A very small rolling glog in Andalucía

I've been waffling on whether to try my hand at a glog, and then decided, "hey, why not?" I figure it's another chance to learn from the rest of you as I track my progress.

There are a few factors at play:
- I am in Málaga and there's pretty good weather here for year-round growing. I think the zone is 10a.
- I don't have much space. Just a small patio that can maybe handle 6 or 7 plants.
- I want to grow peppers that I find interesting, tasty, and beautiful. I don't mind super-hots, but they're not my goal. The hottest I currently have planned is MOA Scotch Bonnets.
- My kids don't want peppers, so I agreed to get some tomatoes going for them if they agree to help out and learn with me.
- And the last factor is I don't know what I'm doing but I'm happy to experiment and figure it out.

All the seeds are from Semillas La Palma. Pretty surprised and excited to find such a reputable seller of pepper seeds in Spain. Spanish cuisine is not known for spice.

Peppers:
- Buena Mulatta
- Black Pearl
- Fresno Supreme
- MOA Scotch Bonnets (orange)

Tomatoes:
- 100s and 1000s
- Tiny Tim

So that's where I'm starting. It's a rolling glog because I'll start with a couple seedlings, then start the next when the previous plants are ready to move outside. Not particularly exciting, but at least I get to play around with the different stages a few times.

Pictured: Black Pearl and 100s and 1000s seeds in the dirt on October 1st. I'll update with the current state of affairs below.

 

[MarcV]

Happy growing!

 

[hadanero]

Here's what I set up in my office for the germination station. A single plant tray, wide enough for some peat pots under half of a water jug and able to fit on the bottom of a small Ikea plant stand. The cable runs up to a small grow light I found on Amazon.

I also took advantage of a pretty warm router to help encourage germination. After a week, I had some decent little seedlings going. The toms germinated in under 36 hours--4 for 4. The Black Pearl peppers also germinated 4 for 4, so well done SLP.

But I think I did something wrong, because the tomato seedlings all died a week later. Either I overwatered them or they died when I tried a very diluted vinegar mix to remove some surface algae. The Black Pearls on the other hand are doing great. I've now up-potted them, started a very light feeding of fish emulsion and tried to get some more toms started over on the router. The following pictures are from this morning.

And then this happened! I had a spare pot I had used to try to "bon-chi" a jalapeno. The jalapeno failed, so I tossed it and threw a few habanero seeds on the dirt to see if they'd take. (I think it's a type of habanero. The fruit stand had no name on the basket.)

As an attempt to learn about seed-gathering/storing, I had collected some seeds from a habanero-like pepper I bought at a local fruit stand, so I don't know what they'll give me, but I looked down last night to see a couple had sprouted. So that's an unexpected bonus. I'll be curious to see what I get from them.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

depends on how dilute your vinegar was that you put on the tomato plant

I grew black pearl this year, by accident, they're a very pretty plant and the little round peppers are quite warm.

 

[PaulG]

Welcome to the glogo-sphere, @hadanero!

I think the SLP seeds are always good. One
of my favorite sources. With your great climate,
you might think about growing some wild varieties.
In your climate, you might get them to grow year-round,
maybe even in the ground.

Good luck getting your pepper adventure underway!

 

[hadanero]

Here's an update:

The two Black Pearl are growing steadily and look great. I had to lower them today because the leaves on one were curling and I'm assuming it's from being too close to the grow light. I also really like the growth pattern I'm seeing; there's a bit of new branching/growth below the canopy, so it should be good and bushy.

And the "I guess it's a habanero" is making slow but steady progress too. I'm going to leave it in the pot it's in--maybe a quarter gallon--and just consider it a useful experiment/learning opportunity.

I got three new 100s and 1000s (cherry toms) started and just stuck them outside in a 3 gal grow bag next to my still healthy/producing Buena Mulata plants, which also just got up-potted from 1.5 plastic pots to 3 gallon grow bags. Hopefully that helps give them a good boost when spring comes around.

Everything's getting a very light feeding every couple of weeks, either fish emulsion or a general 6-4-6.

depends on how dilute your vinegar was that you put on the tomato plant

I grew black pearl this year, by accident, they're a very pretty plant and the little round peppers are quite warm.

I'm hoping to mash and ferment them!

Welcome to the logo-sphere, @hadanero!

I think the SLP seeds are always good. One
of mu favorite sources. With your great climate,
you might think about growing some wild varieties.
In your climate, you might get them to grow year-round,
maybe even in the ground.

Good luck getting your pepper adventure underway!

I'd love to grow something wild and rare, but from what I've seen they like to stretch out, and I don't think I have the space. (Let me know if I'm wrong about how big they like to get.)

 

[PaulG]

Here's an update:

The two Black Pearl are growing steadily and look great. I had to lower them today because the leaves on one were curling and I'm assuming it's from being too close to the grow light. I also really like the growth pattern I'm seeing; there's a bit of new branching/growth below the canopy, so it should be good and bushy.

And the "I guess it's a habanero" is making slow but steady progress too. I'm going to leave it in the pot it's in--maybe a quarter gallon--and just consider it a useful experiment/learning opportunity.

I got three new 100s and 1000s (cherry toms) started and just stuck them outside in a 3 gal grow bag next to my still healthy/producing Buena Mulata plants, which also just got up-potted from 1.5 plastic pots to 3 gallon grow bags. Hopefully that helps give them a good boost when spring comes around.

Everything's getting a very light feeding every couple of weeks, either fish emulsion or a general 6-4-6.


I'm hoping to mash and ferment them!


I'd love to grow something wild and rare, but from what I've seen they like to stretch out, and I don't think I have the space. (Let me know if I'm wrong about how big they like to get.)

You are right about the growth habit of most wilds.
Semillas la Palma sells a Dwarf Chiltepin from Hermosillo,
Mexico that grows to about 1 meter in height. I grew one
in a #2NC (a bit shy of 2 gallons) this season and it was
between 2-3 feet tall. Had a decent upright growth habit
without a lot of spreading. I have a feeling that just about
any c. annuum v Glabriusculum would do well for you.
Check out Semillas' Wilds collection on their website for
a nice selection of wild pepper seeds.

 

[hadanero]

You are right about the growth habit of most wilds.
Semillas la Palma sells a Dwarf Chiltepin from Hermosillo,
Mexico that grows to about 1 meter in height. I grew one
in a #2NC (a bit shy of 2 gallons) this season and it was
between 2-3 feet tall. Had a decent upright growth habit
without a lot of spreading. I have a feeling that just about
any c. annuum v Glabriusculum would do well for you.
Check out Semillas' Wilds collection on their website for
a nice selection of wild pepper seeds.

Thank you! That's helpful. I had the SLP Dwarf Chiltepin on my "Peppers To Grow" list, so I'm really glad to hear about your experience with it. I'll check out their others too.

 

[hadanero]

Well, news, both good and bad, and somewhere in between.

Bad news: I had started some Fresnos and MOA Scotch Bonnets mid-December, and all have failed. It's on me. We had a busy January, and I lost track of their care.

Some in-between news: We're not staying here through the summer as originally planned. We have to make an extended trip back to the US from June on. It'll be very nice to see family, but it messes with my growing plans.

Some good news: The Black Pearl and Buena Mulatas are handling the winter just fine, with the latter even setting pods during the current cold snap. The 100s and 1000s tomato plants (3 sharing a 3 gal grow bag) are all growing great. They basically grow themselves. And my Maybenero is going great indoors. I think it's got a few nascent buds.

And because I have developed whatever sickness this is you all seem to have, I couldn't not start some seeds even knowing I'm going to miss the best part of the growing season. So I drank four very cheap and not very good beers, chopped up the cans, and I'm attempting to germinate seeds for Fresno Supremes, MOA Scotch Bonnets, KSLS, and Aji White Fantasy. They're currently sitting on top of my router. If I manage to pull a pod from each before we travel, I'll consider that a great win, and I have some friends here who would likely accept a plant or two so they can enjoy the fruits of my labors while I'm gone (if any).

Some pics, though I'll leave out the tragic tale of the failed seedlings.

The Maybenero - I sprinkled some cinammon on top to limit the fungal growth it developed. Seems to have done the trick. The first three pics are from late December and early January. The last two are from today. It's back under the (very weak!) grow light in my office now. During my first week on this forum, I read someone saying that market peppers don't always grow true, but they often grow well, and so far the second half of that statement is proving very accurate.

The Black Pearls & Buena Mulatas - The first picture is from December not long after re-potting, followed by today. They've grown a good deal, but no buds yet. The Buena Mulatas don't look great, but one is setting pods and the other just started throwing out some buds.

Peppers in cans - And here's today's seed drop. This is Fresno, MOA Scotch Bonnet, KSLS, and Aji White Fantasy. The first two are from Semillas La Palma, the second two are from a generous Dutchman that offered them on Facebook, so we'll see what they turn out to be. The first pic is between dropping the seeds and lightly covering them with soil - just showing that I'm dropping 4 seeds in each because I'd like something good from each can.

 

[Nulle]

Good luck with your peppers

 

[hadanero]

Some seedlings appeared overnight for the Fresno Supremes and the MOA Scotch Bonnets. These are all SLP seeds - 100% germination on those 8 seeds, it looks like. Had to switch from wood markers to plastic because the wood all grew mold in less than two days under the plastic and I pulled one seedling because it had some mold on the stem. The Aji White Fantasy and KSLS are still sleeping.

 

[hadanero]

So the KSLS and Aji White Fantasy seeds aren't doing much for me. No seedlings at just over two weeks. I decided to start soaking a few more of each in some chamomile tea, and I'll try again. I think the Aji White Fantasies are not great seeds - the embryos are looking fairly dark. If I don't get any of those, no worries. I would like to get some KSLS going - I've heard they're tasty. I'm going to put those all in the soil today.

Otherwise, things are going along pretty well. Going to bottom feed some fish paste to the Fresnos and MOA Bonnets this afternoon. The Fresnos from SLP have all been pretty stretchy every time I've germinated them, regardless of how close they get to the light. The Bonnets have a more compact seedling so far. They're liking the recent addition of a small fan. I keep struggling with the white fuzz and the Maybenero was getting edema, so I'm hoping the fan will minimize those issues.

Did a bit of pruning on the Black Pearls to open up the center and help along the growth that's showing up lower down. I had never understood the goal/purpose of topping until a YouTuber said something like, "It gets more light to the lower branches so they don't have to stretch upwards so much and they can fill out where they are." Don't know how accurate that is, but suddenly I understood what was going on and felt like I could do a little bit of helpful trimming. I trimmed the Maybenero too, and being outside has definitely helped with the edema it was suffering. I hope to bring it back indoors; I'm wanting an office pepper plant to look at when I need a break from emails.

Also have some salsas fermenting. I go very simple: a red onion, a red bell pepper, and ten or so habaneros. I chop, add salt at 3g for every 100g of produce, and let them ferment for about 10-14 days, then chop things up or blend them smooth depending on how I'm going to use it. I'm very happy with the flavor. This time around I have red habs in one jar and yellows in another--the yellows have not been available before at the local vegetable stand, so I was pleased to find them.

Oh, and the 3-to-a-bag 100s and 1000s cherry tomatoes are looking pretty happy. Lots of blooms.

 

[hadanero]

Just a couple of pictures today. The MOA Bonnets and Fresno seedlings are coming along nicely. I pinched out a second Fresno as it only had one true leaf in its first pair, and the other two seem healthy enough. Seeing true leaves on all the Bonnets. The fan really has helped a lot with algae issues.

A question: my light is this one; cheap but okay. How far away should I have the tops of the seedlings at this point? They're currently 4-5 inches away.

The Aji White Fantasy and KSLS seeds weren't great or something. Even those I soaked gave me not a gasp, not a whimper of an attempt at germination. Same setup as the other seeds, and though I don't have a lot of track record, my other seeds have all been germinating at very good rates.

Following up on last week, the salsas came out fantastic, and the Black Pearl is getting pleasantly bushy after some judicious trimming. I've just done some more trimming on the Buena Mulatas with the hopes they push good new growth.

Never tried growing in a can before, so I'm not sure what I'm doing. I tried bottom feeding a week ago with a small amount of fish juice. They still seem okay. Open to any suggestions from folks with more experience. My main goal with these is to learn, and if I get a pod before we have to pack up, then great.

Giveaway:
It looks pretty certain our visit to the US in June will turn into a long-term stay (i.e., we're moving). The good news is we may end up with space for more plants or a greenhouse. The bad news is the weather in Pennsylvania is not as conducive to year-round pepper growing as it is in Málaga. Still, I'm getting ready in advance and gathering seeds from US sources that my mother is kindly storing for me.

So, I've got some seeds for folks here in the EU. I'll cover postage if you PM me with your address. Just let me know what you want, and I'll cross them out here when they're all gone.

Here's what's available:
- Black Pearl (SLP)
- Buena Mulata (SLP and self-collected from a healthy plant)
- Fresno Supreme (SLP)
- MOA Bonnets (SLP)
- Tiny Tim Tomatoes (SLP)

 

[Ratatouille]

Oh man, enough room for a green house? You're so blessed! And I'm happy to welcome you to the club of impatient gardeners that can't grow peppers year round. Let me know if you want to join, It's a wonderful bunch in this group.

 

[Nulle]

I'm sorry to hear you're leaving Europe behind but if the US is where you feel you belong, I wish you all the best

I'd love to have some of your Fresno Supreme seeds is you have any more available. You've already got my addy from your last good deed

 

[hadanero]

I'm sorry to hear you're leaving Europe behind but if the US is where you feel you belong, I wish you all the best

I'd love to have some of your Fresno Supreme seeds is you have any more available. You've already got my addy from your last good deed

I still have about 10 - I'll send them your way this week.

And we love living in Europe, but have a few specific needs that are taking us closer to family. We're going to miss it here, and hopefully be back often to see friends.

 

[PaulG]

Good luck with your upcoming move and getting
a greenhouse up and running. I know You will miss
the great weather in Malaga.

 

[CaneDog]

A question: my light is this one; cheap but okay. How far away should I have the tops of the seedlings at this point? They're currently 4-5 inches away.

The fresno appear to have some stretch and the chinense maybe just a little. Sometimes they stretch early at the time of sprouting, but then slow down right away - I especially see this with various annuum. In that case I just watch them as they settle in. I wouldn't have started with the light any closer that you have it and I'd be careful about lowering it, but if they were to continue to stretch I'd want to catch it fairly quickly. Duration of lighting can be increased if the intensity proves to be a little low. Sometimes heat figures into the equation, where a certain amount of light works at lower temperatures, but induces stretch at warmer temperatures.

Good luck with your visit in June and your plans about moving!

 

[thoroughburro]

Still, I'm getting ready in advance and gathering seeds from US sources that my mother is kindly storing for me.

Let us know here when you’re settled in. I’d be happy to send a packet to help rebuild your seed library, and I imagine others would to.

 

[hadanero]

The fresno appear to have some stretch and the chinense maybe just a little. Sometimes they stretch early at the time of sprouting, but then slow down right away - I especially see this with various annuum. In that case I just watch them as they settle in. I wouldn't have started with the light any closer that you have it and I'd be careful about lowering it, but if they were to continue to stretch I'd want to catch it fairly quickly. Duration of lighting can be increased if the intensity proves to be a little low. Sometimes heat figures into the equation, where a certain amount of light works at lower temperatures, but induces stretch at warmer temperatures.

Good luck with your visit in June and your plans about moving!

That's very helpful - thank you! I have noticed that these Fresnos seem to jump higher than other seedlings very early on, but it's very likely that's on account of how I've started them. I'll try increasing how long the light is on.

Let us know here when you’re settled in. I’d be happy to send a packet to help rebuild your seed library, and I imagine others would to.

I appreciate it! I may take you up on that after I see what kind of space we're dealing with. I just put in an order in February with Midwest Chileheads, and @HellfireFarm was generous with some of his extra Habanada seeds, and @Sawyer included me in his P. Dreadie distribution, so I'm getting a decent start even from a distance.

Good luck with your upcoming move and getting
a greenhouse up and running. I know You will miss
the great weather in Malaga.

Thanks, Paul! We visited family in PA a couple Christmases back and our kids had a blast playing out in the snow. On seeing the photos, our friends in Spain asked us how we could be so cruel to them, wasn't it abusive to make them go outside when it was that cold, etc, etc. My wife and I both grew up with heavy amounts of "lake effect snowfall" in the midwest, so we just had a good laugh.