AHayastani's ГЛΟГ

I have an urban "garden" on the roof of a house in tropical Chiapas, Mexico. It's the first year that I'm growing plants - mostly Capsicum - in this location. I lived in a temperate region of Europe before, and the adaptation to different growing conditions is not without setbacks. Another issue is that not all material that I would like to use is commonly available here, so at times I have to be more creative than I actually want to be. That being said, it is also unbelievable (for me, at least) to see how some plants manage to grow in this climate even in adverse conditions (despite my bad treatment, that is).
 
I have obtained seeds from various sources (abbreviations in parentheses will be used in this glog): White Hot Peppers (WHP), Towns-End (town), Jayrseyshore Peppers [FB] (jay), Vertiloom (vtl), Badskin (bad), Juan GA [FB] (jga), Semillas La Palma (SLP), Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds).
 
I arrived at this house in january and started my first sowings in february. This glog, however, begins in early June and I will just treat this as "the beginning".
 
 
I re-sowed a few cultivars end May since most or all of my plants of that specific cultivar had perished... My 3 plants of Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion seem to have succumbed to a virus infection, which might have been seed-born. I will soon find out... My Brazilian Mango and Aji Mango Long plants looked depressing, so I sowed the backup seeds. Serrano... I had forgotten to sow them    Trinidad Beans Chocolate, because two out of three plants seem to be reluctant to grow and enter adulthood... Takanotsume is old seed I purchased on ebay, and I'm surprised that anything gets up. Pimenta Moranga and Monster Gum Multicolor (jga) are two cultivars that I was going to sow on March 20, but I somehow lost the seeds... but they recently resurfaced Germination is still OK, even though the seeds were "stored" outside 
 

 
 
I sourced some pequin/chiltepin from the local market, one fruit per tray:
 

 
 
A box of failures... The seed is already old though and has not been properly stored. Cumari Pollux (SLP) is an exception though, and I will await its germination to officially declare the rest as "lost".
 

 
 
Sowed today: Capsicum galapagoense Long (SLP).
 

 

 
 
I had some fun with tomato suckers as well... I put two suckers in water to make them grow roots (cultivar Madagascar) and gave them a baggie of dirt today and placed them with the rest.
 

 
 
I removed some more suckers and put them in water. Hopefully they will make it to tomato plant Three are Midnight Tiger and another Madagascar. The three shoots in perlite below are Aji Tapachula.
 

 

[HeatMiser]

Looking good!
 
Have you tried the Pepperoncini yet? Always exciting when multiple plants are producing at the same time...

 

[ahayastani]

Great to see your success, D!
Gives me some hope for our
PNW future!
 
it looks like you can grow just
about anything on your splendid
balcony!

 
 
Thanks Paul Well, I try and learn from my mistakes. I'm holding my heart now that we're entering the rainy season though (way too early!). I will save as much seed as possible the following weeks instead of waiting until November-December.
 

Looking good!
 
Have you tried the Pepperoncini yet? Always exciting when multiple plants are producing at the same time...

 
Not yet! The peppers in the image I've shown grow in a cluster, but there are a few other peppers (outside the image) that are still growing. It won't be long before I'll pick everything together and pickle them though.
 
Another image from the garden: Hangjiao 3 "Solar Flare", which now has the size that I expect from it. Last year, the firstlings ripened to red while all following flushes ripened to orange (the expected colour). The very last harvest I gathered from it was also red... and then the plants died. I sourced seeds from a different vendor this year and I'm curious to see how it will ripen
 

 

[HeatMiser]

 
Not yet! The peppers in the image I've shown grow in a cluster, but there are a few other peppers (outside the image) that are still growing. It won't be long before I'll pick everything together and pickle them though.
 

 
OK, I'm curious to hear how well you like them. I didn't like the ones I grew last year, and I'm wondering if I should try a different variety in the future.

 

[ahayastani]

 
OK, I'm curious to hear how well you like them. I didn't like the ones I grew last year, and I'm wondering if I should try a different variety in the future.

 
Take into account, however, that my climate will influence the taste of the peppers. There is some background in the Scientific Observations of Environmental Stress on Pepper Varieties thread on this site. Basically, peppers grown in my locality are bound to be hotter and sweeter compared to yours. I have experienced this first hand with Buena Mulata, which I already grew in Europe and was a good all-round pepper. I'm growing this variety now in MX (still from my own seeds) and it is definitely hotter and a good deal sweeter than I remember it to be.
 
Concerning hotness, there is an interesting publication from CICY (Yucatan): Behavior of the Hottest Chili Peppers in the World Cultivated in Yucatan, Mexico (Mexican Carolina Reaper rated at 3000000 SHU). My climate is similar - tropical - but we have more rain in the rainy season, and temperatures here seldomly go higher than 38°C in the dry season (can happen in Yucatan).

 

[HeatMiser]

 
Take into account, however, that my climate will influence the taste of the peppers. There is some background in the Scientific Observations of Environmental Stress on Pepper Varieties thread on this site. Basically, peppers grown in my locality are bound to be hotter and sweeter compared to yours. I have experienced this first hand with Buena Mulata, which I already grew in Europe and was a good all-round pepper. I'm growing this variety now in MX (still from my own seeds) and it is definitely hotter and a good deal sweeter than I remember it to be.
 
Concerning hotness, there is an interesting publication from CICY (Yucatan): Behavior of the Hottest Chili Peppers in the World Cultivated in Yucatan, Mexico (Mexican Carolina Reaper rated at 3000000 SHU). My climate is similar - tropical - but we have more rain in the rainy season, and temperatures here seldomly go higher than 38°C in the dry season (can happen in Yucatan).

 
True, but my pepperoncinis were never even exposed to our climate. They enjoyed a consistent supply of nutrients, stable temps, humidity and light cycles. Probably should have stressed them out a little huh?

 

[ahayastani]

Well, here are the pepperoncinis The jar is too big to my liking but it's the smallest I had at hand. Harvested yesterday and jarred this morning. I left one pepper on the plant for seeds. The plant is also flowering again and already carries various little peppers.
 

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[ahayastani]

A few extra hots...
 
KS Lemon Starrburst with its first pepper. Pheno is off in my opinion, but I'm not going to give a verdict based on one pepper.
 

 
 
VV7 Scorpion has grown substantially the last two weeks.
 

 
 
The same is true for BSR (Bhut Shaped Reaper). I haven't sown Carolina Reapers, so this better be a good replacement
 

 

[Siv]

KS Lemon Starrburst with its first pepper. Pheno is off in my opinion, but I'm not going to give a verdict based on one pepper.

 
The KSLSB is an unstable pepper - I had several plants last year and none put out consistent pods. You get the occasional desired pod with the scotch bonnet top and scorpion tail but most often they don't have the tail and grow more like the parent's shape. These are some of the better pods from last year but most didn't have the tail:

 

[ahayastani]

 
The KSLSB is an unstable pepper - I had several plants last year and none put out consistent pods. You get the occasional desired pod with the scotch bonnet top and scorpion tail but most often they don't have the tail and grow more like the parent's shape. These are some of the better pods from last year but most didn't have the tail:

 
I wasn't aware it was such an unstable pepper, thanks for telling. I have a plant of KS White Thai as well, but the peppers thus far lack white... Good peppers though, but they don't look like KS White Thai.
 

 
 
These were part of yesterday's harvest. It was the first real harvest of the growing season and most of it was used to make our favourite pickles. Half of it for personal consumption, the other half sold to our fans We ended up with ~2kg pickles. Here are the important parts of the preparation: coffee and seed saving trays
 

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I saved seeds from i.a. a Cubanelle with a very copious dash of purpling compared to other peppers on the same plant. I found the taste of this particular pepper to be more sweet than others, but perhaps this is due to other factors (difference in ripening process). Proof will be in the pudding, as they say
 
Some plants in the garden:
 
Buena Mulata, second MX generation (from my seeds). The small pepper at the right has some purpling of the calyx as well.
 

 
 
Pippin's Golden Honey setting fruit.
 

 
 
Criolla de cocina will be ready for picking in a few days more. Plants are flowering again and already carry some small peppers.
 

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Chile chocolate from seen from above (Red Savina at the right). Quite a bush... Many flower buds ready.
 

 
 
Aji guyana, impressive plants. They are in constant production mode: budding, flowering, small and ripe peppers, all at the same time (not producing in waves). Taste is perhaps not the best I've had, but still very good and I would happily recommend this pepper to others. Pleasant mild and slow-coming burn. This variety has acquired a "permanent presence license" in my garden, just like jalapeño A must-have... I very much like to start my terrace tour with this plant and take some peppers for snacking as I walk.
 

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[PaulG]

Things are really rolling for you there, D!
Love seeing the colors on the pods!

 

[ahayastani]

I harvested some aji panca (black) and Albino Bullnose (white) sweet pepper. My Albino Bullnose plant is not performing well. It's being overwhelmed by its neighbours and struggles with the daily downpours. I collected the undersized sweet peppers and gave it another location on the terrace so it can recuperate. Their taste is good but nothing otherworldly. However, I'm growing them for their colour. I fried them with white onion - an all-white dish - to top our hamburgers.
 

 
 
 
My aji panca plant is entering its productive phase. I have the impression it has finished growing (a good one meter in a 4 gallon growth bag) and is concluding its first major flowering phase. The plant is dotted with small peppers (there is one in the image below, in the shade of the leaf beneath the flower). I tasted a raw (ripe) pepper but I didn't find it anything particular: a raw earthy taste, very low heat. I will dry the rest to make a salsa
 

 

[ahayastani]

The four phases of aji guayana, the four-seasons-in-one-day plant All continuously simultaneous.
 
1. Flower buds.
 

 
 
2. Flowering.
 

 
 
3. Fruit set.
 

 
 
4. Harvest time.
 

 
 

 

[CaneDog]

Your aji panca pods look notably different than mine, but also similar enough to think it's just an environmental influence. Yours appear small, darker, and thicker skinned, with the thinner skin I've seen on mine being brighter/slightly translucent and a lighter brown with perhaps a hint of redness.  I haven't had them dried in salsa, but I think they'd be great for that.  I wasn't sure what to do with the pods at first until someone said they dry them for powder, which turned out really good.
 
Your aji Guyana seems to be in an industrial production mode 

 

[ahayastani]

Your aji panca pods look notably different than mine, but also similar enough to think it's just an environmental influence. Yours appear small, darker, and thicker skinned, with the thinner skin I've seen on mine being brighter/slightly translucent and a lighter brown with perhaps a hint of redness.  I haven't had them dried in salsa, but I think they'd be great for that.  I wasn't sure what to do with the pods at first until someone said they dry them for powder, which turned out really good.
 

 
I sourced my aji panca seeds from THSC. These are the firstlings. Note that, even though the plant now measures ~1m, it was about half that size when the flowers budded that eventually resulted in the peppers of the image  The climate affects my growth in many ways that I don't always understand or can anticipate. My bell peppers, for example, are always elongated.
 
Chile chocolate, local heirloom. Perhaps it corresponds to accession PI 666429, collected in Guatemala. It is commonly classified as annuum. My eyes see multiple flowers per node, the tip of the corolla has a greenish hue and flowers are not of a pure white (slightly yellowish, depending on how the light falls). Peppers seemingly grow upright, which I didn't expect. Note the bumpy shape of the peppers. A Thai pepper that got a beating
 

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The piri piri "African Devil" is another productive monster... Every flower seems to become a pepper, no dropped flowers on the floor I understand that this variety can thrive in my climate. Most peppers tolerate or even like it, but only few thrive in the hot weather we've had.
 

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[PaulG]

Really interesting grow, Dieter. You have some
unique varieties growing, and the Piri2 is a superior
looking bush. You can see it digs your spot!

 

[SineNomine]

I had an Aji Panca plant in 2016. It had almost 2.5m in 12l pot. It produced well, but I didn't grow it because it is too big a plant for a balcony garden.
 

 

[ahayastani]

I had an Aji Panca plant in 2016. It had almost 2.5m in 12l pot. It produced well, but I didn't grow it because it is too big a plant for a balcony garden.
 

 
You are right, I now understand why  In my conditions, aji panca and Sugar Rush Peach are difficult to maintain in container. They are big, do not respect the neighbouring plant's private space and require daily attention.
 
Sugar Rush Peach to the left and aji jobito to the right, with Cubanelle squeezed and hidden in the middle. Sugar Rush Peach is entering a new flowering phase.
 

 

 
 
First peppers of aji jobito are ripening. Also this plant is entering its productive phase
 

 

 
 
Bhut jolokia spawning out a lot of flowers. Not a single fruit yet 
 

 
 
Big Jamaican, but not a big plant.
 

 
 
Blot sweet pepper. Nearly harvesting time.
 

 

 
 
Buena mulata, still one of my favourites.
 

 
 
Craig's Grande jalapeño.
 

 
 
Golden Greek pepperoncino, setting new flower and fruit.
 

 
 
Piment d'Espelette, ripening peppers and setting new fruit and flowers.
 

 

 
 
Sweet Moruga is producing a new round of flowers and - hopefully - peppers. It currently carries two firstlings that have begun the final ripening process 
 

 

 

[PaulG]

You cram a lot into that balcony, Dieter!

 

[ahayastani]

I have been called back to my native country and have to entrust my pepper plants to the care of my kids... They'll water the plants for 2 weeks. I hope something remains when I'm back    I've made plans and schemes, but well, they're kids.
 
New flowers and fruit setting in Fushimi. The plant also carries a few peppers that are as good as ready to harvest.
 

 
 
First pepper of Hangjiao 3 "Solar Flare" is ready for picking
 

 
 
New peppers on KS Lemon StarrBurst. At least the small pepper on the left looks as if the pheno might be "right".
 

 
 
Peppadew. This plant seemed to stall in the beginning but then suddenly became very active... Look at the size of that pistil. Which pollen wouldn't want to end up there.
 

 

 
 
First peppers of Pippin's Golden Honey.
 

 
 
Red Savina will flower soon. Finally...
 

 
 
Sugar Rush Peach is setting a lot of flowers and peppers 
 

 
 
Same for Thai Spezzano. The plant still carries some peppers that recently have begun to ripen (white > red).
 

 
 
First peppers of Tobago Seasoning.
 

 
 
I had a taste of my pickled pepperoncini and they were OK, but not stellar. The problem was in my preparation, I think. The flavours were there, but not enough to give the kind of flavour kick that makes you go back for more. The pepperoncini themselves were soft as butter. There will be a new harvest in a bit, so I'll have new material to work with soon Meanwhile, a pepper I left to ripen at the plant seems to be stuck at chocolate... Perhaps they ripen very slowly?
 

 

[PaulG]

Watch out for the Sugar Rush Peach,
it will set pods until the cows come home!
 
All your plants are looking great. Glad to hear
your move is only temporary.