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First Grow, Phoenix Az

Hello guys, This will be my first hot pepper grow.. I just have a few questions and was hoping for some tips and tricks from some experienced growers. I was at my local nursery the other day and i saw some that they had a giant room full of seeds.. I was looking around and i picked out 3 varieties i thought would be interesting to grow. I got Habanero, Thai Dragon, and Tobasco.. I started germinating them earlier today using the paper towel method on a heat pad.

1. I was wondering if i should start them inside with some daylight cfl bulbs, then move them outside or should i put them straight outside?

2. Since it usually gets to about 110 F in the summer, should i keep them in the shade or will they be alright in the sun?

3. Should i plant them into the ground, or i also have 3 or 5 gallon buckets i could grow in.

4. Would i be able to keep them outside all year round or will they die in the winter?

5. About how long do the varieties i have chosen usually take to start harvesting.

Thanks alot and I'm looking forward To this grow..

Thanks again
 
I'm no expert but

1. I would start them inside for sure unless you want to battle the elements

2. It gets hot like that in Texas as well. You can try shading but don't expect much production throughout the summer heat

3. Once again if you plant in the ground you have to battle the elements. I have mine in buckets and was able to dodge 3 hail storms last year because I was able to move them inside. All would have been lost if I left them out.

4. Not sure what part of AZ you are in but if it freezes then you will eventually lose your plant. There is great tips on this site about "overwintering" where you could bring them inside.

5. Not real sure but 90-120 days on most peppers from seed to pepper. Once again the summer heat can slow that down or speed it up depending on weather. My habs were planted late and I never did get a single pepper off of it. It took longer for sure.

GL this year!
 
I'm no expert but

1. I would start them inside for sure unless you want to battle the elements

2. It gets hot like that in Texas as well. You can try shading but don't expect much production throughout the summer heat

3. Once again if you plant in the ground you have to battle the elements. I have mine in buckets and was able to dodge 3 hail storms last year because I was able to move them inside. All would have been lost if I left them out.

4. Not sure what part of AZ you are in but if it freezes then you will eventually lose your plant. There is great tips on this site about "overwintering" where you could bring them inside.

5. Not real sure but 90-120 days on most peppers from seed to pepper. Once again the summer heat can slow that down or speed it up depending on weather. My habs were planted late and I never did get a single pepper off of it. It took longer for sure.

GL this year!
Awesome, thanks for the help:)
 
I've only been growing for 1.5 years but here's been my experience:

1. I was wondering if i should start them inside with some daylight cfl bulbs, then move them outside or should i put them straight outside?

Either way is okay but you will be able to protect them more inside. Not only from wind and cold, but bugs (it doesn't take long for them to eat your plants when they're tiny). Last year I started around 100 seeds outside and I ended up giving away or chucking all but the best 20 or so plants anyway, so it didn't matter to much to me.

2. Since it usually gets to about 110 F in the summer, should i keep them in the shade or will they be alright in the sun?

They probably won't produce much, if at all, during the hottest few months. My cayennes produce year-round (although not as much when it's hot), but my habaneros and bhuts didn't really produce during the hottest couple months, even in the shade.

I know pepper plants are supposed to be "full sun", but my biggest and most productive plants were ones that got around 5 hours of direct sun in the morning and then were in the shade the rest of the day. Right now I only need to water them like once every 7-10 days, but in the summer I have to water them (like soaking wet) as frequently as every 1-1.5 days because it's so hot and the humidity's so low.

3. Should i plant them into the ground, or i also have 3 or 5 gallon buckets i could grow in.

I think pots or buckets are easier to control, but maybe that's due to my lack of experience tending to in-ground ones. It's also nice to be able to move them when the monsoon season rolls around...

You can also transplant them either way if you think they're not doing well.

4. Would i be able to keep them outside all year round or will they die in the winter?

The only time I brought my plants inside was when that cold spell came through a couple weeks ago. It killed all of my pepper plants that I left outside, but I'm starting a bunch of new ones this year anyway. You can overwinter them and bring them inside if you want to, but if they are mature, they will generally be okay outside year-round.

Good luck!
 
Good luck on your grow Nero. You're in a tough spot for most species. Although your neighbor NM grows some of the best chiles around. You will need a shade cloth structure IMO and you will still see meager results during summer. A couple weeks is a good average germ time, but mine have popped anywhere from 4 days to 2 months. Your best production will be next fall. If you get frost or freezes you'll either have to cover them, bring them in, use a greenhouse/hoop house or maybe just sit them near the house. I've over wintered plants on my porch outside our sliding glass door...depends on your weather. Good luck!
 
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