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Stetto-grow 2018: Takin' another run at it.

It's going to be a sweeter, milder year for me this time around. I've got myself Rocoto happy, and thanks to my new friends enablers here at THP I have a plethora (you go El Guapo!!) there will be no shortage. I plan a repeat of some winners from last year, if you recognize your penmanship/packaging style, well, you just pat yourselves on the back.
 
My seed-to-medium day will be on or about this Thursday, March one, 6 weeks early for zone 3 but 3 months later than the Aji Amarillo and a few other choice seeds I planted last year.
 
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This is the bulk of the peppers, but not likely all. I overwintered a couple of PaulG's Aji Amarillos and a nummy Aji Mango from Geonerd, and they're already living la vita loco in a south facing window. I plan a backup seedling to both of those. 
 
Thanks to the damned Moruga Welder there's a lot of pepper stuffing in my future, and a special thanks to the Greenchilimonster for all these wonderful black seeds! We may have the Darlin' Bride weaned off those nasty bell peppers yet!
 
Chilidude said:
Looks great to me and with those Rocotos you could make all kind of tasty things like salsa, smoked powder etc.
Soumi!! My eye doctor's daughter is doing a student exchange to Finland this year. He tells me she's trying to figure out how not to have to come home...Thanks for popping in!
 
bpiela said:
Awesome list!  Best of luck!
 
Hey Ben, thanks! I'm trying to figure out how I don't get aphids here, so I can tell you the secret, so far I can only figure out that there aren't any. We have gadzillions of the ladybug critters, which aren't native, so I figure the soybean farmers still worry about 'em...
 
Chorizo857_62J said:
Wow, big stuff ahead!
 
Hey Gainsville, we can only hope! I'm trying a new anuum this year, Moruga Welder sent me some Antep Aci Dolma seed in two different phenos, I can't wait to get 'em to my dinner table! 
 
MikeUSMC said:
Best of luck this year, Eric! :cheers:
 
Awright Mike! Thanks for the luck and the teensy tiny beers! I remember your container grow last year, I'm going to try something similar. If I do good we'll compare notes. If I don't, I'll have some 5 gallon buckets to sell ya... :party:
 
Devv said:
Good luck this season Eric!
 
Scott, thanks so much! I'm going to do a lot of those sweeter varieties again this year, gotta get a good crop of RIPE Large Orange Thai this time. The Urfa Bieber (your spelling, not mine!) has proven to be a hit with my family, who are all Bell worshippers.
 
Malarky said:
Yeah Eric glad to see you taking another try!
More containers this year?
I'll be following your big stuffers this year. I'm interested to see how they do up north.
Best of luck this year! Get your Deer Deterrent up early!
 
Yah Matt, those big Antep Aci Dolmas just sound too good, doan' dey?!? And yeah, the deerlets don't stand a chance this season. Shockwire goes up first!
 
dragonsfire said:
Great looking collection, would be interested how the sweet paprika turns out :)
 
Neil, that Paprika was f-I-n-e! It was first to pod, started to ripen mid-July, and at the end of the season not 1 was left for the frost monster. GREAT flavor (even using only one variety). This year I grow for family and mayhaps the market. Yew cain't get no fresh papa rika round heah!
 
Hell, you can't get most of these peppers around here.
 
I'm supposed to be starting these critters yesterday. I might be able by Sunday, cross my fingers!
 
Thanks for stopping, guys, means a lot!
 
stettoman said:
Soumi!! My eye doctor's daughter is doing a student exchange to Finland this year. He tells me she's trying to figure out how not to have to come home...Thanks for popping in!
 
 
Well i cant blame her for not wanting to leave Finland despite this country being so cold most of the year...It is mostly because this country is still very safe place to life compared to most other countrys in the world.
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the good wishes and wish all the same!
 
I finally got to it today, thought I'd try something different:
 
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I know it looks a little bewildering, let me 'splain. I don't necessarily like the discs but still have a number of them on hand, so I thought I'd dispatch them thusly. I've saved and cleaned all my red Solo Cups from last year, but it's a heck of a lot easier to get these guys started en masse and worry about space later. Another advantage of this approach is that I can transfer sprouts to an open tray, leaving the lagging bastiges to soak...
 
Last year I believe I planted out a total of thirty nine separate peppers, not including bells, which I'm convinced is closer to the lettuce family, now that I've had a season of the real thing. These trays hold 6 of my tomato starts and three YOLO Bells, so the count this year, if all do their job is....
 
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Uh oh, forty four. I thought I was downsizing this time, really I did....Well hell, the Dude will abide....
 
I hadn't planted any Aji Amarillo or Aji Mango because
 
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I've had to trim the Aji Mango back three times now since I "let 'em grow", but these two are too healthy for words. I'm still under watering, but they thrive anyway. The leaf curl on the Amarillo is from before I led it back to the light.
 
Yes, that background is snow. It will continue to be snow for quite some time. When the sun is out these two are probably getting the reflective glow of a half dozen suns. We have plants wintering in a northern exposure that thrive from reflection alone.
 
Thanks for coming, I'll try to have cookies next time, really..... ;)
 
I really wish I had more time to spend on other glogs, it's an assholes & elbows Spring for me this year. My last daughter gradiates high school this year, I'll be lucky to get the 8th acre tilled. Suffice it to say I wish all of you a massive season and thank you all for the education I'd never find in any one other place! I will try to find at least a moment to dive into all of your experiences.

That being said, my first hook this morning, an Antakie from Frank (Moruga Welder). I had to look this one up, and now I'm really excited! Gonna be some great eatin' roun' heah!

Again, I do appreciate every one of ya, even Geonerd (the kerosine/MEK blend is the bomb, man! No really, do NOT smoke near tha' shi'!!)
 
So my sister texts me this morning: "What peppers have you started for me?"
 
Yep, gave her some powders and jelly last Fall..... :banghead:
 
I've got poppin' goin' on all over the place, and here my silly overwinter Aji Mango has decided to flower. I counted a dozen buds this morning.
 
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First mistake of the season: I forgot to turn my mechanical outlet timer to "timer". It has been on constantly since March 9. I know that some say that 24 hour light isn't such a bad thing, but I woke this morning to 15 seedlings in dire distress. It wasn't the light, I don't think, it was the moisture that light and radiant heat was leeching out of my grow medium.
 
I know most will come back, I hope this is the worst of my oops for the foreseeable...
 
Damage was minimal. In fact, all the peppers came back, the Antep Aci even looks like it's fightin'.
 
This was yesterday, this morning I had the Big Jims and a pair of Bishops Hats pop, among a few others. Going for 100% this time.
 
The wrinkly coty Antep is center of pic.
 
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Then we have this situation. This one's a pup. I set the trap because it's mother was sneaking around behind the firidge a couple nights before. I really don't like the idea of weasel litters being raised in my walls.....
 
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Maybe if this guy would work a little harder before they got into the house...The lousy picture is thanks to a Galaxy 6s, but the Great Horned Owls are only one variety of many here. We've had Bald Eagles swoop through the yard, Harriers, White Tails, even ospreys and Sharp Shank Hawks. There shouldn't be rodents withing 50 miles of us....
 
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Well, that's all I got for now, back to the never ending remodel.....
 
Thanks for stopping, cookies next time, I promise!
 
 
 
 
 
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