Spring has finally arrived after a few false starts. While nights can still be chilly, the days are noticeably longer and a sunny bank holiday weekend has helped warm things up. That sunshine, combined with milder daytime temperatures, is giving the plants a real boost.
Now is the ideal time to start hardening off pepper plants intended for outdoors. Each morning I move most of the pots out of the greenhouse and place them in a sunny spot, bringing them back indoors at night to avoid any risk of frost. Once nighttime temperatures stay consistently warmer, I’ll gradually leave some plants outside around the clock—mainly pubescens varieties such as overwintered Rocotos, which tolerate cool conditions better.
Last week I potted several plants into homemade self-watering containers. I saw how effective self-watering systems can be after trying a Quadgrow setup last year. The steady supply of moisture and nutrients—I’m using a diluted tomato feed—helps plants thrive, so I’m confident these will do very well.
In the photo above you can already see how noticeably larger the plants in self-watering pots are, even after only about ten days.
Indoors, I’m running another batch of plants under grow lights in my grow cupboard. Temperatures are holding around 20°C there, which should encourage steady growth over the next couple of weeks. These are mostly Annum varieties—Super Chili F1, Apache, Demon Red and several Cayennes—and they should quickly catch up to the others since they grow briskly.
Overall, progress this season looks very promising. I haven’t encountered pests or disease, and the plants appear healthy and vigorous. With continued good weather, I’m hopeful for a productive summer.