26/08/2026
Growing tips, MVCG style: capsicum, chilli, eggplant and tomatoes
These vegetables are all from the same botanical family, Solanaceae. This diverse group, also known as the nightshade family, includes potatoes, cape gooseberries, to***co, and a range of ornamental plants.
They are warm-season crops. In cool climates such as the Southern Highlands, they're started indoors or in a hothouse to extend the growing season. If planted outdoors too soon, the plants risk being damaged or killed by frost.
The essentials for germination (seed sprouting) are quality seeds, good seed-raising mix, moisture and heat. Seeds generally have an "optimal germination temperature" โ a sweet spot that coaxes the seed out of dormancy. For heat-loving Solanaceae veggies, this sweet spot is between 24 and 32ยฐC. At the garden, we use a heat bed fitted with a grow light. A grow light provides close, strong light to prevent seedlings stretching out for the light โ a process called etiolation. Etiolated seedlings are pale, "leggy" and weak, because the plant uses its energy to stretch toward the light rather than to grow strong.
At MVCG, we typically sow one to three seeds per cell, into 48-cell plug trays with a high-quality seed-raising mix. The trays are watered and placed onto a heat bed. After germination, seedlings are thinned to one per cell. Once seedlings develop their first set of true leaves, they're potted up into 100mm square containers to continue growing for sale or planting out later in the season.
Transition Farm () has an excellent Seed Starting blog post and Germination Guide with further details:
transitionfarm.com/blogs/growing-resources/seed-starting-essential
For hands-on practical advice on growing your own vegetable seedlings at home, come along to our Super Seedlings Workshop, 12 September:
mossvalecommunitygarden.org.au/events
