Re-potting and making a mess

Lemon Drop on the far left, Tigerella in the middle, tiny Poblano to the right

Three weeks after planting, the Lemon Drop chillies and the Tigerella tomatoes have grown enormously and need to be re-potted. The Poblanos, however, are taking their time. Only two tiny plants have appeared.

tools of the trade

So, after a quick trip to the local DIY store after work, carrying a bag of soil and a 10 kg book bag home on a moving bus (wearing heels!), I was ready to proceed. This is what I used:

• about two dozen biodegradable little pots which will stay with the plant once it moves into a bigger pot
• a tablespoon (to act as a mini shovel)
• good quality all-purpose garden soil
• and, of course, the plants!

 Ready, and eager to move to a new home! These little tomato plants desperately needed more space. Some of their roots had already become entangled.

 The difference in size between the tomatoes and the Poblano chillies is astonishing. I had planted them on the same day! But I haven't given up on my "chocolate chillies" yet.

The Lemon Drops, on the other hand, look a lot healthier than their cousins. It's (hopefully) going to be a hot chilli summer!

 After clearing my living room table and getting everything, including the camera and tripod, ready, my first-ever big re-potting session was about to begin. I was really scared of damaging the roots, they looked so small and fragile! But with the help of my trusty gardening book I think I managed quite well in the end. So here's exactly what I did:-

1. Fill the little individual pots with soil, up to about 1cm below the rim
2. Using your finger, make a hole in the middle of your soil
3. Loosen the soil around the plant with a spoon
4. Carefully move under the plant and lift it out
5. Put the plant in your pre-prepared hole, so that the roots are covered
6. Pat down the soil around the plant, topping up with more if needed, so that the plant is stable
7. Once you've finished re-potting all your plants, carefully water them. I actually used an old spray bottle which creates a fine mist rather than drowning my delicate seedlings in a torrent of water.
8. Put them somewhere sheltered, away from direct sunlight and water regularly! That's it.

 The result of an evening bent over my dining table: 15 Tigerella seedlings and 11 little Lemon Drop seedlings.

 An unholy mess! Soil everywhere :)

 With a bit of luck and lots of sunshine and care, these tiny seedlings SHOULD grow into tall plants full of delicious chillies and juicy tomatoes.

Of course, my balcony would not be able to cope with all these plants, so I've been spending the last week or so taking some to work and distributing them among colleagues, students and neighbours! :)

I think 2014 will be known as the year of the stripy tomato, the year I took dozens of plants on various trains round the Ruhrgebiet to distribute what my boss jokingly called the "Tigerenten-Tomate" (if you're German, you know what he was referring to, if not, look no further than here!)

For more information on the tomatoes and chillies I planted, look here:  Tigerella, here: Lemon Drop and here: Poblano. Have fun! :)

I'm off for a well-earned rest.