• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

reverser's first grow (2014)

This will be my first real attempt at growing from seed (last year, I tried planting some pepper seedlings from Lowe's, directly into the ground, and they just died a pathetic death).
 
I have 3 cubic yards of Gro-Pro Potting Soil being delivered next Monday, and I'm going to fill 2 5x5 foot raised beds with it: 
AVfm3KZ.jpg

 
Will I be able to cram all these plants into those 2 beds?  I figure that I can get 16 plants into a 5x5 bed if I leave one foot spacing between the plants and the walls / each other.
 
I'm currently sprouting the seeds under 2 4-bulb T8 fixtures, with 3 of each type -- one will go into the raised bed, one will go into a Walmart bag and one will be a spare.  With a few exceptions, germination rates with a heating mat / thermostat have been quite high, I've been surprised.
 
I still don't know what I'm going to actually do with all of these peppers -- I can only eat so many of them myself, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.  (Maybe I'll make pounds of powder?)
 
Here's the list, as it currently stands:
 
Peppers:

C. Annuum:
  • +Aji Cacho de Cabra (Peru)
  • Aji Cerezo 1 (Peru)
  • *+Aji Cerezo 2 (Peru)
  • Aji Paprika (Peru)
  • *+Banana (PepperJoe)
  • *+California Wonder bell (eBay)
  • +Charleston (PepperJoe)
  • +Chilhuaca Negro (smokemaster)
  • +Chiltepin (illWill)
  • *+Chipotle (PepperJoe)
  • *+Choc Bell Pepper (PepperJoe)
  • +Hinkle Hatz (smokemaster)
  • *+Hot Cherry (PepperJoe)
  • +Jalapeño (PepperJoe)
  • *+Pasilla Bajio (PepperJoe)
  • +Prik Chi Faa (PepperJoe)
  • *+Red Peter (PepperJoe)
C. Baccatum:
  • Aji Amarillo (Peru)
  • ?Aji Fantasy (illWill) (18-gallon tote)
  • ?Aji Limo (Peru) (18-gallon tote)
  • Aji Verde (Peru)
  • ?Rain Forest (smokemaster) (18-gallon tote)
C. Chinense:
  • + Aji Dulce (Peru)
  • *+Aji Limon (smokemaster)
  • Aji Mochero (Peru)
  • Aji Panca (Peru)
  • +Billy Goat (smokemaster)
  • *+Brown Moruga (Sick625)
  • *+CGN 21500 (inolan22)
  • *+Choc Habanero (PepperJoe)
  • *+Choc Hab x Black Congo (illWill)
  • *+Condors Beak Hab (illWill)
  • +Habanero (PepperJoe)
  • *+Orange 7 Pot (illWill)
  • *+Peach Bhut Jolokia (Sick625)
  • +Peruvian Serlano (smokemaster)
  • *+Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate (Hathron)
  • !!Trinidad Scorpion Mustard (illWill)
C. Frutescens:
  • *+Aji Charapita (Peru)
  • Aji Araucho 1 (Peru)
  • Aji Araucho 2 (Peru)
  • Aji Pip de Mono (Peru)
C. Pubescens:
  • ?Manzano (smokemaster) (18-gallon tote)
  • ?Aji Rocoto (Peru) (5-gallon bucket)
Tomatoes:
  • *+Black Zebra Cherry (PepperJoe)
  • *+Burbank Slicing (PepperJoe)
  • *+Evergreen (PepperJoe)
  • *+Mr. Stripey (PepperJoe)
  • *+Roma (PepperJoe)
  • *!!Sungold (eBay)
  • *+Taps (PepperJoe)
  • *+Tiny Tim (eBay)
Other:
  • +Catnip (Lowe's)
  • *+Italian Parsley (PepperJoe)
  • Onions (PepperJoe)
  • *+Pak Choi (eBay)
  • *+Spinach (eBay)
  • *+Sweet Basil (PepperJoe)
  • *+Thyme (Lowe's)
Legend:
  • * -- plant will be grown in a raised bed
  • + -- plant will be grown in a Walmart bag or 5 gallon fabric pot
  • ? -- plant will be grown in another type of container
  • !! -- side-by-side comparison in 2 Walmart bags using free sample from BuildASoil vs my other soil
 
Click to expand...
I've gotten a whole bunch more seeds now; I updated the first post with a list sorted by type.  I was originally planning on planting 2 of every plant -- one in a container and one in a raised bed.  I now have too many peppers for that to be practical, so I've had to make some decisions (reflected in the first post), but I'll manage to grow at least one of everything except for some of the Peruvian seeds I got on eBay.
 
So far, everything has germinated except for the onions and Hot Cherry Pepper seeds from PepperJoe -- I haven't decided if it's worth trying to get new ones, given how many other varieties I already have.  Manzanos are taking a while but I saw one hook today.  Shouts go out to Hathron, inolan22, illWill, smokemaster, and Sick625 for sending me seeds (despite my low post-count!).
 
On another note -- I just got an unlabeled bag of (presumably pepper) seeds in the mail, and I have no idea what they are.  If you're Seth from Charleston, SC -- please PM me so I can properly label the seeds. (Otherwise, I'll just grow them out and we'll see what they are -- what's the worst thing that could happen?)
 
You wanna make sure each plant pepper plant has ample room. I wouldnt try to jam so many peppers in one bed. Use some 10 gallon buckets for the plants that get large, such as the superhots. I made the same mistake my first grow year. I figured planting each plant a foot apart was enough. I was wrong. The plants grew and were about four or five feet wide, so you can imagine the hell i caught when i tried to pick pepper. Looked like one big cluster fook. Check how big on average each variety gets and make sure they have at least two feet or more so that the branches have room to spread out a bit.
 
With regard to the preevious post... it is true that planting rows and rows of pepper plants withing a foot of each other is not a good idea... However, I find that clusters of 2-4 plants do well together, in large part because they hold each other up so well.  As long as they are the same type... they seem to cooperate excellently and to your benefit.  What i am going to try this year is the 2x2 square foot garden.  I will have 4 plants of each variety clustered a foot apart... but those clusters will have plenty of room to stretch out laterally and ofc infinite space vertically.
 
stc3248 said:
Can't wait to see pics of those awesome raised beds once they're full and finished!!! Any updates on the seating chart plan?
Click to expand...
Since you asked ... when I draw this all out, it feels a bit overwhelming. Am I taking this too far? I'm trying to have two of most of the plants (one in a Walmart bag, one in a container). The Walmart bags will probably end up being scattered around my (largish) back yard, instead of being clumped together like in the diagram.



Everything's germinated at this point (except the Aji Charapita seeds, and also some Carolina Reaper seeds I got from reddit, not currently shown in the chart). Most of the seedlings are in 4-inch square pots (most living outside, a few still being hardened off); some are already in 1-gallon root bags.

Here's a photo showing the assembled 3x6 beds (one of which has posts to support the tomatoes with a florida weave), some of the Walmart bags, the 18-gal totes and some of the plants in root bags:

 
Looking good! I like the chart and think you'll be doing OK on space also. Never know until you try right? Some will be tight, but I have crowded them in closer than that before and had no trouble. It is going to be a challenge to walk between those, but you went with the Florida weave on the tomatoes in the middle....should help with that. All you need now is this warm weather that is about to roll in over the next few days and you'll be rockin!
 
It's been a while, time for an update. I have all the plants in their final homes now -- mostly in beds, some in Walmart bags, some still in 1gal root pouches looking for a home.

The milder peppers (Jalapeno, Banana) are growing okay, but the superhots are growing very slowly. I don't know whether that's just part of their natural growth pattern, or if I have a problem I could solve with fertilizer or pest control.

Here's an album of all of the plants:

http://imgur.com/a/phClD

Here are some of the plants I'm most worried about:

Peach Bhut Jolokia


Aji Limon


7 Pot Primo


I'm watering them every other day. Is that about right?
 
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