Project Name: January 2026 – Germination of Cucumbers, Chillies, and Peppers
Project Objectives: To produce enough seedlings for the family and neighbours using child labor and heat from the snake.
Business Case & Project Scope:
It is January. As the Key Manager for the home gardening division, I am starting to feel the breeze of the new season. Key Stakeholders are starting to raise requirements: "Mommy, we have to plant cucumbers already," (older son); "You have to plant the chillies you pickled in autumn, they were super," (husband); "We would also like to grow something this year and we need seedlings," (three neighbours). I feel that this is a clear Request for Proposal for starting „The Gardening 2026“ project.
First, it is necessary to schedule the project. I will definitely use Hacks that proved successful last year, specifically the involvement of all Core Team members in direct work. The main assistants are my older son and our pet, the snake Floki. My son has been applying for the project since autumn, and Floki has no choice. We must not forget about External Clients, i.e., the neighbours, although they figure in this project rather as expert consultants.
Resources & Target Deliverables:
A mix of my own seeds from last year (proven quality) and newly purchased seeds that I want to try (Lipstick) or that proved successful last year (Minisprint cucumber, it is a hybrid, I must always buy this one). However, I have most of the chillies and peppers from last year's harvest.
- Minisprint F1 Cucumbers (Time-to-Market: germination in January, harvest in April/May)
- Pepper Evča Red, Pepper Evča Yellow, Pepper Lipstick
- Chilli Bolivian Rainbow, Tricolor Variegata, Aji Lemon Drop, Cayenne Yellow, Fusion of Bolivian Rainbow and Jalapeno (purple to red version, black to red version), Wild Chilli
Critical Infrastructure & Hacks:
- Budget-Friendly Assets: small yogurt cups (150ml) and large yogurt cups (400ml)
- Efficiency Hack: a small plastic box with a lid without holes (ensures 100% humidity)
- Incubation Unit: terrarium with Floki the snake (ensures the necessary temperature)
- Growing Environment: soil for sowing and perlite (I put 500ml of perlite into 5 liters of soil)
EXECUTION PHASE:
Phase 1: Seed Activation – 28.1.2026
I put makeup remover pads on the bottom of a small plastic box and sprayed them with water (Risk: it must be only moist, water must not stand there). Then I placed the seeds I want to germinate into the box (Strategy: I divide them nicely into sectors and stick labels with names on the sides of the box).
Success Criteria: humidity and heat
Then I closed the box and placed it on the top of the terrarium with our snake Floki. He, even if he doesn't know about it, will take care of the heat that will help the seeds to germinate.
Phase 2: Substrate Transfer, Round 1 – 31.1.2026
The cucumbers germinated in just 24 hours. They are simply great! Within 3 days, more than half of the chillies and peppers also germinated. So, I am calling the Key Stakeholder – Junior PM (my older son) into action. The instruction was clear: pour the soil from the bucket into the yogurt cups. The action was a bit like a battle, the Junior PM had a slight tendency to pour the soil outside the Work Zone, which we might be cleaning for a week... but in the end, it was successful! The cucumber cups were 2/3 full (they will be filled up gradually as the cucumbers grow) and the chilli and pepper cups were full.
By-product / Added Value: joy in children's eyes, which is priceless.
Phase 3: Substrate Transfer, Round 2
We will repeat Phase 2 until we plant all the seeds from the plastic box. If some do not germinate at all, we will repeat Phase 1 and then Phase 2.
Main Goal: reach the required number of seedlings for us and the neighbours.
Phase 4: Final Deliverable
Full cups in saucers on the windowsill of the south window.
CURRENT STATUS:
We are waiting for the first small plants to push through the soil :)
