Kitchen Garden Forum

I would welcome you comments on my plans for growing chillis & other seeds using a cold frame.

Last year I started chilli & pepper seeds in shed west facing window late March. Got them growing ok until I put them outside when the sun came out & left out all night without protection.

This year I’m thinking of starting seeds off on a north facing windowsill in bedroom in February then moving them to a cold frame. Thinking of lining the cold frame bed with straw unless a better alternative is suggested.

Then move them into a grow bag size plastic frame west against fence facing west.

Hi Colin

When are you thinking of putting them in the cold frame? I wouldn't consider it until they are proper little bushy chilli plants, potted on a couple of times & agree with insulating it, and if we have a terrible cloudy spring maybe a bit of reflective material. In general nothing too small to go in as there is a far range of temperature reached (depending on the location), which little plants would succumb to.

Westi

Thanks for your comments Westi.

Timing is difficult the idea of using the cold frame is so I don’t have loads of potted plants on the window sill. Last year I had them on bench in shed so was thinking the gold frame would be better as would get more light & be protected from wind. Would putting them in the cold frame on sunny days and bringing them into the shed at night be a better solution?

Thanks for the reflective material tip, Westi.

You could invest in a high / low thermometer and test the cold frame & the shed Colin. Definitely good for them to have good light & wind protection. In & out is indeed the game when hardening off the wee plants, and it is a pain having them on the window sills & turning them around all the time.

Hi Colin,

I am also limited on space. My Chillies will be started off in the bedroom windowsill (east facing) in late Feb. And will eventually go into a raised coldframe, but not until it gets much much warmer. Due to holidays, I put the picantos straight in the allotment at the end of May last year and they absolutely flourished! The rest were left in the cold frame and also did well.

I keep potting on the chillies but have found those in small pots do as well in the large. Always interested about this - what are people's experience with chillies and final pot size?

Thanks

Pawty

My seeds haven't sprouted yet, still in the heated propagator in the conservatory, they will stay in the connie in an unheated prop once they start. I will pot them on from their modules once/if they germinate and won't go into the greenhouse until end of March at the earliest.

We usually start seeds off in the aldi trays with the plastic tops these we leave on the conservatory floor what bit of sun there is our conservatory gets it, this year we have our grandsons sheep dog living with us so I think I will have to leave the planting for a few weeks then start everything off in the pollytunnel