Wednesday 14 March 2012

Phoenix from the flames

It's a short step from haplessness to lazyness.

Ask youself this, and answer honestly:

Is there something in your home which you know needs clearing up, sorting out or simply putting in the bin (I mean, recycling) that would only take a few minutes but really you just cannot be ar... um bothered to do?

More specifically for gardeners, is there a plant you've not watered for while and left for dead, knowing you're going to have to cut your growing losses and start again?

Yes? Of course. We have sleep to catch up on, Facebook/Twitter to check (and check and check), and New Girl to watch. Watch it.

No? Fibs.

Next piece of honesty. Are you like me, sticking your fingers in your ears mentally shouting la la la la la every time my guilty conscience pipes up "water the chilli". I've become quite adept at ignoring my guilty gardener's conscience but no more! Spring is prising off last clutches of winter and stirring me from my slovenliness. And I think I've been given a reprieve from my winter of neglect:


Inside this little beauty lies a potential treat - it sounds (from a little shake) like potent maracas. I'm hopeful of an ensemble of seeds from which to create new chilli plants. I wonder, has anyone else tried this out successfully? 


I'm excited. I hope I can start some sort of chilli family. I fear, however, that the chilli will be getting it's revenge for my neglect and its isolation. And that this will be served by its offspring, very very hot.

2 comments:

Nome said...

I've had success with all kinds of seeds left to languish in cold weather over winter - it's always worth a try in my book. Just shake em out and sow em as usual. The only thing is chillies and peppers crossbreed relatively easily, so if you (or your neighbours) have grown other varieties too, the fruit you get from your saved seeds might not be the same. The usual trick to save seed from peppers is to fleece (or similar) the plant while it flowers, and hand-pollinate.

lynbuglover said...

Just sown seeds from Chilli 'Apache' left to dry for two years in a damp, dark, derelict cottage (we currently use it for storage while awiting planning permission to renovate. They were ridiculously viable - far better than any of my bought varieties this year. Could not believe the vigour of the little so-and-sos. I now have far too many chilli seedlings!

The Hapless Kitchen Gardener

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Bristol
I only feel hapless because some people make it look easy to grow 10 ft marrows or a banquet of greens whereas my courgettes got nabbed by killer slugs and I only got one raspberry. So tips and stories from people less hapless than I are more than welcome. As a disclaimer though, none of my comments should be taken as expert advice on which you can rely! © Unless stated otherwise, and with the exception of guest content where that guest retains copyright, all photos and posts are the copyright of Tom Carpen and may not be used without permission.