Growing Seedlings Of Peppers, Tomatoes And Eggplants

2023 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 05:47

Good seedlings - great harvest

Eggplants, peppers and tomatoes are heat-loving plants. In our natural conditions, the fruits of these plants can be obtained only by pre-growing seedlings. I grow it on the windowsill.

Such different tomatoes

Growing seedlings of eggplants and peppers

I sow eggplant and pepper seeds in the second decade of February. With earlier sowing, the seedlings stretch out, outgrow, and take root worse when transplanted.

You can sow seeds of peppers and eggplants in the first decade of March, but then you need to provide the seedlings with additional illumination. For these purposes, I use fluorescent lamps. I only grow early and medium peppers and eggplants. The growing season for early varieties is up to about 120 days, for mid-season varieties - up to 140 days, but it should also be borne in mind that it is difficult to create optimal conditions for the full development of plants in an apartment on a windowsill, therefore, due to unfavorable conditions, the growing season of such plants will be longer …

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I prepare the soil for seedlings in the fall: 1 part of peat or ready-made soil mixture from the store, 1 part of the land from the garden and 1 part of humus. Until February, this soil is stored on the balcony. Before sowing seeds, I steam this mixture in the oven at + 60 ° C for half an hour. I process the seeds in a dark cherry solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes, then rinse them with clean water and soak them for a day in melt (snow) water. Such water eliminates the action of inhibitors that inhibit plant growth, as a result, the emergence of seedlings of tightly germinating seeds, in particular, pepper and eggplant, is noticeably accelerated. It is also useful to water seedlings with such water.

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Seedling eggplant

For the subsequent treatment of the seeds, I use the growth regulators "Zircon" or "Epin". But here it is very important to observe the dosage of the drugs, otherwise the opposite effect will turn out. After processing with melt water, the seeds are kept in a solution of "Zircon" or "Epin" for no more than an hour. The swollen seeds can now be sown.

I grow most of the peppers and eggplants without picking. The roots of these plants are weak and their regeneration (restoration) is very slow. In separate cups with moist soil, I sow two pre-processed seeds of plants to a depth of 0.5 cm (later I remove the weaker plant in development), cover it with a film and put it closer to warmth. At a temperature of + 20 ° C … + 25 ° C, seedlings appear on the 5-7th day, at lower temperatures - only on the 20th day, at a temperature of less than + 13 ° C, plant growth stops. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, the first 3-4 days after sowing the seeds, I maintain the temperature at + 25 ° C … + 28 ° C, for the next 3-4 days I lower the temperature in the daytime to + 16 ° C … + 18 ° C, at night - to + 12 ° C … + 14 ° C.

Peppers and eggplants are sensitive to a lack of moisture, so I water them abundantly, and for the prevention of diseases (black leg) I spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate once a week. I feed the seedlings when 2-3 (real) leaves appear on the plants and two weeks before planting in the ground, I use Kemira complex fertilizers for this.

Pepper and eggplant are short day plants. They thrive best when grown under a 12-hour day and good light.

Due to the lack of space in the garden, I grow only two beds of peppers and two eggplants. Therefore, I select the varieties especially carefully. These are the varieties of eggplants "Alekseevsky", "Almaz", "Violet Miracle", but for each season I choose and always sow a new variety. For example, last year I chose the Korean variety "Myn-Din" - very early, unpretentious, with large fruits, it is considered one of the best varieties for the northern regions.

I select varieties of peppers taking into account consumption. For salads - this is the Californian miracle variety, for stuffing - the Gogoshary variety - with a piquant bitterness and the Golden Bowl. In recent years, I have grown aromatic peppers that can be dried and used as a seasoning (paprika). Here I chose the varieties “Sweet Paprika” and “Sweet Dragon”.

Growing tomato seedlings

I spread the seeds on the surface

and cover them with a layer of earth

Tomatoes also belong to the group of heat-loving crops. When growing tomato seedlings, I use the same methods as when growing peppers and eggplants. But unlike the crops mentioned above, I grow tomatoes in containers with a subsequent pick. I level the earth in the container, moderately moisturize and slightly compact. I don't make any grooves. I spread the swollen seeds on the surface of the earth in rows, pour a layer of soil 0.5 cm on top, compact it and water it carefully. When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, I dive (transplant) the seedlings into separate cups.

For tomatoes, the decisive factor in obtaining high yields is not the length of the day, but the intensity of the light. The more intense the illumination, the faster the fruiting occurs and the higher the yield, so I also illuminate the tomato seedlings with fluorescent lamps.

I sow early ripe tomato varieties in early March, and my favorite variety is De Barao at the end of February. I have been growing this variety for over 10 years. It is one of the best canning varieties. Its skin is thin, but since the pulp is dense, it does not crack when preserved. It is also good fresh, for salads. These tomatoes keep well. In the open field, with good care, up to 10 kg of fruits can be harvested from one bush. Those gardeners who grow this variety in a greenhouse claim that they collect up to 30 kg from a bush!

Seedlings of tomatoes

Cultivation of the De-Barao variety has its own characteristics. It requires a more nutritious potting mix for both seedlings and wells. Tomato variety "De Barao" - a tall plant, so it must be tied to stakes. When I reach a height of 1.5–2 meters, I pinch the plant and remove all lateral shoots. This variety is resistant to phytophthrosis, undemanding to growing conditions. Tomato bears fruit until frost. In addition to the red De Barao variety, I grow the same variety with pink and yellow fruits. They are all fruitful, plum-shaped and very sweet in taste.