I've grown a number of different chilli varieties this summer & have just picked a selection of ripe fruits. I'm too busy to save & sort the respective seeds for sowing next year right now and wonder whether, if I freeze the fruit whole & collect the seeds when they've thawed through whether they will still germinate?
Has anybody successfully done this? I know some plants need seeds to endure a period of cold to germinate successfully but unsure about chillies & peppers.
Freezing chilli seeds
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alan refail
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Hi Primrose
I would say: No. Some useful explanations here
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/in ... 028AACScBv
Why not keep one of each out of the freezer and take the seeds when you use them? If you have not kept the individual varieties isolated from each other the chances are high that they will have been cross-pollinated anyway.
Information from Real Seeds
Sweet peppers and chillies are both members of the same species, Capsicum annuum (some less common chillies come from other capsicum species).
Pepper flowers are self pollinating, and will set fruit without any insect activity. However, they will also cross readily, and sweet peppers will happily cross with chillies. You need to isolate your plants by around 150 feet (50 metres) from any other peppers or chillies growing nearby. Even if you are only growing one variety be careful about other varieties growing in adjacent gardens or allotments.
If you want to grow several varieties, or if your near neighbours are also growing peppers, you could consider making an isolation cage to cover 3 or 4 plants. This is easy to do, and costs very little, especially if you can get hold of some old net curtain material. You can put a cage up over plants grown in pots, growbags or directly in the ground.
To save the seed, take peppers on your isolated plants which have ripened fully to their final colour (usually yellow or red). Cut the peppers open carefully, and rub the seeds gently off of the 'core' onto a plate. Wear rubber gloves to deseed chillies, as the chilli oil sticks to your fingers and is very hard to wash off. Dry the seeds in a warm but not hot place until they snap rather than bending
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html
I would say: No. Some useful explanations here
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/in ... 028AACScBv
Why not keep one of each out of the freezer and take the seeds when you use them? If you have not kept the individual varieties isolated from each other the chances are high that they will have been cross-pollinated anyway.
Information from Real Seeds
Sweet peppers and chillies are both members of the same species, Capsicum annuum (some less common chillies come from other capsicum species).
Pepper flowers are self pollinating, and will set fruit without any insect activity. However, they will also cross readily, and sweet peppers will happily cross with chillies. You need to isolate your plants by around 150 feet (50 metres) from any other peppers or chillies growing nearby. Even if you are only growing one variety be careful about other varieties growing in adjacent gardens or allotments.
If you want to grow several varieties, or if your near neighbours are also growing peppers, you could consider making an isolation cage to cover 3 or 4 plants. This is easy to do, and costs very little, especially if you can get hold of some old net curtain material. You can put a cage up over plants grown in pots, growbags or directly in the ground.
To save the seed, take peppers on your isolated plants which have ripened fully to their final colour (usually yellow or red). Cut the peppers open carefully, and rub the seeds gently off of the 'core' onto a plate. Wear rubber gloves to deseed chillies, as the chilli oil sticks to your fingers and is very hard to wash off. Dry the seeds in a warm but not hot place until they snap rather than bending
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)