So where are we?
This is a question we all get to at some point in growing Chillies . To gauge how well your seedlings are doing, you might well want to ask how tall your Chilli plants should be by now. There is no hard and fast rule but making a comparison with other Chilli growers may help
My Chillies are doing reasonably well. Some are already going on two to three inches high, which is a reasonable height for them to be right now. Soon, the “same size as pot rule “will apply. Simply put, when my plants grow to the same height as the pot they are in, they get potted on. In this way, the root ball that has formed will have the freedom to grow bigger. This, in turn, will allow the plant to grow and get closer to the all-important fruit-bearing stage
My seedlings are currently in peat pots . These pots are just over 2 inches wide and about two and a quarter inches (60 mm) high. Now that the seedlings have reached the height of these pots, they will now get potted on into something bigger. The size of the new pots I will be using are are just over three inches wide and tall (80 mm). They are also made from peat
The seedlings will be potted on again when they are over 6 inches tall. This time around, it will be into plastic pots about six inches (150 mm wide).
With the exception of the dwarf varieties I am growing, there will be only one more potting on after this. The dwarf varieties ( Prairie fire , Thai demon and Basket of fire plants ) will stay in the six-inch pots. They will not need anything bigger. For the other varieties, a selection of the pot size they will finish the season in will be made. This selection will be made based on how big the plant is expected to grow. In some cases, this could be over three feet. Larger varieties need to develop quite a big root system to grow . They therefore need bigger pots.
A final note
The height of the seedlings that I have is reasonable for seeds that I planted two months ago. If I had started indoor germination sooner in the year, my seedlings would be taller by now. The sooner you start, the better. Some Chillli growers start planting their seeds indoors in propagators as early as December.
Also, bear in mind, there are variations in height for different varieties. These factors will all need to be taken into consideration when asking how tall Chilli plants should be at this time in the season.