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Late start for Datils, growing in a bucket?

Just started the Datil yellow seeds I got, 6 seeds in the Zip-lock/paper towel method. I know it's very late to be starting them, so I plan to grow them in 3 gallon pots this year, and bring them inside for winter. Other options include dutch bucket hydroponics, which is something I want to try, or planting them outside and hoping for the best.
 
If I pot them up, it'll be a mix of garden soil and the local red clay, plus some compost from the bin.
If I put them in the ground and dig them later, it'll be the local red clay, after 10 years of planting the garden in it, and tilling under all the vegetation at the end of season. It's actually started to get a little brown color to it, finally...
If I do the hydroponics, I'll probably get arrested for "HYDROPONICS! HE'S GROWING POT!" reasons. Local police can't even keep the automotive laws straight...I wouldn't trust them to not walk in, arrest me, and trash my house over something like that. (Has happened several times locally before, been in the news and all...) Really not too big of a deal, just hang a sign on them that says "it's not pot, eat a pepper and be happy" and they'd leave me alone after the first call.
 
What would you guys do, knowing my growing season will be coming to an end in late september/early october, in a normal year?
 
I would wait and see how many seeds germinate before I spent any money.

If only one or two germinate, I would go with pots.

I can't give you much advice on hydroponics. But I would recommend poking around the site. There are some members who have shared several innovative methods for growing peppers.

I would look at this as an opportunity to experiment. You probably have at least 150 days left in your growing season.

A word of caution, though. Being a chinense pepper, the Datils have a reputation as being one of the slower varieties to fruit (when compared to some of the fast growing annums). It would be good to have a fall-back plan for over-wintering one or two plants.
 
The plan was to overwinter two plants, assuming I got two plants to grow at all. I was looking at hydroponics this year mainly because of the luck I have had with tomatos last year. I wasn't even trying to grow them hydroponically, but that's what happened...
 
Tomato was a broken off branch that fell into the gravel in the fish pond, when I potted up the seedlings I used to set them by the pond in the sun to harden off.
Tomato apparently rooted and grew roots into the fish pond, which is a standard plastic liner with pea gravel on the upper shelf as decoration
Tomato went completely bonkers and produced more from that one plant than all the other 8 tomatos in the garden combined.
 
I added nothing, I checked nothing, and I only staked the tomato once it started growing out into the grass, to keep the lawnmower off of it. The damn thing just kept growing.
 
I have a pump and hoses/tubing/plumbing parts from the shop, I do custom drivetrain swaps into older cars and have more plastic/rubber tube and hose drops left over than I should...I should just junk most of it. But it's handy, so I don't.
 
What I do not have currently, is a 30 or 50 gallon plastic drum, but I do know where to get 30 gallon food-grade ones for free, same with food-grade 4 gallon buckets with snap on lids. I also do not have any clue about the nutrient mixing or feeding schedules or stuff like that.
 
I am looking at using the white quartz pea gravel like what is in my pond as a grow media, it's approximately the same size as the clay pellet media and did OK last year in the pond, so that would reduce my cost considerably. It's not quite free to try hydro, but if I am only doing one or two plants, the cost is much reduced.
 
As far as buying chilis of any variety locally, there are only two options, you can buy Bonnie Habanaros or Bonnie Mucho Nacho Jalapenos. I already have two Mucho Nachos, and none of the other nurseries carry anything other than jalapeno, bell, or cayenne. As far as local peppers go, you can buy the seed and start them (what I did, but too late...) or I can drive a few hours north to TrentL's place and beg him to sell me a few...he's not but 4 hours away. (and doesn't know me from Adam...)
 
WolframMalukker said:
As far as buying chilis of any variety locally, there are only two options, you can buy Bonnie Habanaros or Bonnie Mucho Nacho Jalapenos. I already have two Mucho Nachos, and none of the other nurseries carry anything other than jalapeno, bell, or cayenne. As far as local peppers go, you can buy the seed and start them (what I did, but too late...) or I can drive a few hours north to TrentL's place and beg him to sell me a few...he's not but 4 hours away. (and doesn't know me from Adam...)
 

Order you some plants. You'll be so much further along and have peppers this year. Consider any seeds that sprout as a bonus.
 
http://www.chileplants.com/search.aspx?Search=True&SearchButton=&SearchMode=simple&SpeciesCode=&Letter=&Keyword=datil&CategoryID=1&HeatID=&TypeID=&UseID=&SizeID=&FleshID=&FoliageID=&OrientationID=&HeightID=&SeasonID=&DeterminancyID=&Heirloom=&Location=&Color=&Page=1&LengthID=&WidthID=&StockStatusID=&NewProduct=&ImageHeader=
 
I hope you were able to get some datils going. It's my favorite pepper -They make everything taste better.

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