When we decided to buy a garden my husband started to collect chilli and pepper seeds. I planted all those seeds, and almost all of them sprouted, so I ended up with about 500 tiny seedlings. I wanted to replant only the strongest ones, but he was feeling sorry for those that I would throw away and was annoying me with that until I gave up and replanted all of them. Our home looked like a jungle!
Taking care of those seedlings took all my free time. We couldn't even go on vacation in spring because we didn't have anyone who we could ask to water such a huge amount of plants.
In May, I planted 100 peppers and 96 chilli plants in the garden. There were still way too many plants left, so I turned our balcony into a jungle too. Luckily, we could give the rest of the plants to our fellow gardeners. My husband understood that we really didn't need that many plants and accepted that we should only plant the strongest seedlings instead.
I know I've said that it took all my free time, but in the end we had such a colourful harvest that it was actually all worth it. This is approximately how many peppers we brought home at last twice a week.
This photo was used in one of my previous posts.
This year, we will only have the green and the red peppers, and some chillies. Also, the quantity will be much smaller 😊
I was waiting for the green peppers to sprout for so long that I've started worrying if they will come out at all. And they did! As soon as they grow the second part of leaves they need to be replanted to bigger pots for more nutrients.
I have planted 80 chilli seeds, and I'm almost certain that all of them sprouted. The majority will be planted in the garden later on, but some of them I will put on the balcony again. It's so convenient to have fresh produce right out of the balcony door.
Red peppers are much faster than the green ones. They were a bit leggy already, so I have replanted them a couple of days ago.
Let's replant them together!
Last year, I took all the milk cartons that we had at home and cut them in half. I used both parts because there were too many plants, but the part with the lid was leaking, so it was not ideal. We stored them all in the garden and this year I'm using the bottom part only. It's about 500 ml which is enough for now, but I will need to start fertilizing in about a month.
I've used the same potting mixture that I used for my tomato seedlings and a new chopstick as I broke my old one when I was repotting my interior plants.
I filled the pots with the potting mixture, made two deep holes with the chopstick and placed a seedling in each of the holes. I've learned to always plant two seedlings in one pot, although I have no idea why. This is how we always did it at home. I guess that they can lean on each other and don't need a stick for support.
Let's see a few more...
And we're done with the first batch!
They have such a strong root system for such small seedlings. It's a bit complicated to get them out of the container, so I'm using a chopstick and a spoon to make sure not to damage them.
And another batch is ready!
At some point I run out of the milk containers, so I've used plastic cups instead. Don't worry, these are not new! I've been using them for various things for several years.
And then I run out of the plastic cups too 😊 Luckily, I have plenty of large planters at home, and I used one of them for most of the chilli seedlings. It might look like they don't have enough space, but the planter is deep, so they can develop the roots well. Also, I will fertilize them later.
And this is the result! I put all of them in front of the balcony door. I will water them once a week at the beginning, and then more when it gets warmer and sunnier.
Do you remember that I replanted tomato seedlings last week?
Look how fast they grow!
I keep turning the pots every day, so that they don't become leggy when they reach for the sun.
Some of them are already quite big, so I have put a stick in each pot to support them because I'm afraid they would fall over during Easter when we won't be here for 4 days.
There is a little bit of mold on the soil, but it's not a problem. It was cold for a few days, so I didn't open the window in that room for air circulation. They are too small for such changes in the temperature. I will move the soil a bit with a stick, and the mold will disappear in a few days.
I have more than we actually need, but I will share what we won't use with our friends.
I hope your spring preparations of the garden are going well too 😊
Happy planting!
See you next time!
So many plants! I can imagine you using all this homegrown and fresh produce for your restaurant. Then I realize that you wouldn't have time to grow the garden and run the restaurant! Love the garden updates.
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Wow, what an impressive pepper garden! It's incredible to see your chronicles of planting and caring for these peppers from the very beginning. Your dedication and enthusiasm are inspiring, especially considering the vast number of plants you've cultivated.