Started the garden

Bored, so I put 20 pepper seeds in starter soil. Believe there called sweet Margaret Hungarian peppers.

Attachments:

1. 

   IMG_20180221_195933802.jpg
   

Dang! I ordered seeds yesterday, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

I tried last year to do grow
Peppers, tomatoes and squash early for garden planting but failed miserably. I don’t think they got enough sun so I think a grow light is needed for light and heat. I kept them near a sliding Glass door to get them most sun but my addition gets down to 62 to 63° without the fireplace during the day so I’m wondering if that was too cold.

Can I consider this the first sign of spring?

Dutchboy wrote:

Can I consider this the first sign of spring?

sure! right after the snow storm Thursday night and Friday!;

glenn57 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Can I consider this the first sign of spring?

sure! right after the snow storm Thursday night and Friday!;

I’m out of town. What qualifies as a storm? State wide? Anything over a dusting and I might not come back.

according to the wedder morjits an inch!!!!! but there currently talking 3-5!!!!!!!!!!

I now germinate all my pepper seeds in a warm place near a heat vent in folds of wet paper towel until the radicle emerges, then plant into soil. It speeds the sprouting and allows a uniform stand of transplants of each pepper variety. Peppers germinate slowly and erratically @ temps under 75 degrees.

I planted 8 kinds last week and will have them in pots by Monday, a few were popped this morning.

Attachments:

1. 

   20180222_080547.jpg
   

How do you keep paper towels wet by a heat vent? Do you need to ever add any water to the bags?

The zip lock sandwich baggies are mostly sealed and sitting on a serving tray, so warm air isn’t directly hitting the moist paper towel. I also use a spray bottle to mist them if they look a bit dry as I check for germination.

Fyi, this method works great for peppers, but IMO is not worthwhile for tomatoes. The tomato root splits too quickly and grows into the paper towels, making it difficult to pick the initiated seeds out of the paper towel to plant. Tomatoes also tend to germinate more quickly and uniformly, so it’s not as helpful a trick.

______________ wrote:

The zip lock sandwich baggies are mostly sealed and sitting on a serving tray, so warm air isn’t directly hitting the moist paper towel. I also use a spray bottle to mist them if they look a bit dry as I check for germination.

The zip loc baggie works, but wrapping the paper towel in aluminum foil helps prevent fungal growth.

I’m starting my peppers and tomatoes this weekend. Menards has great prices on Burpee Seeds right now so I grabbed my beans, beet and carrot seeds this morning.

Just ordered (15) red raspberry plants, (12) triple crown blackberry plants, (4) elderberry bushes, (6) blueberry bushes, (6) apple trees & (75) strawberry plants…bring on the warm weather so I can get some fencing and then planting done!

I’ve used a waterbed heater in the past to warm the soil. Grow lights help a ton but can get it done with sunlight.

Fishwater….have you ever done this for squash or cucumbers? Great crop of butternuts last and eventually peeled them, cooked and then froze them. So convenient for dinners.