2017 Grow Log - 200 plants, 30 varieties

Hello all.  Last year was the year I intended to "go big" and start my hot sauce company, but as chance would have it, the soil at my largest garden spot was terrible, all clay.  I had planted about 150 plants there but none of them grew over 6 inches tall.  I had another spot where I planted about 35 MOAs, just one variety because I wanted to get a bunch of non-crossed seeds.  So as it turned out those bonnets were the only plants I had.  But I estimate they produced about 4 lbs per plant, which was way more than I expected.  I still started the hot sauce company, but I wound up with only about 320 bottles of sauce.  I just sold out of it last weekend, people seemed to really like it.
 
This year I have a new garden spot with much better soil.  I started the plants right about a month ago.
 
Here's the list of varieties:

ID Name Qty
1. MOA scotch bonnets 30
2. Cardi Scorpion? 17
3. Yellow 7 Pot 22
4. Chocolate Devil's Tongue 15
5. Gigantic Ghost 15
6. Caramel Moruga Scorpion 5
7. Peach Fatali 5
8. Caribbean Red 5
9. White 7 Pot 5
11. Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion 5
12. Aji Pineapple 15
13. Pepper Joe Not Ghost 8
14. Peach Trinidad Scorpion 5
15. Carolina Reaper 5
16. 7 Pot Congo SR Gigantic Yellow 5
17. Aji Jobito 6
18. Orange Fatali 4
19. Padron Pepper 5
20. Sugar Rush Peach 5
21. Fidalgo Amarillo 5
22. Chiero Creme 5
23. Chenzo Chili 5
24. Trinidad Perfume 5
25. Tobago Seasoning 5
26. Pimenta Luna 5
27. Aji Lemon 5
28. Rosemary Pepper 5
29. Turkish Snake 5
30. Cardi Scorpion 5
31. Aji Amarillo 3




I can't seem to figure out how to upload pics on here, so I uploaded one to imgur:
 
http://imgur.com/a/YmqGi
 
I made the rack myself, obviously.  After separating some of the multiples, I now have 266 plants on it total.  Planning to give some away and sell the extras at the farmer's market.  The lights are on 24 hours in case you were wondering.
 
I'm excited!  200 plants is serious business!  I'll be back with more pictures as things progress.
 
 

 

[LocalFart]

The hard work will pay off... looks great 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Finally got them in the ground yesterday, all 165 plants.  Since the lows weren't so low any more I left them under a tree for a few days prior, so hopefully they did manage to harden off a bit.  This morning I got the other 25 yellow 7 pots out at the second spot, didn't get a pic while I was there though.  Whew, the whole thing was a lot more work than I anticipated.
 
I put a total of 9 bails of straw down here.  The pic kind of sucks because as I later discovered I had a thick layer of dust over the lens.
 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Update time!  I hadn't seen the plants for about the last week so I was happy to see they'd grown noticeably, some more than others.  We've had a ton of rain so I haven't had to water them yet.
 
Overall shot:
 

 
 
A row of Chocolate Devil's Tongues:
 

 
 
 
A Chenzo looking all pretty:
 

 
 
 
Here's the other spot, I have a total of 23 Yellow 7 Pots here:
 

 
 
Planning to top/prune the majority of them in another week or so.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Got the test batches going with a bunch of store bought ingredients, and frozen Bonnets from last year.  They're already bubbling pretty well after about a day and a half.
 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Topped these last Thursday, so about 4 days ago now.  Overall I think they're doing really well, some are definitely lagging but I'm still very pleased.  Got these pics today while I was giving them their first dose of fish fert, I used a whole gallon on those 165 plants.  Not sure if that's too much or too little, I was just mixing it really thick and pouring it on each plant with a watering can, then I went around and watered it in some more with a hose.
 
I think these are all Aji Pineapples.
 

 
 

 
 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Got some new pics today.  We've had a lot of rain and consistently high temps for the last week or so.  They're really starting to take off.
 
Aji Pineapples:
 

 
 
Not sure what these are, I should make more of an effort to get the little popsicle sticks in the picture so I know what's what, lol.  I think the one on the left is a Trinidad Perfume and the one on the right is a Pimenta Luna.
 

 
 
This is the same row of Chocolate Devil's Tongues from the earlier picture:
 

 
 
Overall shot:
 

 

[peppamang]

Holy shit, that's a lot of peppers. Keep us posted, they look great. Will your sauce be available again? I'd like to try some. 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Yeah, I'm hoping to have a non-fermented batch ready mid-Summer, then all the fermented batches at the end of the Summer.  I've more or less narrowed down my recipes to one with pineapple, one with berries, one with smoked peppers, one I'm just calling "normal" for lack of a better word, and one I'm keeping a lid on until it's ready.  Hint: I think it will go really well with Indian food.  I emailed a bunch of questions to the process authority yesterday.  I should be cooking up my test batches as soon as I hear back from them.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

A few updated pics.
 
Overall shot:
 

 
 
The same row of Chocolate Devil's Tongues:
 

 
 
These are all Bonnets, they seem to be a bit behind the rest.
 

 
 
Coming along nicely.  They've been in the ground for right at 4 weeks now and I still haven't had to water them once.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Got some new pics today.  Everything is growing well, including the grass, which is coming back in droves.  I guess this is the price I pay for not tilling it under well enough.  I think I'm just going to put down some more straw, and literally bury the problem, lol.  They've been in the ground now about 6 and a half weeks, and I still haven't watered them.  It's kind of blowing my mind.
 
The Scotch Bonnets, still behind the others:

 
 
 
The same row of Chocolate Devil's Tongues:

 
 
Aji Pineapples:

 
 
 
Overall shot.  That's a Turkish Snake in the foreground with the long skinny pods on it.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

The plants are officially kicking ass now.  Starting to get flowers on the chinenses, already have pods on most of the annuums.  I put down three more bails of straw about a week ago, the weeds are now out of sight and out of mind.  Tomorrow makes 7 weeks in the ground.
 
The same Chocolate Devil's Tongues:
 

 
 
 
Bonnets:
 

 
 
 
Aji Pineapples:
 

 
 
 
Overall shot:
 

 
 
 
And here's the other spot with the Yellow 7 Pots:
 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Did I say the plants were kicking ass before?  I now realize I seriously overestimated the amount of ass that was being kicked.  Now they're REALLY kicking ass.  I wound up watering them for the first time on their seven week plant out anniversary, and then again for the second time yesterday.  Tomorrow makes 8 weeks in the ground.
 
Most of the annuums have pods on them now, and about half of the chinenses.  So far the only fertilizing I've done was that gallon of fish fert between all 160 or so plants.  The lady who owns the land said their soil is already magnesium heavy, so I haven't used any epsom salts.  I wasn't thinking about the fact that the annuums were going to be ready to pick well before the chinenses.  My plan to deal with that is to start a carboy of just those fermenting and just keep adding more to it as the rest of them ripen.  I'll probably do the same with with the others that I plan to ferment together.
 
New pics.
 
Overall shot:

 
 
Turkish Snake:

 
 
Rosemary Pepper:

 
 
Little baby ghosts:

 
 
Aji Pineapple plant, what's up with the weird upturned leaves I wonder?

 
 
Aji Pineapple pods:

 
 
view from the middle looking right, the aji pineapples in the foreground:

 
 
Looking left, the Bonnets are at the far end:

 
 
The Yellow 7 Pots:

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

I'm back!  The plants are mostly still kicking ass, although I'm not so sure my Yellow 7 Pots are going to turn out to be actual Yellow 7 Pots.  It kind of double sucks because my MOA plants are doing the worst of the bunch, and as backup I was counting on having a bunch of those to give my sauces a nice yellow color.  Maybe they're just kind of off-pheno.  Whatever they are, if they turn out both hot and yellow I'll be satisfied, lol.  Here's some new pics.
 
Overall at the big spot:

 
 
A few Chocolate Devil's Tongue pods.  I love the flavor of these.

 
 
The "Yellow 7 Pots":

 
 
Pheno 1:

 
 
Pheno 2:

 

[alkhall]

Now, that is a garden plot!
 
I wish I had that much space, but living in the city...
 
Anyway, looking great.

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Today I went around pulling off all the lower leaves to aid in air circulation.  Nothing really looks ready to pick yet, but it shouldn't be long.
 
 
 
Overall shot:
 

 
 
 
I forget what these are, they look hot though, lol.
 

 
 
 
Some nice thick bark.  I have these labeled as a Peach Fatali, but they clearly aren't.
 

 
 
 
The Aji Pineapples.  They're basically one big bush at this point.  I didn't even bother trying to get the lower leaves off these.
 

 
 
A view from the other end:

 

[peppamang]

Wow awesome progress. They really blew up! You'll have thousands of peppers. 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

I'm hoping for 600 lbs but I think I'm going to fall short.  Last year I got about 4 lbs per plant from my Scotch Bonnets, but those plants were unbelievably loaded.  This year I can already tell I'm not going to get those kind of yields.  Although the Yellow 7 Pots are looking about as good as the Bonnets did last year.  Maybe the soil in that spot is better, or maybe these Yellow 7 Pots are just more prolific fruiters than a lot of the other varieties I'm growing at the big spot.  I'm also particularly impressed by the amount of pods on the Chenzos and the Turkish Snakes.  It's hard to get a good pic of the Chenzos with my phone, they're covered with TONS of tiny little tobasco looking peppers.  I'll try to bring my good camera with me the next time I'm up there.
 
As much work as it's been growing such a large number of plants I'm still having a ball
 
 

 

[Walchit]

Nice grow, I hope you get your 600 lbs

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

A few more pod pics from today.  I went around picking up random peppers that had fallen off and used them in some cabbage and sausage stuff, was very tasty.  Sadly I've got a ton of broken branches from the last couple of heavy storms we've gotten.  It's always the ones most heavily loaded with pods too.  I accidentally broke one of my few Aji Amarillo plants pretty much in two today trying to prop it back up.
 
Caramel Moruga Scorpion:
 

 
 
The Aji Pineapples are absolutely loaded with pods:
 

 
 
Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion:
 

 
 
White 7 Pot:
 

 
 
This one I'm not quite sure about.  My damn popsicle sticks have pretty much disintegrated at this point.
 

 
 
Trinidad Perfume, amazing how these have so much chinense flavor and absolutely no heat.  I had to see it to believe it.
 

 
 
A Chenzo:
 

 

[Bold Badger Sauces]

Cleaned off all the broken branches yesterday, wound up with enough immature pods to make two gallons of mash.  Just peppers and salt.  This is just going to be some personal sauce, not for sale.
 
Pile of pods, a preview of coming attractions:

 
 
Mash:

 
 
A few new garden pics.
 
Peach Trinidad Scorpions:

 
 
Broken Peach Trinidad Scorpion plant:

 
 
Overall:

 
 
Pile of broken branches.  Alas, what could have been!

 
 
Reaper specimens, cut down before they even had a chance.  Why, Lord, why do bad things happen to good peppers?