Gardening Magazine

Potting-up Chilli Seedlings

By Mwillis
A few weeks ago when I sowed my chilli seeds, I put 6 seeds in each 5-inch / 15cm pot. Germination has been variable. In most cases it has been good (6 or 5 seeds germinated), but in one or two cases I have only had one germination. The pots with the 5s and 6s were getting crowded, so I realised that it was time to transplant the seedlings to individual pots.

Potting-up Chilli seedlings

This pot holds 5 seedlings - one of which is very small (bottom left)


This year I am trying to be "sensible" with my chillis and not grow too many, so there is no way I can keep ALL the seedlings. I decided for now to keep a maximum of 3 of each type, and discard the surplus. This is basically "One for me; one as a spare; and one to give away". So, I had to make a selection. I chose the best / strongest-looking seedling to be the one to keep, and this one got re-potted in the 5" pot. The next-best two seedlings were put into some of those tall thin Elmlea pots that I use.
Potting-up Chilli seedlings

The biggest advantage of the Elmlea pots is that although they are tall (allowing good long roots to develop) they are narrow, so I can fit lots of them in my Growlight House.
Potting-up Chilli seedlings

Even so, there are too many pots now, and they don't all fit inside the "House". These ones are on the outside, but in a position where they can still benefit from a high proportion of the electric light available.
Potting-up Chilli seedlings

The bad news is that there are loads more to come. Some of the seedlings are not yet big enough to transplant, so I will have to repeat this exercise in a week or so...
If things go according to plan, I will end up with about 12 (well, possibly 15) chilli plants. Some of the seeds I sowed have yet to germinate, so I can't be sure.

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