Pepper plants @ 15 days under grow lights

All growing well and none of the straggly plant
problems I used to have in the past.

Pepper seedling growlight progress

It looks like the lighting is producing good results,
in 7 days the plants have grown much faster than normal.
The lights are on for around 8 hours a day.

The cotyledons have grown well and we're seeing the first
true leaves.

Growlight

The maxibright 220 watt cfl lights arrived,
I quickly knocked up a frame to hang them from and
got the sweet pepper seedlings underneath.

For I think, the first time ever - all beds are dug before mid January

View to Cliveden

Visitors

Just looking through the past few months Blog stats and was surprised to see such a diverse range of visitors in the top 10 United States      1,034

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Seeds have arrived

 - (may 2012 edit)
    No idea why, but this post has by far the most views on the entire blog.

More activity,
A huge parcel of seeds from Premier Seeds Direct has arrived.

Time to start propagating!

 

BEETROOT - DETROIT DARK RED       
BROAD BEAN - AQUADULCE CLAUDIA       
BROCCOLI - WALTHAM 29       
BRUSSEL SPROUT - EVESHAM SPECIAL       
CABBAGE - BRUNSWICK - HEIRLOOM       
CABBAGE - DANISH BALLHEAD       
CABBAGE - PAK CHOI RED - CHOI F1       
CABBAGE - SAVOY PERFECTION       
CARROT - CHANTENAY RED CORE 2       
CARROT - MAIN CROP - BERLICUM 2       
CELERY - VERDE A COSTA PIENA GIGANTE       
CHIVE - CIPOLLINA       
COURGETTE - BLACK BEAUTY       
CUCUMBER - GHERKIN - PICCOLO DI PARIGI       
CUCUMBER - MARKETMORE 76       
CUCUMBER - SPACEMASTER 80       
HERB - BASIL - GENOVESE       
HERB - CHERVIL CURLED       
HERB - DILL - BOUQUET - ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS       
HERB- FENNEL - FLORENCE - FOENICULUM VULGARE       
HERB PEPPERMINT - MENTHA PIPERATA       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - CAYENNE LONG SLIM       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - DE ARBOL       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - HABANERO RED       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - JALAPENO PURPLE       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - JAMAICAN RED       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - NUMEX TWILIGHT       
HOT CHILLI PEPPER - ONZA       
ITALIAN CHERRY TOMATO - CERISE       
ITALIAN TOMATO - SAN MARZANO 2       
LEEK - BULGARIAN GIANT       
LETTUCE - GREAT LAKES 118       
LETTUCE - LOLLA BIONDA       
LETTUCE - ROMAINE - PARIS ISLAND COS       
LETTUCE - TOM THUMB       
ONION - AILSA CRAIG       
ONION - DI SAVONA       
ONION - RED BRUNSWICK       
ONION BUNCHING (SPRING) - TOKYO LONG WHITE       
PARSLEY ITALIAN GIANT FLAT       
PEA - MANGE TOUTS - CAROUBY DE MUASANNE       
PEA - PETITE POIS - WAVEREX       
PEA - PROGRESS NO 9       
RADISH - CHINA WHITE WINTER       
RADISH - MIXED COLOURED - EASTER EGG       
ROCKET - SALAD - CULTIVATED       
RUNNER BEAN - POLESTAR - STRINGLESS VARIETY       
SPINACH - MATADOR       
SWEDE - MARIAN       
SWEET CORN - SWEETCORN - EARLIBIRD F1       
SWEET PEA - MAMMOTH MIX       
TOMATO - GARTENPERLE       
TOMATO - LEMON PLUM       
WATER MELON - SUGAR BABE       

Growlights

Every year I've tried to start chilli and pepper plants off nice and early in January.

Each year the heated propagator does the trick and the seeds germinate

fairly quickly - but a couple of weeks in I end up with a load of straggly 

seedlings due to lack of natural daylight.

I've bitten the bullet this year and shelled out £100 for a grow light kit -

after a load of research comparing CFL / Sodium kits I've gone for

a budget fluorescent setup that should keep the chilli seedlings going until

the weather warms up sufficiently to transplant them to the greenhouse.

In the end I bought the system below from Greens Horticulture (http://www.greenshorticulture.co.uk)

- although still waiting for them to deliver it....... hurry up!!!!!

Once I have it up and running I'll post the results