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Plant height?

Hey everyone.

I'm going to be putting my chillies in the ground this weekend, but I'm not sure how to arrange them. They're going in a garden that's up against a tall fence facing west. They'll be in two rows, one row against the fence, one row on the outside. Because the way the garden is facing, most of the sun they will get will be from the west, so I want to put the taller plants at the back, but I don't quite know which ones will be tallest. I'm going to have two plants of each of the following:

anaheim
bolivian rainbow
corno di toro
aji criolla sella
red habanero
hungarian hot wax
jalapeno
naga jolokia (annuum/fruitescens, not chinense)
pasilla apaseo
red scotch bonnet (not sure about this one, it may be one of the fake annuum types)
serrano
thai birdseye
dorset naga
naga morich

Most of these I haven't grown before, so I'd be guessing... any help would be much appreciated.

As for the scotch bonnet, here's a picture of the plants
http://members.optusnet.com.au/bobsyouruncle27/scotchbonnet.jpg

They're still small, but do they look like chinenses? They were quick to germinate and have grown pretty fast compared to the habs and nagas.
 
Habs and jalapenos will be shorter, that is about all I can offer. This year I have several varieties of peppers where 1 of the 2 plants is tall and the other short. The ones away from the sun seem to get taller and ganglier in general, but with a few exceptions.
Isn't it a bit late to get started? not meaning to criticize, just curious.
 
You can try here:http://www.chileplants.com/ to see if they have any of the peppers you're growing. They give a height estimate on all their plants.

From my experience, I can tell you the the Corno di Toros that I grow are all very tall plants, and that it's a good idea to cage or give them some sort of support because they get so many huge peppers on each limb that a strong wind can break them very easily. But, boy howdy are they good eating!

Criolla Sella tends to be a lower, bushier plant. I love these, too. Very abundant fruit with a nice fruity taste. I use tons of them in stir fries and hamburgers.
 
I might try to stagger the plants in a sort of zig-zag pattern to maximise available sunlight.

Pam - thanks for that link, I'll check it out.

Cheezydemon - It's technically still winter down here in Australia :mouthonfire: But the frosts are finished, and it's starting to warm up a bit.
 
AHHHHH! Of course. I guess I could have looked at your location tag!
Staggering sounds like a plan.

Maybe I need a place there so that I can dig up my plants here in the states in the fall, and bring them there to start spring. Could you imagine the monster plants I would have?? (Nevermind customs, expense, etc.)

I am not jealous yet, I love fall here, but come december I will be jealous of your garden in full swing. Keep track of the heights, write them down. We could start a database of plant heights. Widths would be good too.
 
The database sounds like a good idea. I'll be sure to track the progress of my plants. The ChilePlants.com website has most of the chillies I've got growing, so that will be a good guide to start with.
 
I wouldnt worry about the height. The ones that dont get enough sun will probably just grow taller until they are happy. I would only worry if you had a lot of ornamentals or something. For what its worth, my nagas are going nuts while my habs and thai are happy being shorter. FWIW some of my nagas are over 4 ft tall and they are all in pots. I would probably have a naga jungle if they were in the gound!
 
Have to keep in mind too Bob that being below the Tropic of Capricorn the sun will travel across the Northern sky. The plants at the southern end of your fenceline are going to be shaded as well by plants next to them.
 
I grew some bolivian rainbows a few years ago and they are really small plants (or they were when I grew them!)
 
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