The 2024 Season
The 2024 season is underway, check the progress below. They are all habaneros again this year as I have most success with them. Click the images for a bigger version.
Fresh seeds, dried for months, now brought back to life with an overnight soaking.Using old supermarket meat trays, carefully spacing the seeds on damp kitchen paper. If they are bunched together, the roots bind and are hard to separate.77 seeds in each trayAnother layer of damp kitchen paper and they are ready to go.I've read conflicting views about dark vs. light for germination so I thought I would try for myself. I clamped the trays together to reduce evaporation and put them on the window sill. Green gingers crossed!As it is January, a heat mat provides a constant warm temperature.These new starter trays look promising.Tools supplied.Very tidy.And built-in LED grow lights, with a timer!Light for 12 hours per day and heat 24/7Taps Aff!Looking good!A little too much heat has resulted in dried soil and dead seedlings!Luckily I had some fresh habs to take some new seeds from.Straight into the soil with these as the cases should already be soft. This has slowed the process but there should be plenty of time for them to develop.As good as the LEDs are, you can't beat real sunlight!Coming on strong.A bit slower than usual but racing along now that spring is here.Time to replant a few into a bigger pot. Not quite warm enough for outdoors at night yet though.Into the big pots for bigger roots.Looking healthy.Three in a pot should be fine.
Not as many as I had hoped but they are very healthy.
Looking good in September.
The first one ripened almost overnight. The plants are still looking healthy and strong, I think the feeding works wonders.
Bush!
Super strong plants with chillies busting out everywhere.
Hotter than July!
First hab of the season!
The plants are exploding now and look incredibly healthy.
Nice!
Secret weapons deployed.
Apparently, spraying the leaves with Aspirin toughens them up against pests. Worth a try.
I'm adding decent fertilizer now that the buds have started. Essential.
I measured the soil PH. 6.5 is perfect for chillies.
Darling buds of May!
Looking healthy.
Bursting with life.
Trebled in size in just two weeks.
I expect buds soon.
Mid-May growth is amazing
Quite happy with the outcome, they seem to do the job.
I made these cold frames to protect the outdoor plants. Happy with the 'handles' / ventilation holes that I 3D printed.
May 2024 - the indoor plants are doing really well. I had to give the soil some Neem oil mixture to cut down the amount of soil gnats that have appeared.
Three in a pot should be fine.
Looking healthy.
Into the big pots for bigger roots.
Time to replant a few into a bigger pot. Not quite warm enough for outdoors at night yet though.
A bit slower than usual but racing along now that spring is here.
Coming on strong.
As good as the LEDs are, you can't beat real sunlight!
Straight into the soil with these as the cases should already be soft. This has slowed the process but there should be plenty of time for them to develop.
Luckily I had some fresh habs to take some new seeds from.
A little too much heat has resulted in dried soil and dead seedlings!
Looking good!
Taps Aff!
Light for 12 hours per day and heat 24/7.
And built-in LED grow lights, with a timer!
Very tidy.
Tools supplied.
These new starter trays look promising.
As it is January, a heat mat provides a constant warm temperature.
I've read conflicting views about dark vs. light for germination so I thought I would try for myself. I clamped the trays together to reduce evaporation and put them on the window sill. Green fingers crossed!
Another layer of damp kitchen paper and they are ready to go.
77 seeds in each tray.
Using old supermarket meat trays, carefully spacing the seeds on damp kitchen paper. If they are bunched together, the roots bind and are hard to separate.
Fresh seeds, dried for months, now brought back to life with an overnight soaking.

The 2023 season was a disaster. My seeds didn't develop and I left it way too late for the Scotch Bonnett plants that I bought. The summer was over by the time they started to ripen.

The 2022 season much better and I tried a lot of different varieties. Photos can be seen here.