• Blog your pepper progress. The first image in your first post will be used to represent your Glog.

Beginner w/ First pepper garden - 2x2 tent grow - 150 watt - Coco Coir and GH Flora Nutrients

Hello and Welcome to my first pepper grow journal. I am not a gardener and I don’t have access to a garden, so I am limited to growing in my basement. I WELCOME INPUT, SO PLEASE JUMP IN IF I AM DOING SOMETHING WRONG. I will be using a 2x2x6 grow tent to keep the plants warm and reflect more light. I have a 150 watt ViparSpectra LED for the space. I see that most of the pepper plants that I ordered are only expected to grow 2’ tall, so I’m hoping to squeeze four plants in the tent. This will put them 12” apart which is a little too tight I suspect. I will buy a larger tent (3x2 or 3x3) if it gets too tight (and if I enjoy this new hobby). I’ve been doing a lot of reading and preparation for this hobby….i hope it proves to be a rewarding hobby. My supplies and seeds will be here within a week.

Here is the growing space.I know it’s not much space to work with, but I can always add a second tent if I enjoy growing peppers and need more space as they get larger.
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Here are most of the peppers that I ordered. I was originally planning to grow Shishito, Thai Chiles, Sweet mini bell peppers and lunchbox peppers. However, I saw so many pepper varieties on this forum that I decided to order more exotic seeds and try a few. I am undecided as to which 4 I plan to grow first. I am still waiting for my germination equipment to arrive (heating pad, humidity dome, starter soil), so I have a few days to decide. The more I research this topic, the more I’m amazed by the variety of peppers available.

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I am planning to use these self feeding pots for my peppers. I need to have the ability to ignore them for a day or two at times. I’m hoping these feeders help keep them watered and fed automatically. The medium I am using is Coco Loco mixed with perlite. It’s a fast draining coco medium that allows for faster growth, but it doesn’t provide many nutrients. I will be feeding General Hydroponics Flora Series (Gro, Micro and Bloom), CalMag and seaweed extract, both of which work well with wick feeders.

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More details and photos next week when I have the seeds in their propagator.
 
Really nice looking plants. I would say you have done an excellent job.

Thank you. I don’t feel like I did much for them other than keep them fed and watered…..and I actually let them dry out a little too often. I’m regretting my tame scoville choice in peppers so far too. I’ve sampled all except the Satan’s Kiss and there isn’t much burn. Live and learn. Next year will have more heat.
 
Day 91
Starting early in the grow tents has some advantages for sure…we are moving right along despite the “potential” for cold weather in zone 6.

Today I have almost all of the plants moved to my back deck and a few ornamentals on my front porch. We are expecting 40mph wind gusts today, so I’m hoping they don’t blow off the garden stand this time. I’ve topped off with water to make the pots as heavy as possible for today’s wind gusts.

A few quick photos of the plants now at day 91. A lot of peppers are growing, but all of them are still green. None of the peppers have much heat so far when I sample them. The hottest are the Aji Rico and Fresno and they’re not hurting me as much as I had hoped. Perhaps they grow hotter with maturity. I believe there wasn’t enough pollination taking place indoors, so hopefully the bees and the wind help with additional pepper pollination here.

The tents will be officially shut down today. They are great in winter, but they generate way too much heat and humidity in my opinion during the warmer months.



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Plants look awesome, @Tdub! Definitely ready for summer weather!
 
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