So far ive planted:

1. explosive ember
2. fisus blue
3. orange habenero
4. sweet pepper
5. fish chilli
6. violette cayenne
7. golden cayenne
8. satans kiss
9. dorset naga
10. peter pecker pepper
11. chilli fuego
12. mystery pepper
13. hot portugal
14. hidalgo

i also plated, the following non chilli seeds

1. courgette taxi f1 (yellow)
2. cucumber telepathy
3. cucumber crystal lemon
4. cucumber telegraph
5. Random melon seed
6. meteor peas
7. early peas
8. tomato eva purple
9. beams yellow pear tomato
10. chocolate cherry tomato
11. black tomato
12. hawiian currant tomato
13. white gem parsnip
14. gladiator parsnip

ive stuck a couple of pics of the process below, these are also in my germinating guide post.

There are many different ways of germinating seeds I’m going to cover just 2.

Many people as when they should sow their seeds, again its totally up to you and your location, I tend to start mine at the end of January or the beginning of February, this way i end up with lots chills all the way up to the end of October.

One thing to remember is that some seeds take longer to germinate than others and unfortunately some fail to germinate.

Method 1: In a propagator or windowsill greenhouse

There are lots of types of propagator, ranging from cheap unheated ones, to mid range heated ones all the way up to thermostat controlled ones. They all do the same job in more or less the same way, by keeping the chilli seeds at a constant ambient temperature.

I tend to use a cheap heated propagator, more info on it can be found here

Once you have your propagator, seeds and some compost its as simple as 1,2,3….

1. Fill propagator with compost, water it.
2. Place 1 seed in each section a few mm under the surface and label each row.
3. Place the cover on the propagator, place in a light place and turn on (if using a heated one)

Then all you have to do is wait, make sure you keep the soil fairly moist but not too damp, once you have a seedling that is a few cm tall you are ready for part 3 of the Chilli Up North growing guide.

Method 2:  On damp kitchen paper

This method is also quite handy especially if you don’t have a propagator.

1. Firstly dampen some kitchen paper, then put your seeds on the paper and fold it up into a little parcel.
2. Place in  a plastic zip lock back and place in a warm place…the airing cupboard is idea.
3. Check on a regular basis to make sure that the kitchen towel doesn’t dry out and to see if they have germinated.
4. Once your seeds have sprouted, they need to be carefully transferred to some soil, i tend to use cheap plastic drinks cups, filled with compost.
5. Place the new containers in a warm light place. You can also cover the tops of them with bags to form a mini greenhouse.

You are then ready for part 3 of the Chilli Up North Growing Guide.

Germinating Tips and Tricks:

I can’t promise 100% success with germination but the following tips should help improve your chances.

• Don’t sow your seeds too deep, The seed will use all of its energy and die before it breaks the surface of the soil
• Don’t over water, seeds can soon rot if they are too wet, if using a propagator its worth wiping condensation off the lid once in a while.
• Do use fresh compost, old compost is likely to contain bugs or have lost its nutrients.
• If you find your seedlings leaning in one direction either rotate them or place foil behind them to reflect the light.
• Soak your seeds for a few minutes before sowing to help soften the seed. Not too long though you don’t want to rot them

Improving Germination

Some people (and companies) try to speed up the germination process or increase the chances of a successful germination by using chemicals or peeling off the outer seed casing. I’ve never really experimented with either method as i think half the fun is the anticipation of when and how many seeds will germinate. Although i do sometimes soak my seeds in water for a few mins before sowing.

[[Show as slideshow]]

There are loads of different ones on the market ranging from £8 up to £100′s, they come in all different shapes and sizes and with lots of different functions. I tend to prefer the simpler ones as they are cheap and there is less to go wrong with them.

I currently have 2 different propagators, A home made one that consists of a standard window sill greenhouse that was £2 and a heat mat i had left over from keeping reptiles. I’ve been using it for a couple of years with lots of success.

The second is an 8 watt 38cm B+Q heated propagator that ive not used yet but its much the same as my home made one.

I find the easiest way to get the seeds going is to seperate the propagator up using a seed tray filled with compost then place 1 seed in each section, this makes it easier to prick out the seedlings and transfer them to their next pot as the roots don’t tend to get tangled. If you are careful when pricking out you can also use the seed trays again.

Below are a couple of pics, one of my home made prop without its lid on, and the other is of the B+Q one. As you can see the heatmat doesn’t quite fit on the window sill (oops)

Also to prevent the chillis going leggy and leaning too much , i rotate the propagator reqularly.

Home made heated propagator