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Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more....

Disclaimer:  Incoherent rambling and cursing to follow.
 
 
So, once more I subject myself to the sadomasochistic pain of growing peppers in Canada.  Not just growing peppers in Canada, but 'me' growing peppers in Canada.  The universe has repeatedly informed me that this will not happen, but have I ever been one to take a hint?  NO, NOT I!
 
I see this frozen wasteland in the middle of the plains and I say to myself, "Self, what does this whore-mother of a country need?  Why, it needs some desert plants!  MORE DESERT PLANTS!  Not even tropical, just something right from the middle of some f**king desert.  That is what I WILL FORCE TO GROW HERE THROUGH SHEER FORCE OF WILL!"
 
For those who have not followed along with my adventures from the beginning, peppers have not been kind to me.  I think I may have finally exceeded the point where I can count on two hands the homegrown peppers I've eaten however. 
 
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Between short growing seasons, aphids, poor weather, aphids, rain, aphids, droughts, aphids, mice, aphids, and crazy neighbours with lawnmowers (under mind control by aphids), my plants die more often than Scottish guys running around with swords to Queen soundtracks.
 
This year...  This year, I outsmart them.  You see, the minions of the saucer people expect me to plant outside, and in the summer.  Well, they'd like that, WOULDN'T THEY?!  But I say nay nay, this year...  this year I grow inside!  In the fall, through the winter, never exposed to the destructive elements of the outside world!  Like those unfortunate strippers who disappeared, which I have no knowledge of, my plants shall know nothing except the four walls of my basement!
 
Now I know what you're about to say...  "But Wulf, are you sure your med dosage is correct?"  Followed immediately by, "That's a stupid plan.  And you're stupid for doing it.  Stupidhead."
 
Be that as it may, I am sick, sick, SICK of watching my plants die due to aphids.  Absolutely nothing had ever crushed them completely.  Every year (at least for the ones that don't die in other horrible ways) my short growing season (and general ineptness as a provider) forces me to bring the plants inside just as the peppers are about to ripen.  I get 2 or 3 off before the aphid horde humps, copulates, and fornicates its way to a sickly seething amorphous mass of green flesh over my sickly withering plants.
 
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I can poison, squish, threaten, cajole, and annoy the everloving shit out of these aphids, but it always hurts my plants worse.  I spend the next 6 months looking at my goddamn f**king sticks which will occasionally grow a few more leaves, get my hopes up, and then a single goddamn aphid will be seen.  But you never have a single goddamn aphid.  It's the goddamn aphidMoses, who has led his people to the promised land.  He holds aloft his mighty staff and yells "PHARAOH, PHARAOH, LET MY PEOPLE GOOOOOOOOOOO".  And then I squish him.
 
But no, this wasn't aphidMoses, it was aphidJesus, and three days later he has arisen.  IT'S A MIRACLE!  QUICK, CALL ALL THE PILGRIMS TO THE HOLY LAND, IT'S THE CHOSEN ONE!
 
...so, where was I?  I dunno.  Long story short, aphids live, plant dies.  Always.  And I remain pepperless.
 
How many years have I been at this?  I dunno.  2011?  2012?  They blend together.
 
But this year is different.  No plant shall go outside and no plant shall come inside.  The aphids shall not find my plants, for they shall be...  precious... to me...
 
To this end, last night I placed 13 Carolina Reaper seeds into some dirt in a cup.  I don't have the energy these days to do things "right", but getting things started was never my failure point.  I also have some red savina seeds that I'll repeat the process with in the next few days.  Some chocolate habs from a year or two ago that I may try if I get energetic, but they were not stored properly and I have low hopes for them being viable.  The packet felt like it had dampened and dried back out.
 
So, like Charlie Brown, I once again charge forward at that football.  Surely Lucy will hold it still this time.  Surely.
 
This shall be the year.
 
I shall grow the desert plant in this winter wonderland and the universe shall submit to my will.
 
...this is the year....
 
...surely...
 
 
 
Updated posts:
#1
 
Best of luck. May the Aphids remain unaware, and may your children bear many fruit.


SR.
 
Just a thought.

If you always get aphids, maybe you can try planting something else along side the aphids that is more attractive or repelling.
 
sirex said:
If you always get aphids, maybe you can try planting something else along side the aphids that is more attractive or repelling.
 
They're fine when they're outside, but it's when they're brought inside that their population explodes.  I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think with the lack of any other food source there's nothing that would cause them to run off and die in a corner rather eat my succulent plants.
 
And planting something more attractive may buy me a day or two, but I've never been able to contain an outbreak to a single plant even if I destroy them at first sight.  I'd just have the pleasure of watching that one get infested first, followed nearly immediately by an outbreak on the neighbouring plants.
 
Corrections would be appreciated if I'm mistaken on the above, as it relates to indoor growing / overwintering.
 
The first two have breached the surface, escaping from the safety of their soily womb into the harsh depravity of reality.
 
CR: Carolina Reaper
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Grow, my minions!  Stretch forth your leafy tendrils like the arms of the dead hungering for the flesh of the living!
 
Grow safe in my protective embrace, secure in the knowledge that the aphid scourge shall never find you here!  In the secret places, perform your dark rites and spawn your progeny of fire and pain, striking out at the delicate digestive systems of my enemies!
 
Soon you shall be joined by your brothers and sisters, and your cousins after that!
 
None shall stand against the flavorful fires of my flora family, neither friend nor foe!
 
4 more seedlings transported into their own cups.  6 out of 13 have popped in the week since the seeds hit soil, and it looked like a few more were about to.  I'm glad I'm not waiting weeks like I have sometimes in the past.
 
I think I may be transporting them out of their mother-cup (with ziplock-brand Ghetto-moistening Dome) a bit too soon.  The seed helmets have hardened on three of them before the leaves exited an acceptable amount.  If they don't exit on their own I'll have to pour some water on them and cover them with a ziplock bag to resoften them.  Ripped half the cotyledons off of one seed trying to help it along.  I knew it wouldn't end well, but these plants have to learn to put up with abuse from a young age, or they get weak and soft.
 
I usually have pretty good luck just by raising the humidity and getting them soft, but I might give that a try if any of them end up being stubborn.
 
 
8 out of 13 seeds have popped.
 
If I were a more energetic man I'd be putting the other varieties into some dirt now....
 
Big Kahuna said:
+1
 
And welcome to the forum raceperson!
Hey, thanks! This video inspired me to give it a shot:
Over 2400 peppers, I was blown away...I'm undecided if I want to go all the way and start carving up some steel drums to transplant into. Currently, in about 4-5 gallons, I have an Aleppo, Black Hungarian, Hinklehatz, Lipstick, and Matchbox. I have been plucking flowers, pruning, keeping them focused on forming a nice low, sturdy frame. 
 
Anyway, this is my first attempt at gardening and I'm loving it. Thanks again for the welcome.
 
Gardening is one of the greatest hobbies--welcome to a hobby you can enjoy for the rest of your life!

The bigger the pot, the bigger the plant...why not experiment?
 
raceperson said:
Kindly requesting an update on your little beauties, from one first-time-MB-indoor-pepper grower to another.
 
I'll try get a picture when I get home, but so far no horrible disasters have befallen them.  They're all sitting nicely in front of a window which is giving them enough light to survive and stay green without me having to hook up my lights which surprised me.
 
They've grown to the limits of what a solo cup can support and my special blend of apathy and laziness has prevented me from upsizing them.
 
I think they're in a pretty good holding pattern to wait out the cold and go outside in the ground once winter lifts, which is a bit of a shift from my initial strategy of actually growing peppers inside, but this lazy approach is just so much easier than actually giving a crap.  I go take a look at them once a weekend, pour a bit of water on them, and don't think about them again until the next weekend.  Not enough moisture to rot, and their metabolism (or whatever you call the plant equivalent) is slowed down enough that they can go days overdue for a watering without issue.
 
Tonight.  Tonight shall be the night that I sneak into the most secret of hiding places and take a picture.  This refuge of the damned, where no aphid has yet to tread.
 
Gaze upon my affront to nature as you see these plants supping on the cold bosom of a Canadian winter's sun!  (ed. note:  Come back later to work in a Carolina Weeper pun.)
 
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