Potting-up Chilli seedlings

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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