using seed from fresh veg?

 

hi all

i eat chillis and peppers all the time

can i just take the seed out of them and plant?
do they need to be dried?
is commercial seed a better option?

Im not exactly a skinflint but it would cost me 15euros to buy the seeds
that are sitting in fresh veg in my house at any time.
(the small green hot chillis, big african chillis, cayeene chillis and
standard bell peppers)

regards

niall

 



No. But it doesn't seem to hurt them.


Maybe, some varieties you buy in the shops are hybrids (and there's no way
of telling) and they won't grow true to the pepper you saved it from,
however, I think most of them aren't.

They aren't difficult to grow, just need a fair amount of light and warmth
- especially for the hotter peppers. I find treating them like tomatoes
generally is a good starting point, and maybe a fairly sandy soil mixture.
 
They take a bit longer to germinate than tomatoes - up to 4 weeks, so don't
get impatient.

About now is a good time to start.
--  
Tim C.

 



Probably not. Because they're possibly FI hybrids and so
won't grow true from seed.

FI hybrid seed which is more expensive to produce and to buy,
is still used commercially because it produces a more uniform
crop and generates a higher yield. But only in the first
generation.

And uniform size and colour is what consumers demand.

However the seeds of FI hybrids will produce plants
with variable characteristics in terms of size, colour and
flavour to name just three. Some plants or may even prove
sterile or at least produce very few flowers.

Hybridisation not only increases yields but also eliminates
faults, and hybrid seed is produced by hand using a scalpel
and a paintbrush. Hence the extra expense.


...



Yes. See above.

If you buy standard i.e non FI hybrid commercial seed, and grow
your plants from that, then you can save the seed from those to use
next year. And the year after etc. Providing the plants remain
healthy anyway.



michael adams