January-sown aubergines and peppers

REMF33 · 14 February

I thought I would experiment sowing aubergines and peppers very early this year. They all germinated but one month on, I now have rather legging seedlings. They have had as much light as there is at this time of year (south facing window sill with good light and they have been rotated once or twice a day) and they've been in a heated propogator the temperature of which I can control. Googling before I started suggested that temperatures below 15 would be bad and they should optimally be kept at 18-21C. They are leggy. I am pretty sure it's the temperature.
Has anyone else grown them in January and if so how have they gone about it?
Last year I sowed them on February 24th and used my usual method - taking them out of the propogator as soon as they'd germinated and then keeping them in the sitting room (floor to ceiling French windows). But the sitting room temperatures do dip below 15C in the night in January at least.
I might start again. The seedlings are not too too bad but not optimal. I should have grown two lots, for experimental purposes - one done the way I have done it and the other done the 'normal' way...
Only problem is I now have 6 month old cats so if they go in the sitting room, it will have to be with a lid, and even then...!

Fairygirl · 14 February

I don't sow anything before March

Light is always a problem, and the further north you are, the fewer the daylight hours at this time of year.
I refuse to use extra heat for anything when I can just wait until later on to sow them. If I want to grow anything that requires more warmth/protection than I can give it - ie would need greenhouse protection or similar through the summer, it's still not worth it until then, because the other problem is finding room as the plants grow as they have to stay indoors longer. For anything that can go outside through the main season, it's too early for that same reason - you can't get them outside early enough here, so plants just get leggy and etiolated.
It always comes down to your location and temps/conditions.

REMF33 · 14 February

Neither do I, apart from aubergines and peppers. They have to be the exception if you want a crop before late summer. They can't wait until March.
Keeping stuff in doors is a problem for me too. I start tomatoes late March and by the time nightime temps reach 15C in late May I have a jungle in my sitting room. But it's worth it. Aubergines and peppers don't get quite so big, at least.

Fairygirl · 14 February

Ah - that's fair enough re the timing. It'll always be difficult though, just because of that. I think you'd need a heated greenhouse, or similar, though - just for the light problem. Difficult with windowsills this early in the year. A conservatory would be ideal, but there's always the temp problem at night. My house is much colder than yours, most nights, so they'd have no chance!
My toms are usually started in mid to late March, but we really have to grow undercover anyway here, so they go out into the growhouse around mid May - as soon as overnight temps are in reasonably reliable double figs. I've grown one or two outdoors in the last couple of years as we've been getting very different [worrying] summer conditions. It isn't usually reliable enough - too wet and cold, and often daytime temps are only in low teens, so it's not great for them.
I hope you can get a result though. Experimenting is often the best way to go. It would be interesting to see if seed sown now would just catch up. It's why I rarely do sweet peas in autumn, as the spring sown ones usually do that.

REMF33 · 14 February

I think temperatures go down to no less than 14 at night at the back of the house (in the house), but that's still on the cold side for aubergines.

I wish I had approached this in a more scientific way...
I shall resow some (ones I can't buy) and stick them in the lean to (glass roofed, unheated but some heat from the house) with growlights I guess, in the heated propogator set to a lower temperature.
I suppose that's why I am asking though. If the temperature is the issue more than light (I am convinced that whenever I get leggy seedlings this is the main culprit) what temperature? I can't afford to screw up again.
Ideally I would have another 3 sets of seedlings. One with grow lights and heat, and other with heat but no grow lights, one with lights and not heat and possibly one with neither! (And maybe ones set at different temperatures.) But I am not feeling keen or energetic or time-rich enough to do this!

re toms, the year before last I started earlier thinking they could go into the (then new unheated) greenhouse but the temperatures in there at night are colder than they are outside, so I had to put up with the jungle for much longer in 2022.

Fairygirl · 14 February

i think that's always the big problem - knowing what the reason is for any difficulty.
As you say, if you had the time and energy to do a proper controlled experiment, it would give you a better idea, but it's never simple is it? Tomatoes certainly seem to need light more than heat, early in their life, from what I understand, but I've no idea if that's the case with peppers or aubergines, as I never grow them.
The other thing now is the compost you use. There's such variation in it, that people are unsure if that's causing bother with seedlings and young plants. It's why so many folk are now making their own mixes for various plants.
With toms, I only grow the cherry or plum types, so I don't know if that makes a difference with temps etc too. I only have a small growhouse, up against my house wall, but they seem to manage well enough once I get them out there. It's always a bit of juggling with ventilation and warmth until they're growing well though. Mine are usually quite a good size when they go in there, which probably helps. I treat 'em mean too, so perhaps that also makes a difference.

REMF33 · 14 February

I've not had a problem with tomatoes (touch wood...) apart from some dying on me because of possibly contaminated compost.
They are germinated in a heated propagator in the house, removed and put in the sitting room when germinated, they then graduate to the kitchen window sill (sunny) and eventually some go in the lean to with grow lights to boost the light coming from the glass roof. They end up back in the sitting room if/when they get to taller than a foot, then are hardened off and put outside.
I imagine some of this is overkill/mollycoddling!
Aforementioned mischievous 'kittens' may call for a new plan or even abandonment this year. Tomato leaves are toxic for cats, apparently, but I don't know if they are plant nibblers yet, as I have been equally cautious with them! Both and their mother have free rein of outside for the first time in their lives today

(More like free rain

)

Compost is a conundrum, sadly. I can't afford Sylvagro in the quantities I use. I do usually buy expensive seed compost as I mentioned in another thread, but used bog standard multipurpose to sow the current seedlings' seeds in. I can't produce enough to make my own mix and that would be equally hit and miss in the first couple of years. That's the problem with gardening in the UK, at least. If you mess up it can be a long wait until the next trial.

Fairygirl · 14 February

I only use multi purpose for sowing at this time of year. Seed compost is mainly for autumn sowing because it has low nutrient levels, and is therefore idal for thet time of year because you don't want the seedlings/young plants getting too big over winter.
I often just use the spent compost from the previous year's annuals or something similar to start seed off. Toms are just done in trays with lids on the kitchen windowsills, and the lids are removed once they come through. It has a radiator under the bigger window, but it's south east facing, so if there's a sunny day it can get too hot, but I can then pull the blinds down ,or do a bit of shuffling around. The radiator isn't on much though, by that time of year, and mainly before the sun would be high enough, and later in the afternoon/early evening, so that's a good balance. They stay there, being potted on, until they go out in the g'house. That works fine for me, and we get plenty of fruit from around 3 or 4 plants.
The biggest problem for me is room, especially if I have other things sown too - like Ipomoea or the sweet peas etc, but I can move the latter to another room if needed, as a slow germination is better for them anyway. When I had a conservatory in a previous house, it was easier to have lots of tomatoes, but it's that old thing about adapting to your circumstances.
This gardening lark isn't as easy as folk think, is it?

Nanny Beach · 18 February

Normally I have sown my peppers, tomatoes, aubergine by now (Covid, with a puppy,and just had surgery Friday,way behind) I gave up using a heated propagator for this reason,leggy seedlings. Mine are sown in a north facing kitchen window
Quarter size seed trays. MPC or JI seed compost. They are turned however at least 4 times a day. At the kitchen sink....turn the trays. Honestly, just read through, blasted phone has changed so many words!

Fairygirl · 18 February

There's an easy solution to that @Nanny Beach - undo autocorrect!

Nanny Beach · 18 February

Hi Fairy, but the phone ain't correct 😔

January-sown aubergines and peppers

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