March - Germinating Seeds

Well today is the 19th March and I'm finally off and running!! I must admit Im a little slow off the mark this year. You should aim to start your seeds around 6 weeks before the last frost in your area. If you haven't started your seeds by now don't worry. In 2004, I didn't start some seeds until June and still had lots of tasty chiles before the year was out.

To germinate, Chile seeds need a number of things. A bottom heat source, moisture and a light/air rich soil are perhaps the most important. Click here for further information.



To achieve these aims, this year I have again used my faithful 'chileman soil mix' which comprises of 3 parts seed compost, 1 part sandy loam soil, 1 part Perlite and 1 part Vermiculite. I also added warm water to heat up the mix and provide some moisture.

I must also confess to being a bit lazy this year and have succumb to the temptation of trying some 'ready made' peat free pockets from the local garden centre. I've never used these before and all you have to do is add water! These should be an interesting 'experiment', well that's my excuse!!


A couple of cheap propagators and an old electric blanket complete the set up.