers are 3 month old when I plant them. Tomatoes are 10-12 weeks depending on frost forecast.

 

[hottpeper13]

If the heat mat is too hot I put 1/2" cpvc pipe under the tray for a bit of space, works every time.

 

[Oldskewl]

I saw someone online using clear plastic berry containers as mini greenhouses to start seedlings. Genius!

 

[z-bob]

I'm using a heating mat! No idea what my problem is. Hopefully the seeds I just bought will do better. I'm also going to try again with some of the old seeds, treating them with 1% hydrogen peroxide before planting. (I'm researching that now to see how long to soak them. I think it's just something like 5 minutes)

I think I figured out the problem. The seeds got too hot when I had them in a sandwich bag with some damp toilet paper* on the heating mat. If the soil in the little pots was 90 degrees, the surface of the mat is hotter than that and the bags would have better thermal conductivity.

*most people use paper towels, but TP works better because it disintegrates when wet, so if the seeds root into it you can get them out w/o damage

 

[Deadalus]

I think I figured out the problem. The seeds got too hot when I had them in a sandwich bag with some damp toilet paper* on the heating mat. If the soil in the little pots was 90 degrees, the surface of the mat is hotter than that and the bags would have better thermal conductivity.

*most people use paper towels, but TP works better because it disintegrates when wet, so if the seeds root into it you can get them out w/o damage

I've been using Southern Exposure Seed exchange for the past few years for most seeds except some peppers. I've been working through their catalog to place an order. They have a lot of good seed starting tips. For peppers, they suggest 75-85 on the germination and then 75-85 on transplants in pots for daytime and 65F minimum for night time.

One higher temp germinator that I didn't know but see in their catalog is cucumbers. They recommend 80-90F there and keeping seedlings at 75F. Also, not to overwater. I think that second part is what led to my poor germination last year. I went back to using those degradable pots and they really soak up the water. I'm going to specifically mark out all the seedlings that need sparse watering this year. I'm pretty good about not overwatering but I think for a few specific species I occasionally water too soon.

Quite a few good specific tips in the catalog for different species and I know they do have many of these on their website. They do get super busy this time of year so if you order, it won't ship out immediately. I don't know if this is a recent expansion for them but I just noticed this year they do have a lot of in-store seed kiosks. They are located in VA and have a ton of these there but also in select places across the Eastern US.

 

[VApatriot]

Here's the garden so far this year. Everything started from seed.

 

[Oldskewl]

Looking good! Need to get mine in the ground over the next week or so.

 

[NeilMac]

Nice!
Most of my stuff wiped out fro 0c temp one night couple days ago.

 

[VApatriot]

All the peppers and tomatoes were started indoors from seed. All open pollinated to facilitate saving seeds. Trying a bunch of different hatch chilies this year and six types of both hard, and soft neck garlic to figure out which grows best here in 'Sweet Home Alabama'. The snap peas should be ready for a first harvest soon, shelling peas not far behind.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

I've been resisting the urge to put my plants outside, as we're still getting temperatures below. Below 5° C once in awhile.

I put in some seeds in the garden for some plants that will take another week or two to germinate, plus some Frost resistant plants are out there already like lettuce, onions, garlic. Hops are about 2 ft tall, great buds will be opening in a few days, and fruit trees are in full bloom.

My peppers and tomatoes are looking great.
Garden beds are only about half done weeding, tilling, and having the drip irrigation reconfigured (we rotate most crops).

 

[corkybstewart]

This is my second year gardening in France, and again I'm battling the conventional wisdom. May 15 is the traditional "last freeze" date and most of my inlaws stick to it religiously. They think I'm nuts for planting so early but they are starting to accept that global climate change has rendered that traditional date useless. They will plant their tomatoes next weekend. I looked at long term forecasts from several weather sites and planted my tomatoes(and everything else) 2 weeks ago and already have tomatoes forming on several plants.
I tried starting my cayennes and Moroccan hot green chile from seeds I harvested last year, not a single one germinated so I'm back to buying plants at the nursery. I have planted espaulettes with the cayenne in hops of cross pollinating to make hotter espaulettes next year, but I need to figure out why these seeds won't germinate.
Another battle I've won here against CW is that carrots and beets don't do well. It just takes adding some sand to the soil to lighten it up. The family really enjoyed the beets and carrots that won't grow here last year

 

[Miraculix]

Spring time!

 

[hilljack13]

All the peppers and tomatoes were started indoors from seed. All open pollinated to facilitate saving seeds. Trying a bunch of different hatch chilies this year and six types of both hard, and soft neck garlic to figure out which grows best here in 'Sweet Home Alabama'. The snap peas should be ready for a first harvest soon, shelling peas not far behind.

Central AL here. I have had an issue with getting some scorpion peppers to germinate. I took them from plant in 2018. No other issues with any of my super hots.

Question. You plant tomatoes? I finally have some growing good, but still having a decent percentage of the the flowers dropping off. I am using a raised bed and pots.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Central AL here. I have had an issue with getting some scorpion peppers to germinate. I took them from plant in 2018. No other issues with any of my super hots.

Question. You plant tomatoes? I finally have some growing good, but still having a decent percentage of the the flowers dropping off. I am using a raised bed and pots.

I'm near Toronto. I didn't have any issue this year with my scorpions germinating.i harvested seeds from last year's plants and started 24 Trinidad scorpions and 24 ghost/Trinidad scorpions crosses. I had about 80% germinate. This was similar with my bhutlahs, malagueta, scotch bonnet, xxx, and fatalli peppers.
However I started 64 Carolina reaper and only 4 germinated, 0 of 24 naga viper, and 0 of 12 jalapeno.
No idea why I had such disparity between varieties.

 

[lumpher]

Question. You plant tomatoes? I finally have some growing good, but still having a decent percentage of the the flowers dropping off. I am using a raised bed and pots.

My tomatoes are going crazy. This year I just went with Sweet 100's and Beefsteaks due to so many things going on I only have time for a small garden. I'll start picking the cherry tomatoes this weekend. The Beefsteaks are growing good, but will be a while yet till they ripen. I also have jalapenos, which are starting to fruit. They usually produce in mid-Summer. I had to start with seedlings this year because I couldn't get the seeds to germinate, either. A lot of people seem to be having problems getting jalapenos started from seeds this year. My cucumbers germinated ok, but are growing very slowly; maybe too much rain.

 

[Jonakr]

We're in a lull on mini-bell peppers, but have been harvesting cherry and yellow bell tomatoes for a couple of weeks. Usually a small bowl full at a time, once or twice a week.

 

[hottpeper13]

In Wisconsin we can only grow hard neck garlic. I cut the scapes off before they straighten so i get a larger bulb. The scapes can be pickled, cut raw on a salad or used like green onions. I take 3/4 of them and put in a paper bag in the back of my kegerator and in Feb or Mar I pull them out and the flower end has little seeds without paper. So when the bulbs start to go green inside I have fresh garlic.

As for the pepper germination issue, I had the same problem and found that if I pick one of the first on the plant to form a large fruit and watch it till it is completely red and almost falling off, then hang it to dry naturally I get ~50% germination.

 

[Deadalus]

Try a seedling heating mat for your peppers, with a temp controller set to 85F. Peppers are a tropical plant and like it hot. They can be slow to germinate. Once sprouted, leave the mat set to about 55-60F for overnight lows if needed (like in a greenhouse). Let the soil be moist but not sitting in pooled water or waterlogged. When the top of the soil starts drying out I usually water. I am trying to note which species do better with a dryer cycle after sprouting. Cucumbers are one and marjoram another that I let get a little drier. Water from below and also the plants will start to droop if thirsty (although they will droop if waterlogged too because they can't breathe). Avoid the tendency to overwater.

Tomatoes are another species that benefit from the higher temp of 80-85F. I think I did my cucumbers at 85F too this year after seeing it mentioned somewhere. Most other species germinate well at 70-75F.

I forgot my phone yesterday or I'd have pics of the greenhouse. I need to start hardening off most everything I have started.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Try a seedling heating mat for your peppers, with a temp controller set to 85F. Peppers are a tropical plant and like it hot. They can be slow to germinate. Once sprouted, leave the mat set to about 55-60F for overnight lows if needed (like in a greenhouse). Let the soil be moist but not sitting in pooled water or waterlogged. When the top of the soil starts drying out I usually water. I am trying to note which species do better with a dryer cycle after sprouting. Cucumbers are one and marjoram another that I let get a little drier. Water from below and also the plants will start to droop if thirsty (although they will droop if waterlogged too because they can't breathe). Avoid the tendency to overwater.

Tomatoes are another species that benefit from the higher temp of 80-85F. I think I did my cucumbers at 85F too this year after seeing it mentioned somewhere. Most other species germinate well at 70-75F.

I forgot my phone yesterday or I'd have pics of the greenhouse. I need to start hardening off most everything I have started.

For me yea I've been doing all that for years. I have space for 12 11x22 seedling trays, all under LED grow lights that can be raised and lowered. There are heat mats under all of them and the greenhouse is kept at a minimum of 15C (about 60F) once the seeds are sown in early February. I water from below and do a flood/drain usually.
I think for the seeds with 0% or very low germination I might have cooked them last fall. I collected seeds from mature fruit on all my plants, then put them in a dehydrator set to around 95F for a few days, but perhaps it was still a bit too high for some of them. All my seeds were all in the dehydrator at the same time, but maybe these ones were closer to the fan or something.
Next year I'll just have a fan with no heat, or I'll keep some fruits frozen until the next spring and get the fresh seeds out.

 

[Deadalus]

For me yea I've been doing all that for years. I have space for 12 11x22 seedling trays, all under LED grow lights that can be raised and lowered. There are heat mats under all of them and the greenhouse is kept at a minimum of 15C (about 60F) once the seeds are sown in early February. I water from below and do a flood/drain usually.
I think for the seeds with 0% or very low germination I might have cooked them last fall. I collected seeds from mature fruit on all my plants, then put them in a dehydrator set to around 95F for a few days, but perhaps it was still a bit too high for some of them. All my seeds were all in the dehydrator at the same time, but maybe these ones were closer to the fan or something.
Next year I'll just have a fan with no heat, or I'll keep some fruits frozen until the next spring and get the fresh seeds out.

I don't save seeds for most things as I grow multiple varieties and don't have the space or the time to manage crosses. So I can't suggest much regarding your storage process. I also don't delve much into what I think is called breaking seed dormancy such as cold stratification unless I am having issues. I've had pretty decent germination with peppers though since I have implemented what I wrote above. They are so stingy with pepper seeds lately that I typically only put 1-2 seeds per cell and generally get 3-6 out of six germinated for peppers. No complete pepper failures that I can think of since getting my greenhouse set up properly. My gut feeling is that the seedling mats at the correct temperature are a primary factor to success for pepper germination and I often find people aren't using them. I didn't previously either. Then watering and light.

Since you had several species fail yet more than several species treated the same way, it would seem your dehydration treatment could be the culprit. What type of dehydrator, round stackable or square like an Excaliber? I dehydrate stuff, I have used both kinds. Both have different zones of heat and airflow, particularly stackable ones plus your flow would be further blocked by whatever you used to keep the seeds from falling through the trays. In addition I'd guess each species was clustered either on its own tray or in groups? I periodically rotate trays and break up clumpy food items using a pasta fork to provide better airflow. I have had food get moldy on low temps if airflow was restricted, tray overpacked and using a mat, as the moisture was slow to leave and the temp was still conducive to mild growth. It involved lentils.

 

[Deadalus]

Last freeze chance is tomorrow here. I need to start hardening these off. Peppers are still small but they'll get there.

Jalapenos, Fresnos, Habaneros, Paprika, & Bells.

 

[bleme]

I missed picking last week so harvested 53 artichoke!

 

[Agent]

With the actual garden still in its spring infancy, let's see what else is cooking.
The strawberries look ready to rip.

And the Rhubarb is thriving after the last two years of splitting and transplanting.

I pulled 15lbs of stalks for a batch of wine before I reached the third pictured 4x4. And I can barely even tell.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Finally getting some warm weather here, it's been so cold so far this spring.

 

[Oldskewl]

Same here. It has been in the 60s and low 70s. Today it is supposed to approach 90F. I planted my garden 3 weeks ago. It has not grown much. Your plants look further along than mine.

 

[corkybstewart]

The days are warm here, but the nights are cool so things are still growing slowly, except for the lettuce. I did get my first zukes today, and the cayennes are starting to turn orange. I ended up planting 48 assorted tomato plants, they are full of green tomato's but still a couple of weeks until the first one ripens. My wife made a quick ratatouille style dish with some tomatoes from last year and the zukes. One major disappointment was the spinach-it sprouted fast, but by the time the leaves were barely 3 inches long it bolted.