2023/2024, wiicek, Let's Make BalcoJungle!

Hi!
Oh, I love watching that kind of stuff...
I am not too experienced in growing peppers, I used to grow some tomatoes but since I moved out from my family house, I didn't have space to grow anything. I bought allotment garden (I think that's the word, english is not my native language) but I can't seem to find time to care about it full time from march to october, it's not as near my flat as I'd want it to be but maybe one year I will make my life a little bit less messy and take make it work.
Now I live in the apartment with a balcony, it is at western side and in the summer the heat is kinda out of control. I think it will do! Oh, I dream of the jungle here!

This year I bought some chillies from the supermarket and, as I often do, I put some seeds into the ground. Don't know the variety, but I have a picture.

I don't have one with ripen peppers but it was red. One of them is actually orange, and one (or two - I don't know, it was not fruiting at the same time and I was constantly picking it) are sweet, also supermarket type - one is hanging on the bottom left there. It is 3 liters container and there is 6 of them in it, so harvest was small, but peppers beautiful and tasty. I ate a sauce made out of them already.

So, yea, I kinda wanted more, so, I picked some seeds, bought different types of chillies from supermarket again and gathered some seeds. I know I have a jalapeno, piri-piri and that's it from the names I know, but other than that I have 2 or 4 different types of hot ones (maybe cayenne and serrano) and one sweet one (on the picture), I don't remember if I sow a bell peppers also. I also found some ornamental ones and sow them too:

The purple one died after I sprayed all of them with soap - aphids. Orange and yellow are still alive but aphids and soap made them look miserable... But they're coming right back!

I don't know if I should take and shower them, they still have white stains from the soap and have sticky places from aphids. I still constantly get rid of them manually, it seems like there is always more to kill but less and less with every day. I do this daily or every other day now.

There are my seedlings!

They were sow so long ago, from one to two months but they didn't have enought light to grow. I've had them under blue light (grow light with two flexible sticks) but it seemd like it was too weak for them, so I added one with threee sticks and it started to grow rapidly.

After watering them and ordering them by height (and two days), the thingy looks like that:

Yesterday I repotted guys from the first picture earler.

It is 3 liters container and there were, ekhem, SEVEN of them in it! I dried them and made my first sauce (and from other chillies I bought for seeds then) and it was amazing! I think some of them are in my fermented sauce also. It was not a big harvest but yea, seven. I did use them good. One pepper is still hanging there, hah. It's a sweet one.

The last one was starting to wilt one week ago, I took it out but it was too late. I had my hopes but it probably is not coming back.

So yea, I have a station with blue (and red turned off) light and above it two one-foot shells which I light up with four (two for each) 2k lumens, 4k kelvins light bulbs. It seems like too much for my eyes but plants like it.

I planted everything into special mix for special plants (Cana terra), they will love it, I'm sure. I water it without fertilizers right now but normally I have my hydroponics mix for tomatoes and for every liter of solution I add half a liter of water because I've read that peppers like less of it. I'm in the middle of making my nettle solution for nitrogen, so they will be happy. For now I let them eat what is in that rich mix.

I am making them a station but for now there is nothing to show.

I LOVE IT! Aphids can f*ck themselves (and they surely do,s all the time, but I am coming for their children with baking soda mix if it will be necessairy), I am rolling now and it's gonna be amazing!


Edit. Oh, I forgot.... I was feeling adventurous and didn't put any labels on my trays, so now it is all the mistery! I really think I was tired and stupid then but it is what it is now, lol.
I bought some Sugar Rush Stripey, Thunder Mountain Longhorn, Fatali Habanero, Aji: Lemon Drop, Pineapple and Melon; and El Oro Equador seeds! Forst three came and are in the mix now, Lemon came with 0 seeds, that was weird, I wrote to the shop but they didn't answer, I bought some more somewhere else.

Let's make BalcoJungle!

 

[wiicek]

Couple of days ago I have made another jar, this time with few big carrots.

It is already eaten by bateria! )image was too big, I had to make a print screen and cut it off of all this beautiful... I don't know what, it looks the same but smaller, phhfff...

After those dark and cold days here in Poland (rain, flood, alarms, sandbags... wtf is happening) end of season hit me in the brains and I was rethinking this jarmaking. I know Dorsety Naga is the strongest in my collection this year and probably will be for the next few seasons and it was very prolific, very, very prolific... Did I mess up hard?

I've made every jar with it inside. The biggest have way too much to taste anything else. Smaller, I don't even know, it may be also more than few in each of them.

I knew it will probably be mistake, I even said that here, I think, but it just came to haunt me for some time.

But I'm cool. And maybe it won't be that bad.

I will have some more peppers now to make jars with only one variety inside, I am a little sad about Peach, because it is my favourite for now, I think. I have to make proper taste trial here of each one of them yet. I am scared of Dorset Nagas and Habaneros but I will do this. Buldok (hot pasta from few posts before) is making me more and more tolerable each time! (the 2xhot is soo hot, 3xhot... I DON'T EVEN KNOW YET!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Today's harvest!

They are pale still. Those Ramiros were squeezable ones before, now they are hard but not red, kinda orangy. I picked them tho. Will see what's inside in couple of days, don't wanna cut them just yet.

Stripeys are ripening and now I can see what's what!

The first one is beautiful, I have to give few days to decide about second one and third one (IN THE BIGGEST POD -.-) is making jokes.

And here is Wild Brasil!

And Fatali!

Maybe it's gonna ripe, we will have some sunny days at the end of september. That's how they forecasted but Who knows...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This came in mail few days ago...

I won't say anything about that, don't know how it happened, don't even ask me.

New place is starting to be created for the next season! ~Wohooooou!!!1!!11

I'm gonna do some cardboard and foil work today, tomorrow or Idkwhen, make it cleaner and dance like crazy.
Next week I will be sowing some new beauties. Or maybe not next, I can't look at it and not glance on seeds.

IT WILL BE NEXT WEEK.

GRRR.


Sorry that pictures are weird at sides, my phonecase is broken!

Edit. I mean, it's 18th today, I wanted to start sowing at the end of september, beginning of november, so, it's over one week! OMG.

TEN DAYS!

 

[wiicek]

Aaaaaand some lettuce from aerogardens, huhuhu...

The thing with lettuce is, it is soooo eeeaasy to grooow!

And I couldn't grow it, because I am weird like that.

 

[wiicek]

Red Habanero, Yellow Habanero and Dorset Naga jars!

I did taste Dorset Nagas and Habaneros today.

Dorset Naga had this nice flavour, kinda fruity and sweet but obviously it was too hot for me to get more from it. But it was way more interesting that Habaneros, which weren't bad, not as soapy as I was scared it would be but the smell sells it like that.

Will have to wait for those guys to ferment to know whats more to it.

I have so many jars, it's satisfying to look at. Wanted to do some powder but it's still unonown area for me, I did some from sauces last year and it was nice but still a byproduct of sauces and not plenty. Maybe next year I will focus more on that.

It's the beginning of my story, so, I really don't know what is good with and for what, I really appreciate everyones help and wise words here, I did some things different becouse of you and that's awesome.

I have created a post in sauce making place but it didn't get any answers but I managed to make my own decision based on your words and my own thoughts, so, it's cool.

I still have some jalapenos, cayennes and I think those are shishitos to do something with.

I was calling them Fresnos but those seeds were taken from green shishito I left to ripe last year.

So, I will put Shishitos with Jalapenos and pumpkin into one jar and then Cayennes with pumpkin into second.

I want for more Wild Brasils to ripe, Peaches and Stripeys, so I can make them seperately too.

 

[wiicek]

Aaaand evening Jalapenos, Shishitos and Pumpkin! Two jars with around the same amounts of everything. Ginger, garlic and small amount of mini tomatoes in every jar.

They are PACKED.

Ofc with each one I do 4% brine and try to add few spoons of older brine from previous jars.

They smell amazing.

I left cayennes for tomorrow. I don't think any cayenne will ripe in the next few weeks, there are plenty unripen ones hanging on those trees but they are from second flowering and seeing how long it took previous ones to start coloring, I will not see any red there in this season. They are big tho.

I'd make a picture or two but it's dark now and some kids are dancing, singing and laughing under my balcony, I don't want them to think I am a creep and taking pictures. Lol.

 

[wiicek]

And the last one for now.

I WILL COUNT THEM NOW!

* 2 x 4l;
* 7 x 0.5l;
* 5 x 0.7l;
* 4 x 0.8l;
* 3 x 0.2l;


21 JARS!


Plus 2 x 0.7l jars of tomatoes from the last year.

And some pods are still hanging there...

This Cayenne I was talking about yesterday:

Black Molten

Those are PJ Ice, I think:

Sunny weather... mmm.

 

[wiicek]

How do you know it is time to end the season?

I have some green pods still on the plants and I know they would ripe indoors but I don't have THAT much space. I also know that some of them would ripe if I cut off branches and took them inside.

Few of them didn't give me any ripen fruit yet, so, I did take them. Still have to figure out lights or if I even want to bother, they just have to ripe, not grow more...

I have to do some decisions about OWs and how to do that. And where.

Still there is some Italia and FVs to harvest, I stopped, because they were to difficult to get to and too small for me to try and care.

Also, I don't reeeaaally like the taste.

I did already buy THE BOX. And put there some seeds. I have to do some pictures of a list with legend explaining what is what and put it in several places to be safe...

The weather is autumny. And it will stay like that. 18 C will be max and I think one-timey in a couple of weeks. So.

When do you start doing The Cleanup?

 

[wiicek]

I am not as patient as I'd love to be, so, I picked all of them yesterday!

I was inspired!

This time is difficult for me, I'm working late, it is dark all the time, I feel like time is running out and don't really have a plan about what when and how to do anything with the balcony right now. So, I had to pick them up.

Some branches are hanging in the window.

I think that most of them will ripe, I hope it won't have any bad effect on the taste and if some won't ripe, it's not gonna be a big deal.

It is really cold outside.

But inside...

I know what is written there. I know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel a little bit overwhelmed by autumn, work and the lack of experience.

But it's gonna be alright. Time doesn't stop, and it always ends up just perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have to create another Glog. Wooah....
Have to choose the image.

 

[wiicek]

To make sense of everything I should make some kind of season summary or more like quick successes and fails.

~The balcony was amazing! Everything and more fit there and gave me a shit ton of fun. I know now that everything always ends up well even if some things doesn't look like that at the beginning.

~Worrying is pointless, new days go with new stuff and that what was lacking yesterday is not remembered today. Show must go on and new leaves/pods/jars always take center stage. Varieties which didn't sprout don't matter that much.

And what didn't sprout?

• Thunder Mountain Longhorn
• Aji Lemon Drop
• Aji Pineapple
• Aji Mango&Aji Ayuyo
• El Oro De Ecuador

I wanted to notice that Thunder Mountain Longhorn was the variety I chose first. It was it was supposed to be THE VARIETY.

Will see the next season.

~I have better planned winter this time with all the repotting and doublepotting in mind. Less fish & bone meal, better fertilizers, everything less chaotic and more order to it.

~Overwinters wil be ROCKING next season!

~I will have drip irrigating system installed.

~Better varieties of tomatoes: Aztek, Venus and Malinowy Kapturek. Self-terminating cherry tomatoes. More space on the balcony = more comfort.

~Single-variety jars from the begginning of harvests or maybe focusing on drying peppers instead of fermenting them. This part I still don't know.

~Installing some kind of barrel and a way of catching rain will be priority.

~Have to think about shielding from rain and sun, have to turn on the parts of brain which helped me build stands and hangers.

~7l pots are a waste of space, those peppers I had gave me maybe few peppers each and just at this time of the year, so, when season started to end. I didn't care for them that much so maybe that's the problem, like, overwatering from the rain or the lack of nutrients. Anyway, it was too much.

~Indoor experiments... I had no time for them and aphids are hell.

~If I wanna do some breeding, I have to start early. Or make a space inside and focus on it.

~Start early with everything, don't wait for season to go on and on and on and wake uo just before autumn.

~Labeling everything is so so sosos osososo important! Nothing is remembered, ever! EVEEER!

So yea. Year very fruitful, not wasted at all, I was proud of the balcony and people were impressed. So many jars! I still have to do sauces, wohooou! And still have some jars to do when the last harvest will get ready.

Have to have in mind that this time of year is hard on me next season, so I'll plan it accordingly.

I feeel like I should remember more and write here more and that something is missing and everything is done kinda slapdash (funny word) but that's everything I've got for now. I still will post here some stuff regardless this season, I will create second topic in time, I have some pictures chosen already.

I will put here those which weren't chosen!

 

[Downriver]

Oh, I dream of the jungle here!

This is from your first post in this thread. Well, I think your dream came true! All things considered, you've had an excellent grow this year, wiicek. Congratulations!

 

[HerbCasa]

I loved the grow
I'm very excited for the next grow. It's been awesome following the BalcoJungle

I'm going to be following you to your next grow.
I like that you're going to be drying peppers.
Will you be trying other ways to preserve peppers, like freezing?
I'm interested in the "possible" breeding project ....
I say go for it.
Do you have any particular crosses in mind?

Bountiful Harvest
and
Beautiful Shots

Great Job

 

[wiicek]

This is from your first post in this thread. Well, I think your dream came true! All things considered, you've had an excellent grow this year, wiicek. Congratulations!

Thank you so much for the kind words! <3
Yes, it was a satisfying jurney and I can only say that I have only good feeling about the next ones.

I loved the grow
I'm very excited for the next grow. It's been awesome following the BalcoJungle

I'm going to be following you to your next grow.

Thank you! I am very happy to hear that!
This glog was created to share my experience, to satisfy needs for pepper picks we all have here and maybe to make some moments a little better. If some of them or even only the last one have happened, it's a colossal win.
I had fun, that's for sure!

I like that you're going to be drying peppers.
Will you be trying other ways to preserve peppers, like freezing?
I'm interested in the "possible" breeding project ....
I say go for it.
Do you have any particular crosses in mind?

For now I only dried some strained sauce mash and it was really good. This year I felt like everythings goes so slow and I have time to think about it but then I did some jars and suddenly I didn't know if I'd have peppers to dry because cold weather was coming.

I still want to make some single pepper jars, like from Peach and Stripies, maybe Wild Brasil (but it dries faster than pods are ripening on the plants, so don't know what will I end up with) and maybe even Fatali, because they are almost there... I want to taste them fermented. But next year I should think about drying more.

With freezing... I have to buy a freezer. This year I had some fruits and filled the space I could use. Fruits will be used in sauces but it's gonna be long after today, so, nothing will go there.
Even if I had a space right now, I have yoo much fun making different jars to freeze peppers. I don't really know what will I think next year tho.


About breeding peppers, I have crazy scientist mindset. You say it's hard to cross some species? WILL SEE!! I see some stripeys, I wanna put them on jalapeno or ramiro! I wanna make some weird shapes! Crazy colors!
For now I didn't focus on it enough. I will have some seeds from Jalapeno x Ramiro cross, it was kinda accidental, so, nothing crazy but it's a start xD

I have some Black Molten near Stripey, so, that could be exciting!

 

[wiicek]

It seems like the sun didn't give up on us yet and Fatali decided to take advantage of that!

Few are there still hanging...

And I almost forgot about few plants I put in small room when I thought there is no chance for weather to get better.

Also, there is this buty!

So, it is not the end still.

 

[NJChilehead]

@wiicek amazing job with the BalcoJungle this year! With your success and your passion I can only assume that you have farmer's blood in your ancestry! A side note, my lineage is not Polish but Poland is the only European country that I've ever visited, back in 1996, to visit the family of a girl who I was dating at the time. I absolutely loved it, loved the people and look forward to visiting again someday. A truly special place.

Everything and more fit there and gave me a shit ton of fun. I know now that everything always ends up well even if some things doesn't look like that at the beginning.

~Worrying is pointless, new days go with new stuff and that what was lacking yesterday is not remembered today. Show must go on and new leaves/pods/jars always take center stage. Varieties which didn't sprout don't matter that much.

This is such great advice, and something for me to remember going forward! I've been growing for so long and yet I forget this.

Have to think about shielding from rain and sun

Shade cloth (30%) worked very well for me this year.

I look forward to hearing and seeing more about your journey!

 

[wiicek]

@wiicek amazing job with the BalcoJungle this year! With your success and your passion I can only assume that you have farmer's blood in your ancestry! A side note, my lineage is not Polish but Poland is the only European country that I've ever visited, back in 1996, to visit the family of a girl who I was dating at the time. I absolutely loved it, loved the people and look forward to visiting again someday. A truly special place.

Thank you <3
Oh yes, I was on all four in my garden since I remember, first with my grandpa (probably with my grandma before that but I don't really remember her time here on earth but I know grandpa started to be interested in flowers and veggies after she passed) then with my dad and mom, tomatoes ripening on shelves and sills EVERYWHERE and eating them as apples is such a beautiful memory...

This is such great advice, and something for me to remember going forward! I've been growing for so long and yet I forget this.

I know, it probably always will be but focusing on the new list is always fun!

Shade cloth (30%) worked very well for me this year.

Do you use it for the rain also? I bought one this season but I was putting it on only at the highest temperatures and taking off after 5pm. Didn't know if rain wouldn't make it too heavy for the plants because I didn't have the stand for it and it was hanging on the sticks and even on the plants themselves. Next year I will make some bigger sticks and it will be more stable. I HOPE.

 

[wiicek]

I did some sauces 3 days ago. One from the fermemted jar from august (and 1 tiny jar of tomateos) and one from baked mix of peppers!

With berries from my family (those small wild black berries, not blueberries but similar, smaller, taste soooo much better, and not blackberries, billberry? there is also huckleberry and I don't know what's what, but one of those!)!
Picked from local forest! It is not permitted if you use your fingers and I used their fingers.

I wanted to go berrypicking by myself but I was eaither to lazy to leave town to go to my homeland (it has funny sound to it lol, I think I have never used it in a sentence) or way too busy to go to my homeland.

Also, this bottle is so fun but cover is becoming too loose, I will have to throw it away

I spend most of the day in the kitchen with them and IT WAS WAY TOO MUCH FUN for me. Like really. I think I was high from it.
It may be the smell and spicy things in the air.
Do this at home. But not in the car. Or something like that.

I still have plenty to do and the thread to post. I was thinking doing it all in this one but it has the year in it. And also it wouldn't mark the seasons well and I like them being marked nicely.

And I will say, the hooks are beautiful. I would cheat if I posted them here, right? Worse, I would cheat myself!

Have the part of it!
Here, I party broke my own rule!
Rules, pfff.

 

[NJChilehead]

Thank you <3
Oh yes, I was on all four in my garden since I remember, first with my grandpa (probably with my grandma before that but I don't really remember her time here on earth but I know grandpa started to be interested in flowers and veggies after she passed) then with my dad and mom, tomatoes ripening on shelves and sills EVERYWHERE and eating them as apples is such a beautiful memory...

That is a beautiful memory. I have similar memories of my grandmother, 70-something years old holding my hand and walking me out to her garden when I was little. Funny I can't remember things that happened last week with much clarity but I remember everything about those days with her in her straw hat, pointing out all the veggies in the garden like it's happening in front of me. She had a victory garden, quite amazing. I hope that I live long enough and that my sons live close enough to me that my grandchildren can have happy memories of us gardening together as well. My sons have had a lot of fun with it too.

I know, it probably always will be but focusing on the new list is always fun!

Yes it sure is, I've already planned my list for next year and ordered seeds!

Do you use it for the rain also? I bought one this season but I was putting it on only at the highest temperatures and taking off after 5pm. Didn't know if rain wouldn't make it too heavy for the plants because I didn't have the stand for it and it was hanging on the sticks and even on the plants themselves. Next year I will make some bigger sticks and it will be more stable. I HOPE.

No, rain runs right through the shade cloth so it doesn't add an advantage or disadvantage in any way.

What are the ingredients in that roasted pepper sauce? Not sure if it's a secret recipe but it looks really good!!

 

[wiicek]

I just added some regular spicies I use while cooking: garlic, tumeric, sweet pepper powder, some spicy pepper powder, ginger and I think cardamon. Put some oil in and massage everything so it become all wet and covered in spicies.

For peppers there are cayenne, sugar rush stripey, few shishitos, ramiros and that yellow one - I don't know what it is, I think I bought some in supermarket last year and saved seeds and I remember the yellow or orange ones were marked as sweet. But I can't be sure right now, I didn't taste any of those 3 pods it gave me and don't really remember the previous 2 (was it 2?) It didn't go crazy with fuits like cayennes or any other peppers I grew. It might be there with Bell pepper with prolificness. It was in a smaller pod tho.

After being in the oven for some time while I was constantly checking and rotating them, I blended them and left as they were. I had to make 2 rounds! Second tray was little less packed but made it one and a hallf instead of almost a jar! For the time they were in the oven it smelled soooooooo goooooooood I think it is worth baking peppers for just the smell alone.

Edit: Oh, and fresh basil! I've added few leaves to both trays.

 

[wiicek]

New season topic was created!

And here is the link!

 

[wiicek]

It was a busy day in the kitchen for me today!
I did that jelly I was planning to do but I changed a little on the spot being influenced by some yt guy! xD

I boiled 2 cups of spirit vinegar (didn't have apple one at the time) and more than 3 cups of sugar then divided it into 3 pots. Blended all my SR Peaches and SR Stripeys and put it into all of those pots. Then mixed two jalapenos and put it in one, put two dorset nagas into second one and two habaneros into third one.

I must say, habanero's one tastes the best! I love it!



Then I was inspired to blend all habaneros I have left with apple vinegar and salt.

Then I pickled the rest of jalapenos with apple vinegar, salt, sugar, fresh basil and garlic, some dry rosemary, cardamone and cinamone. I don't know what I'm doing! I tent to throw some spieces alltogether and it usually tastes great (to me).

So, 3 different things, most of it not planned, inspired, improvised.


~~~~~~~~~~


I still have some Dorset Nagas to process and other green peppers I did harvest lately doing some work on the balcony.

Those were hanging in between the balcony and some hangers, so I didn't see them. Fully ripen, didn't harvest anything so red before, hah.

Those were supposed to be Red Habaneros but probably were mixed with something else before I bought the seeds. They were growing in 7l pot and everything in 7l pot were too slow, I just harvested those and even they are not ripen.

Wild Brasil went inside. This is a harvest.

Black Molten!

PJ Ice? I think it's PJ Ice. Nothing survived but one plant in the smallest pot ever, but this is the all year long harvest! So beautiful!

Some Cayennes.

And some others, green. I was cutting plants and this is the rest of fruits.

I didn't see that jalapeno before, it would go into jar today! Arrr.

So, yea, I have some work done at the balcony, I cut almost everything and put them in fours into pots. Some will stay, some will go to my friends, some will die. I will have some free days this week so I can do more cleanup and maybe just sit there and contemplate.

Frend at work said today that I can give her anything I want, she has full balcony to fill. Hyhyhyhy... hyhyhyhytyhyhyhy....

Don't have pictures for now but those cut plants crowded in pots give me some nostalgia from autumn when I was a kid. Garden really was my life since I remember!