maxcaps 2014 grow: avoiding the freeze!

Hello All,
 
New here, but feeling right at home. I figured I'd go ahead and get my glog started, though I may wait a few weeks yet before starting anything.
 
I'm pretty new, not totally new. I had a small grow last year, mostly in containers, bringing up plants that I hoped would make cool overwinter bonsai's (bonchi's). I ordered a handful of different varieties from http://fataliiseeds.net, all  95% of which sprouted nicely, though something must have gone wrong because many never grew true leaves. I think my house was too cold... I've moved now and now have an excellent heating system. I also kept the seeds by a window that I think got too drafty. 
 
I did have a handful of chinenses survive, including a wonderful Red Habanero from fataliiseeds, and some chiero roxa plants that produced a handful of tasty purple pods. I purchased some local Scotch Bonnett starts from a small scale nursery, and grew jalapeños and serrano starts from a local nursery. It's safe to say I am now addicted, as all these fire worked its way into my family's weekly diet. I have a 12'X8' plot begging for plants, and I may do some extra in containers...
 
Enough background. Here's the plan. As jalapeños (salsa, roasted, and canned) are not a staple, I want to grow a handful of varieties. The chinenses have amazing flavors, so I'm going to branch out with two or three new varieties (though sadly I did not save any scotch bonnet seeds from the last season... what is wrong with me?). Last year I tried some super hot varieties... none lived. I am going to try again! I actually ordered most of these seeds before stumbling upon this wonderful community. In any event, here is the lineup:
 
Chinenses:
 
Red Habanero (seeds kept and OW bonchi (thanks fatalii)
Chiero Roxa (seeds kept, may use OW bonchi, haven't decided)
Scotch Bonnett (forgot to keep seeds, but I can replant OW bonchi)
White Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should arrive soon...)
Chocolate Habanero (seeds from Pepper Joe, should also arrive soon)
Fatali (from pepperlover.com)
Big Sun Habernero (from pepperlover)
 
Superhot Chinenses:
 
Carolina Reaper (seeds from PuckerButt)
Naga Morich (seeds from PuckerButt)
Bhut Jolokia (seeds from PuckerButt)
Dorset Naga (seeds from PuckerButt)
7 pod (from pepperlover.com)
 
Other Superhot:
 
Tiepin (seeds from PuckerButt)
 
Annuums:
 
Poblanos (from Pepper Joe... growing to Acho's to use as powder base)
Giant Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Early Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Black Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Purple Jalapeño (from Pepper Joe)
Fresno Pepper (from Pepper Joe)
 
Wish I had found you guys sooner, I'd have added some douglah's to the list. I am also on the fence about adding a couple more chinense varieties. 
 
Also growing some companions. Planning on putting in a couple tomato plants, garlic, cilantro, and carrots (had a lot of luck with tasty fat purple carrots... atomic purple I think they were called)
 
Will post some picks of my OW bonchi's tomorrow, and start going into techniques. On the fence about coffee-filter germination versus sowing in a tray.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Alright, got to bring order to chaos.
 
After Jason doubled my seed inventory and I was assigned a second plot, I had to revise the plan. Here is the new garden layout I am going to shoot for. This is a rule of thumb. Some plants will take up more than their alotted space and others less, and it is still a very crowded layout, but I am trying to grow a wide variety this year to get a better feel for what is out there.
 
The PLAN:
 

 
At these spacings, I have space for ~24 bushy chinenses and ~24 lanky annuums. That gives each chinense 18" and each annuum 12". Will be doing aggressive pruning of bottom leaves as per Rick's suggestion, and depending on how germination goes I may add more annuums. If I add another row of annuums, it will probably be poblanos, with some of the longer, hotter cayennes at either end. Germ date for annuums is still pretty far off though. Won't plant poblanos unless I can do a full row... not worth it otherwise, and I don't want to sacrifice jalapeno space.
 
Now, THE INVENTORY:
 

 
The grow list has evolved quite a bit, and continues to do so. This is the first step to working it out. My priority rating is a bit misleading... I want to add considerable more habs and bonnets to the list, but I have to choose which ones. So alot of those strains are more "this one or that one" than "medium" priority. As it stands 13 chinense spots are taken and only 12 of the annuum slots. Additionally, Scott's got a JA Hab for me and Charles has volunteered a yellow bhut, which looks fantastic, so my chinense count actually stands at 15. 9 slots to fill...
 
So here's an idea... if you have the time and energy, let me know which of the "medium priority" chinenses are your favorites and least favorites! Or which "high priority" chinenses I should add more plants to... I am trying to gain an appreciation of the variety here, as well as try all the main families of superhots, so there it is.
 
I'll leave you with a recent pic of the bonchi, now with very nice little flowers. Purple stripes!
 

 

[Jamison]

Man With a plan! Looks killer. Careful with that cilantro, it bolts quite easily. Probably have to start seeds every few weeks. I see burpee came out with a new basil that doesnt bolt. I always have a hard time with that bolting too. Your list looks awesome.

 

[Devv]

Very ambitious Adam!
 It should keep you busy, and I can't wait to see the jungle, cuz you're going to have one!
 
Basil that doesn't bolt? I have to look into that, we suffer from bolting and went to potting them. This way we can shade them some. That and serious pinching.
 
Can't wait to see pics!
 
Stay warm bro!

 

[GA Growhead]

I'm saying you need a brown podded plant, so definitely the choc hab or choc bonnet.
It gets harder from there. To many good ones.
Tobago treasures are yummy yellow goodness and produced very well. Datils too!
Annuum wise Poblano, orange Thai, yellow mushrooms. Wait...No regular jalapeños?
I would choose between the Dorset and morich for the naga selection.
Red brain, so not 7 pot orig.
Brown eggs are unlike the rest, I say add it. Mine only got two foot tall, so on the side to keep from getting over shadowed?
I liked the Peruvian whites. What's PJ's white hab like? Similar?
My not CARDIs were a yummy lemony yellow hab flavored pod, blocky and big. If they grow out the same they will be worth it. You are only one of three that has them.
Bondas is a different yummy pod to have also.
I would stick to the MOAs and TFM bonnets, so no papa joes.
And gotta have a baccatum!

Note... that for me, any of the trinidads, the reaper grow the tallest. The nagas and bhut almost as big. The Bahamian goat, bonnets, and hab on the lower side. Giant white habs did get as big as the naga and bhuts. Your results may vary on many conditions under and out of control along with variety source. When laying out the garden I try to keep the shorter guys from being over shadowed.

 

[JJJessee]

..... I see burpee came out with a new basil that doesnt bolt. I always have a hard time with that bolting too. ......

Say it ain't so!
 
Clipping off the basil flowers is my favorite job.

 

[Spicegeist]

And gotta have a baccatum!

 

 
I thought the same thing!  I'll throw in some Aji Cristal with the Yellow Bhut seed I'm sending...

 

[PaulG]

You are about ready for blast off, Adam!
Should be a banner year in your grow!

 

[orangehero]

I'm not sure if this is your first garden, but you're going to have a very hard time harvesting with your layout. You'll want access to both sides of the tomatoes, and C. chinenses need 24" spacing minimum...even at 24" it will be tight. And that's going to be a boatload of cilantro...

 

[Jeff H]

Still looks crowded. I'll be keeping an eye on this to see how it does through the year.  Good luck to you.
 
A couple comments:
Cinlantro is a pain in the butt since it doesn't stay mature too long before it bolts and once it bolts, it is over (unless you want the coriander). Start some from seed every 2 weeks or so to have a continuous supply all year.
Garlic doesn't take up hardly any space, but it is a late season crop and from what I read, it really should go in the ground in the fall and stay out in the winter to grow the next spring. You could plant a ton of it once you yank the pepper plants for the year.

 

[JJJessee]

Orangehero has a point, except on the cilantro -I'm not sure you can grow too much cilantro
 
By the plant spacing and eyeballing the scale, it looks like your beds are 4x12 with a walk way between them. 4' is the max I'd make without a walk way on both sides.
My Chinense bed last year (4x30) was laid out such that the plants were in 2 rows about 36" apart and plant spaced ~ 24" in the rows with and offset row down the middle. This put the plant on the points of 24x24x21 triangles. This was very tight, but it did work. It was a new bed that I had covered cropped and worked the top 12" with about 30% compost, then I top dressed it with another 1-2" of compost at plantout. The harvest was quiet adequate but they may have produced a little more with wider spacing. The good thing about tight spacing is it controls late weeds, self shades, and they support each other. The Negs are that, it was a b!tch picking that inner row without breaking the outer one's limbs. Also plant groups bordered with distinctly different colors and shape because even if you label, a pepper limb  can be 4' away from it's label hanging out with something that looks almost like it. If you track through my '13 glog, I periodically took a pic from the same spot, that shows how neat rows of little plant turns into a dense, barely penetrable jungle in about 60 days. I'm row gardening most of the chinense this year and will do long a bed of sweets with 2 rows I think and a small bed 3 rows like last year. 
 
There's always a lot of give and take in garden engineering.
But it's fun doing it.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Wow guys, thanks for all of the feedback. It is extremely helpful. Here are my scattered, nonlinear responses!
 

Man With a plan! Looks killer. Careful with that cilantro, it bolts quite easily. Probably have to start seeds every few weeks. I see burpee came out with a new basil that doesnt bolt. I always have a hard time with that bolting too. Your list looks awesome.

 
Will do. My cilantro bolted after a couple of bundles last year, but I was bad about filling it back in. I'm actually thinking about moving the cilantro indoors under the lights. Maybe use the grow chamber as a cilantro chamber after plant out.
 

Very ambitious Adam!
 It should keep you busy, and I can't wait to see the jungle, cuz you're going to have one!
 
Basil that doesn't bolt? I have to look into that, we suffer from bolting and went to potting them. This way we can shade them some. That and serious pinching.
 
Can't wait to see pics!
 
Stay warm bro!

 
Thanks Scott! I like the work... a good 20 or 30 minutes of gardening every day keeps me focussed at work. Writing and teaching can really wear me down.
 

I'm saying you need a brown podded plant, so definitely the choc hab or choc bonnet.
It gets harder from there. To many good ones.
Tobago treasures are yummy yellow goodness and produced very well. Datils too!
Annuum wise Poblano, orange Thai, yellow mushrooms. Wait...No regular jalapeños?
I would choose between the Dorset and morich for the naga selection.
Red brain, so not 7 pot orig.
Brown eggs are unlike the rest, I say add it. Mine only got two foot tall, so on the side to keep from getting over shadowed?
I liked the Peruvian whites. What's PJ's white hab like? Similar?
My not CARDIs were a yummy lemony yellow hab flavored pod, blocky and big. If they grow out the same they will be worth it. You are only one of three that has them.
Bondas is a different yummy pod to have also.
I would stick to the MOAs and TFM bonnets, so no papa joes.
And gotta have a baccatum!

Note... that for me, any of the trinidads, the reaper grow the tallest. The nagas and bhut almost as big. The Bahamian goat, bonnets, and hab on the lower side. Giant white habs did get as big as the naga and bhuts. Your results may vary on many conditions under and out of control along with variety source. When laying out the garden I try to keep the shorter guys from being over shadowed.

 
Thanks Jason! I am going to revise my inventory rankings now and see where I stand. Your insights are very helpful. I was definitely going to add in a brown hab or bonnet... just haven't decided which. Right now I'm leaning toward the hab. I'll also try the bacc and the aji Charles mentioned below. Do the baccs have the same kind of space requirements as the average chinense?
 
Not sure what PJ's white hab is... I suspect it's the same as a Peruvian, so I'll start one of those for sure. Will post a full modded grow list later today.
 
Layout will of course be alot easier after this year. I am particularly interested in pod ripening times for each plant, that way I'd know which plants to move toward the center of the plot. As I'll mention below, I don't have alot of control over the size of the plot, just the layout.
 

 
I thought the same thing!  I'll throw in some Aji Cristal with the Yellow Bhut seed I'm sending...

 
Thanks Charles! Can't wait to get started!
 

You are about ready for blast off, Adam!
Should be a banner year in your grow!

 
Thanks Paul, lets hope! Will be updating regularly...
 

I'm not sure if this is your first garden, but you're going to have a very hard time harvesting with your layout. You'll want access to both sides of the tomatoes, and C. chinenses need 24" spacing minimum...even at 24" it will be tight. And that's going to be a boatload of cilantro...

 
This isn't my first garden, but it is definitely my most ambitious. It's also the first time I am growing peppers in this community garden, so I don't have any control over the size of the beds. Last Fall I did very well with brassicas and carrots. Obviously the pepper garden has alot more going on. The tomatoes are going to be a pain... I'm going to have to keep them very tight on their cages. I could move them to the corners of the plot but I am worried about shading. I am also a little concerned about what my neighbors will growing in their neighboring beds... okra or corn could cause some shade problems.
 

Still looks crowded. I'll be keeping an eye on this to see how it does through the year.  Good luck to you.
 
A couple comments:
Cinlantro is a pain in the butt since it doesn't stay mature too long before it bolts and once it bolts, it is over (unless you want the coriander). Start some from seed every 2 weeks or so to have a continuous supply all year.
Garlic doesn't take up hardly any space, but it is a late season crop and from what I read, it really should go in the ground in the fall and stay out in the winter to grow the next spring. You could plant a ton of it once you yank the pepper plants for the year.

 
Thank you Jeff... it definitely is crowded, but hopefully not too much so. 12x4' beds are not what I would build for peppers normally, but that's what I have in my community plot. They're actually built for a large scale organic produce commercial operation next door to the community plots. The community garden is an outreach component of a larger urban farming project. Generally things are planted very densely in the neighboring farm, but pepper wise they only grow annuums.
 
I may move the cilantro inside... it bolted on me last season actually. Garlic is as much for pest control as for the garlic itself... I have some in the beds now that I'll pull before I plant out. I'll put new garlic in and let it go through the fall. 
 

Orangehero has a point, except on the cilantro -I'm not sure you can grow too much cilantro
 
By the plant spacing and eyeballing the scale, it looks like your beds are 4x12 with a walk way between them. 4' is the max I'd make without a walk way on both sides.
My Chinense bed last year (4x30) was laid out such that the plants were in 2 rows about 36" apart and plant spaced ~ 24" in the rows with and offset row down the middle. This put the plant on the points of 24x24x21 triangles. This was very tight, but it did work. It was a new bed that I had covered cropped and worked the top 12" with about 30% compost, then I top dressed it with another 1-2" of compost at plantout. The harvest was quiet adequate but they may have produced a little more with wider spacing. The good thing about tight spacing is it controls late weeds, self shades, and they support each other. The Negs are that, it was a b!tch picking that inner row without breaking the outer one's limbs. Also plant groups bordered with distinctly different colors and shape because even if you label, a pepper limb  can be 4' away from it's label hanging out with something that looks almost like it. If you track through my '13 glog, I periodically took a pic from the same spot, that shows how neat rows of little plant turns into a dense, barely penetrable jungle in about 60 days. I'm row gardening most of the chinense this year and will do long a bed of sweets with 2 rows I think and a small bed 3 rows like last year. 
 
There's always a lot of give and take in garden engineering.
But it's fun doing it.

 
Thanks for the feedback JJJ! I am definitely maxed out with this plan, but it could evolve a bit once I see what germs and what thrives in my grow chamber. You are correct... the beds are 12x4' and there are 2-4' walkways between them. My beds are not actually next to each other, so I'll have to work in two different locations. That's okay.
 
Next season will be a bit easier once I can see how the individual strains do in these plots in this climate. Will definitely be updating throughout the season.
 
Thanks guys! 

 

[stickman]

I'm saying you need a brown podded plant, so definitely the choc hab or choc bonnet.
Or Douglah... just sayin'...
 
And gotta have a baccatum!
Baccatums are great plants... non-fussy, somewhat cold tolerant and very productive, but need at least 3 feet of space per plant depending on the variety. I put in 2 Aji Omnicolors 2 feet apart in one end of a 4x10 foot raised bed and they dominated a 4x4 foot area by the end of July.

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Alrighty, had a little time to incorporate some of the discussion into the grow list. Here is my most recent rendition:
 

 
Added the choco bonnett as well as alot of the uniques Jason sent my way, made space for the seeds in the postal tubes, and followed everyone's suggestions as best I can. I'll definitely try the douglah next time around Rick, or in another planting if I can secure some more space. It's risky, but I could try to stick some 5 gallon buckets in the garden as well. Problem with those is they can walk off.
 
This is kind of a maximum list... hopefully I can get close to the target number of plants to plant out, though I know I'm pushing it on space. My annuum count has dropped a bit... not going to try for a row of poblanos with all the big chinenses en route. 
 
Thanks again for all of your input everyone, and please keep the feedback coming!
 
~5 days till germination...

 

[Jeff H]

 
 
~5 days till germination...

 
 
You're in Georgia. Don't wait on the Chinense, get them in the dirt ASAP. Heck, in Ohio mine are almost all popped and growing already. Annuums grow fast, Chinense do not. 

 

[maximumcapsicum]

 
 
You're in Georgia. Don't wait on the Chinense, get them in the dirt ASAP. Heck, in Ohio mine are almost all popped and growing already. Annuums grow fast, Chinense do not. 

 
Been following UGA's gardening calendar, but you know adding a month or so for chinenses isn't a bad idea. I have a feeling they have the annuums in mind. I'll get started by the latest this weekend. Thanks Jeff!

 

[GA Growhead]

You will have to come check out my Garden this year anyway, so you will get a douglah or two to taste!
List looks good.
Almost time to drop seeds!!

 

[Scarecrw]

My 2 cents. Plant 2 basil plants on the end of both rows by your toms. Use them as companion plants not for harvest.

 

[Capsicum Select]

This will definitely be quite the grow! But it's good you scaled down a bit to give them a little more space. I learned from last season while extremely hard to resist but it is better to give them a bunch of space. More plants doesn't necessarily mean more peppers. Despite that I still have about 25 seedlings in addition to my overwinters 

 

[Devv]

Adam,
 
A little hi-jack here regarding spacing, this is my grow last year in early Sept,
 
3' spacing between rows and plants:

 
Having to crawl through to pick and finding 2 rattle snakes in there...I'm going with 5' between rows and 4' between the Chinense this season. The Annuums can be spaced closer as they're more open and smaller...

 

[maximumcapsicum]

My 2 cents. Plant 2 basil plants on the end of both rows by your toms. Use them as companion plants not for harvest.

 
Not a bad idea. Seriously considering with just doing basil and cilantro indoors anywho.
 

This will definitely be quite the grow! But it's good you scaled down a bit to give them a little more space. I learned from last season while extremely hard to resist but it is better to give them a bunch of space. More plants doesn't necessarily mean more peppers. Despite that I still have about 25 seedlings in addition to my overwinters 

 
Working on it for sure. Will just be doing 1 plant of each variety that makes it to plant out. Also, there are some other folks interested in peppers in the community garden... will send surplus starts their way. The space is opening up a bit.
 

Adam,
 
A little hi-jack here regarding spacing, this is my grow last year in early Sept,
 
3' spacing between rows and plants:

 
Having to crawl through to pick and finding 2 rattle snakes in there...I'm going with 5' between rows and 4' between the Chinense this season. The Annuums can be spaced closer as they're more open and smaller...

 
Wow Scott, I hope my plants are half as successful. The containers I grew in last year must have really stunted some of my chinenses, or I grew small-ish chinenses. As above, I have some contingency plants to open up space if need be. Shooting for one plant per variety. Actually started everything today... will post some pics tomorrow.
 
Thanks everyone for all the great advice. So many interesting peppers to try... need a house so I can plant a whole backyard with peppers! Will do a big update tomorrow!