And so came the day that our babies grew up to be strong, healthy toddlers. They were almost bursting out of their 4″ pots. Some were already growing their sixth set of true leaves, so it was time to move them to sparkly new 8″ pots.

Bought the 8″ pots, and lots of organic potting soil and we set up the foil greenhouse because I’d be needing extra room. Much to my surprise it could house quite a few pots.

I’m not stuffing it like this, though. I’m keeping a big part of the pots still indoors. I don’t like to mess around too much with things that are going well, it makes me nervous. Like replanting plants that have thrived, not knowing what will happen.

See. I could see some roots poking through the bottom here and there. So I filled up the new pots 3/4 of the way, made a hole large enough to make sure the delicate root system would have enough airflow.

First I watered the seedlings so that when I would remove them from the pot, the soil wouldn’t fall apart. This will give their root system a better chance of staying intact during the transfer.

Very gently and carefully I held the plant by its leaves (don’t grab the stem/root system when transferring!) I used a small and thin spoon that I ran along the sides of the pot to loosen it. I ever so gently scooped out the seedling with a larger spoon, no pressure, nothing.

 
Gently I positioned the plant into the new pot and filled the top with potting soil. I was told to replant them up to the cotyledons, the seed leaves, so they would almost reach the soil. These seed leaves apparently fall off sometime during the growth cycle and this secures the stem. And so I did. I’m a good girl and do as I’m told.
 

So far so good. Keep an eye on them, if they start to really sag in the next 20 minutes, you need to take them out and create a larger space in the soil because their root system is either damaged or not getting enough air.

I watered them profusely and placed them back into my window sill and put some of them in the green house. Kept a close eye on them, but none of them wilted. That really surprised me.

 
I still water them every other day—that will probably change to every 2 days now—but a better way is to do a soil check: put your finger into the soil up to the 2nd knuckle, pull it out and when there’s no soil on your finger you know your plant needs water. I’m also going to start using a vegetable garden fertilizer now every two weeks.

So far the step-by-step grow story of my Jalapeños, Anaheim’s and Madame Jeanette’s. Surprised I managed to not only sprout them all but also keep them all alive and thriving. Really glad I documented it all. Gonna keep you posted!
 

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