hot pepper

I don't know what forum I should post this, but since I'm worried about my seedlings, I chose here. My cat has been getting into my transplant trays -- not big enough for a litter box, but plenty of room for herto start digging up all my tiny transplants. I heard crushed pepper keeps cats from digging... I have a ton of cayenne peppers from last summer, and I sprinkled it over everything.

It seems to deter the cat, but now I'm wondering - will all those pepper seeds start to sprout? Or will they encourage mold growth or harm my seedlings?
Thanks for any info!
-Mara

Mara, The best I can do is tell you my experiences, It all depends on how well you kept your cayennes and how you dried them. I have sowed seeds that I had'nt cleaned well in flats and have gotten mold, but it seemed like it grew out of the large pieces of the chili's flesh instead of the seeds, especially if they hadn't been thoroughly dried . I have also .had seeds sprout that I dried in a commercial dehydrater, which I beleived were brought up a temp to high to germinate. I have taken my chilies,(many hot varieties, especially cayenne and habanero), and ground them in my chili mill ,(a cheap coffee grinder from walmart), and mixed them in birdseed to keep out squirrels, (it works!) My suggestion is to grind up your chilies put them into some kind of,(salt or pepper?) shaker and sprinkle them on. If you use habanero be careful not to get it on you, and unless your cat is Gatto Caliente he should get the point. Good Luck

Thank you, I'll try grinding them instead of just crushing them. My cat licked on of the flakes already - and she seems to get the point.... I'll have to use this on the garden this summer, too!
Thanks,
Mara

Mara, So sorry about the gender mistake on your feline. Pet her once for me.

I will. :-)

For anyone curious about what happens... the large chunks of pepper do get some mold. Also, I had several pepper plants germinate! These are cayenne peppers. I'm hoping that since these seeds germinated without me even intending them to, that the peppers I'm trying to grow will too!