February 28, 2005
YOUR BEST CHANCES FOR GETTING THOSE CHILE SEEDS GERMINATED... QUICKLY.
Spring is coming. Not soon enough, but it is coming. I like to get the longest possible growing season for my chile plants, and the best way to do THAT is to get your seedlings started as early as realistically possible. I grow almost all of my chile plants new from seed every year. Now, of course, come end of September if I've fallen in love with a particular plant that's in a smallish pot, a variety that easily pollinates, I'll winter a plant or two indoors. But everything else is left outdoors and dies with the first Chicago frost. Which means that everything gets started from scratch in every spring. Call it the "circle of life" if it needs a name. I call it "realistic".
Chile seeds can be difficult to germinate (habaneros being among the most stubborn). Patience is key. Let me say that one more time: Chile seeds can be difficult to germinate, patience is key. You may or may not have read quite a few "tricks" and "tips" to germinating chile seeds - some quite simple, others insanely complex - but I'm here today to share with you the secret to chile seed germination success: your clothes dryer. Hold that thought.
Right around this time of year, I take a careful look through Pepper Joe's chile seed catalog. (Full disclosure: I have no affiliation with Pepper Joe at all other than the fact that I'm a very satisfied repeat customer.) He publishes a chile seed catalog full of interesting and exotic chiles, and every February I pick out three to five different varieties that I want to try in the upcoming year. Then I place my order on his web site, and in about a week I've got my seeds. He's as reliable as clockwork when it comes to shipping, and I've had 95-100% germination rates with every batch of seeds I've bought from him.
Once you have your seeds, then you need something to plant them in. I use these nifty little pods called Jiffy pellets, usually in a Jiffy Greenhouse. Jiffy pellets are small disks of compressed peat moss encased in fine netting. Just add water. What I like about them is that when you're ready to transplant seedlings into containers you just plant the entire Jiffy pellet; the roots will grow right through the mesh. No fuss, no mess. The Jiffy Greenhouse 10 is a simple little domed plastic tray formed to hold two rows of five Jiffy pellets. There are larger Jiffy Greenhouses, but I find the Jiffy 10 to be the perfect size to fit on the windowsill when the seedlings have popped up. These mini-greenhouses are very inexpensive (just a couple of bucks) and come with 10 pellets. I've also used just pellets in a Pyrex dish covered with Saran Wrap. Either way, the idea is to create a greenhouse effect by trapping in moisture and heat.
Now before we get started planting you need to know that chile seeds need only two things to germinate: moisture and heat. Seeds DO NOT need sunlight to germinate. Why would they? The seeds are buried, right? So if you're starting your seeds while its still cold outside it would be a mistake to put them on a windowsill next to a cold window thinking that they need sunlight. They don't. But they DO need to be kept warm (not roasted). And moist (not drenched).
Here's how I get them going:
1. Prep the Jiffy pellets in the Jiffy greenhouse by putting a pellet in each slot and covering them with water. Alternatively, place several pellets in a Pyrex dish and cover with water. You'll see the pellets start to expand as the compressed peat moss starts to soak up the water. The pellets will expand to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches high. Add more water if needed, but when the pellets stop expanding be sure to discard any remaining water.
2. Put 2-3 seeds in each damp Jiffy pellet. This is just a matter of playing the odds. In the best case scenario, both or all three seeds will germinate. If not, then you're likely to get at least one germination in each pellet. (IMPORTANT: Don't forget to make a diagram of what seeds you've sown in what pellets!!! If you're growing more than one variety you're going to want to know what chile plant is what... because different types of chile plants can use slightly different kinds of TLC for maximum harvest yields.) Using a toothpick or similar thin item gently poke the seeds down about a quarter of an inch into the peat moss and gently cover with peat moss. No need to pack it down. Keep it loose so that the seedlings don't have too much of a hard time poking up through the surface. Once all of your seeds are in, cover your greenhouses (with domes if you're using a Jiffy greenhouse, with Saran Wrap if you're using a Pyrex dish).
3. Put the greenhouses on top of your clothes dryer while you do a couple of loads of laundry. Yup, you read that right. On top of the clothes dryer. Up until two years ago I used to put my greenhouses on top of a simple heating pad that I bought at Walgreen's. This approach worked well in terms of germination percentages, but I was never really comfortable leaving a heating pad running while I slept or if I was away from home. So two years ago I tried just jumpstarting my germination by leaving my greenhouses on top of the clothes dryer while Wendy, my lovely significant other, did laundry. Result:100% germination the first year with most seedlings breaking the surface within five days. So I tried it again last year. Result: 100% germination with most seedlings breaking the surface within five days. Even the habaneros! I'm not sure why, but it seems like the laundry dryer generates a perfect amount of heat to get those temperamental habanero seeds to pop. So guess where I'll be jumpstarting my germination again this year?
NEXT TIME - Only the strongest survive: Nurturing them from germination to seedlings
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