At the end of last summer, the chilli plants were just abandoned and left
standing where they were planted. Because we aren't big chilli users, the
plants still had quite a chillies left hanging on them and there they stayed
till recently.

In the past few weeks I've been clearing up and preparing that bed for
spring and noticed that the chilli plants were particulalry interesting.
Hanging off the chilli plants that had long thinnish chillis (cayenne??)
were old fruits that had stayed there all winter in the cold and frosty
conditions and all colour had gone from them as had all signs of flesh. I
had a bit of a chuckle because the skins looked a bit like condoms. Inside
them were lots of seeds. The little birds eye chillies too had lots of
seeds (I think I used about 3 of them in the time they were growing - what a
waste of grwoing space!).

Anyone like to take a guess and say what they think the chances of these
seeds being viable? The look OK and are in good condition visually. I
intend to take a punt on growing them when the weather finally warms up
enough, but don't have any idea at all if they will grow or not.

FarmI wrote:
At the end of last summer, the chilli plants were just abandoned and
left standing where they were planted. Because we aren't big chilli
users, the plants still had quite a chillies left hanging on them and
there they stayed till recently.

In the past few weeks I've been clearing up and preparing that bed for
spring and noticed that the chilli plants were particulalry
interesting. Hanging off the chilli plants that had long thinnish
chillis (cayenne??) were old fruits that had stayed there all winter
in the cold and frosty conditions and all colour had gone from them
as had all signs of flesh. I had a bit of a chuckle because the
skins looked a bit like condoms. Inside them were lots of seeds. The
little birds eye chillies too had lots of seeds (I think I used
about 3 of them in the time they were growing - what a waste of
grwoing space!).
Anyone like to take a guess and say what they think the chances of
these seeds being viable? The look OK and are in good condition
visually. I intend to take a punt on growing them when the weather
finally warms up enough, but don't have any idea at all if they will
grow or not.

I would say the chances of some of them (say more than 20%) being viable is
excellent and unless a fungus has damaged them you might find it is quite
high (say 80% or more). Definitely worth the punt especially if you only
need half a dozen of each to grow.

David

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given schreef in bericht
. ..
At the end of last summer, the chilli plants were just abandoned and left
standing where they were planted. Because we aren't big chilli users, the
plants still had quite a chillies left hanging on them and there they
stayed till recently.

In the past few weeks I've been clearing up and preparing that bed for
spring and noticed that the chilli plants were particulalry interesting.
Hanging off the chilli plants that had long thinnish chillis (cayenne??)
were old fruits that had stayed there all winter in the cold and frosty
conditions and all colour had gone from them as had all signs of flesh. I
had a bit of a chuckle because the skins looked a bit like condoms.
Inside them were lots of seeds. The little birds eye chillies too had
lots of seeds (I think I used about 3 of them in the time they were
growing - what a waste of grwoing space!).

Anyone like to take a guess and say what they think the chances of these
seeds being viable? The look OK and are in good condition visually. I
intend to take a punt on growing them when the weather finally warms up
enough, but don't have any idea at all if they will grow or not.

Your challis have sun dried, which is recommended if you want to keep the
seeds. As opposed to oven drying which kills the seeds. Put 3 in a pot and
wait up to a month, and you will get shoots, when they are a couple of
inches tall, plant outside. I fed my inside ones with tomato feed.
Cloggie

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
. ..
At the end of last summer, the chilli plants were just abandoned and left
standing where they were planted. Because we aren't big chilli users, the
plants still had quite a chillies left hanging on them and there they
stayed till recently.

In the past few weeks I've been clearing up and preparing that bed for
spring and noticed that the chilli plants were particulalry interesting.
Hanging off the chilli plants that had long thinnish chillis (cayenne??)
were old fruits that had stayed there all winter in the cold and frosty
conditions and all colour had gone from them as had all signs of flesh. I
had a bit of a chuckle because the skins looked a bit like condoms.
Inside them were lots of seeds. The little birds eye chillies too had
lots of seeds (I think I used about 3 of them in the time they were
growing - what a waste of grwoing space!).

Anyone like to take a guess and say what they think the chances of these
seeds being viable? The look OK and are in good condition visually. I
intend to take a punt on growing them when the weather finally warms up
enough, but don't have any idea at all if they will grow or not.

I would make my guess that the ones that DID germinate would be very hearty.

Steve

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Thanks for the input chaps on the chilli seeds. I'll try to remember to
post back to let you all know how they go once I plant them up.

Unless you took special efforts to enclose the flowers, they will be cross-pollinated with all the other chillis and peppers you grew in the same area, and the plants from the seeds won't be the same as what you grew last year.