Bull Nose: A Pictorial Story of My Germination Part 1

I was separated from my siblings and taken from the seed packet that I had called home for the last several months.  A set of warm, soft hands placed me in a peat pot and covered me over with a thin layer of dirt.  My new home was moist, warm, and dark.  

For several weeks, I lay dormant, absorbing the warmth and moisture.  Finally, one day, my shell cracked open and my green stem popped out.  I began to reach for the light, and within 24 hours, I was able to lift my baby leaves upright.   

For the first time, I could see my surroundings!  I noticed that several of my sibling pepper seeds had been planted in peat pots, and were happily enjoying their first light too.  We were placed on a cart in a sunny window, with a bright grow light that hummed all day long.  I stretched my stem towards the light, reaching out to its rays.

Every few days, I was removed from my happy home and placed in a tray of tepid water.  When my peat pot was saturated, I was moved back to my cart.  I continued to soak up warmth and light. 

A little over a week later, I awoke one morning to find that my first set of true leaves had emerged!  And what beautiful leaves they were!  I admired myself in the reflection from the sunny window.  Soon, I would be big and strong, and ready to venture outside...

Starting Pepper Seeds

There's nothing filled with more hope and promise than the germination of a singular seed.  Spring is just a few short weeks away, and I am entrenched in the process of seed starting.  For a week now, my pepper seeds have been safely nestled in peat pots, as I anxiously await any sign that the seed is about to burst open with new life. 

I have tried a variety of seed starting methods over the past few years and by far, my favorite home for tiny seedlings is the Jiffy Seed Starting Peat Pellet.  I'll admit that part of my fancy with these pellets lies in my fascination as they balloon up to full-sized "pots" from a tiny, thin pellet.  So cool!  These pellets are practical, too.  I can very easily bottom water to keep them moist without disturbing the growing seedlings.  Now, it is necessary to obtain a container to set the wet pellets in, lest they drip water everywhere.  I have found that Styrofoam egg cartons are most efficient.  Not only do they cradle the pellets, preventing them from tipping or bumping one another, but they resist mold growth (unlike their cardboard brethren).  When I need to water my pellets, I soak them in an old 9x9 baking pan. 

This year, I am starting 12 each of Bull Nose and Lipstick peppers.  Last year I had terrible germination rates, so my expectations are low.  I will be thrilled if six of each kind produce tiny seedlings.  Last year, I hovered over my trays of seedlings for 15 days, searching for any sign that tiny life would be imminently emerging from the dormant seed.  Not one pepper from that batch germinated.  I started another small set in late March and got around 60 percent germination, but the peppers grew slowly and did not get as big as I had hoped before it was time to set them out in the garden.  I had to surround them with stakes to prevent the wind from carrying them away.

 

So here I am, starting week 2, and anxiously awaiting signs of germination...