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It was far too windy to be working outside, so everything stayed under cover. But that didn’t stop things moving forward, because this is where a greenhouse really comes into its own.
The focus this week was checking on chilli and sweet pepper seeds that had been germinating using a very simple method, takeaway boxes and damp kitchen paper, all kept on a windowsill inside the house.
Now it’s time to see what worked, pot them on, and run a new test.
The Germination Method
All of the pepper seeds were started in takeaway containers, wrapped in damp tissue paper, and placed on a windowsill above a radiator.
No heat mats, no grow lights, no special setup.
Just natural light and a bit of background warmth.
The varieties I’ve been testing include:
- Padrón peppers
- Marconi Rosso (sweet)
- Joe’s Long Cayenne
- Red Cherry sweet peppers
- Sweet pepper ‘Virtue’
- Scorpion Gold
Potting On the Successful Seedlings
Once the seeds had sprouted, the strongest ones were carefully moved into pots filled with a coir and perlite mix.
This mix holds moisture well while still allowing good drainage, which is ideal for young seedlings.
The key when handling these tiny plants is to be gentle but not overly cautious. They’re more resilient than they look, as long as you don’t overwork them.
Each variety was labelled clearly, especially important when growing a mix of sweet and spicy peppers. The last thing you want is to mix those up later.
The Experiment: House vs Greenhouse
This is where things get interesting.
Half of the newly potted seedlings are going back inside onto the windowsill, where they first germinated.
The other half are being left inside the mini greenhouse within the main greenhouse.
The goal is simple, to see whether once germinated, peppers can continue growing in the greenhouse, or if they still need the extra warmth of being indoors.
The greenhouse plants are definitely weaker at this stage, but rather than waste them, they’ve become part of the experiment.
I’ve got a good idea what might happen, but as always, it’s better to test than assume.
Overwintered Peppers
While I was in the greenhouse, I also checked on the overwintered pepper plants.
They’re looking very woody, which is exactly what you’d expect after being kept dormant in a cold, dark space.
Now they’re back in the greenhouse, the question is whether they’ll come back to life.
Some will, some won’t, that’s always the gamble with overwintering. But if they do bounce back, they’ll have a huge head start on the season.
Reusing the Method for Tomatoes
Rather than waste anything, I reused the same damp tissue paper to start off some tomato seeds using the exact same method.
The varieties I’ve sown include:
- San Marzano 2
- Costoluto Fiorentino
- Red Cherry tomatoes
With longer daylight hours now, this simple method should continue to work well without needing additional equipment.
Keeping Things Moving
Even with the unpredictable March weather, things are starting to move.
Potatoes are already in buckets inside the greenhouse to protect them from frost, while carrots are out in containers, although today’s rain made that part hard to show.
This is that time of year where everything starts to overlap, winter crops, early sowings, and new experiments all happening at once.
What Happens Next
The next step is to track how these peppers perform.
- Do the indoor plants grow faster?
- Can the greenhouse ones catch up?
- Will the overwintered peppers come back strong?
Plenty of updates to come.
That’s the beauty of this time of year, lots of small experiments that build into the main growing season.
You can watch the full video here
https://youtu.be/zDTDZFbIjRk
And follow along for more updates on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@gardenandvine
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