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.

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.

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.

More details and photos next week when I have the seeds in their propagator.

 

[Tdub]

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.

 

[Tdub]

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.

 

[NJChilehead]

Beautiful job @Tdub! You inspired me to look into grow tents!

 

[PaulG]

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

 

[alkhall]

Tdub,

Really nice looking plants.

You have done an excellent job.

 

[Tdub]

Day 124
Hello, it’s been 33 days since I posted so it’s time for an update. Overall the plants are quite healthy. I’m watering them every 3-4 days and the self watering bases are working great. I left on vacation for a week and they survived thanks to a little rain in my absence.

Here is the garden now that it’s all outside on my deck. Ten of twelve plants survived. (two plants broke at the base of their stem while moving them outdoors). So far the large number of cicada insects here are leaving my plants alone.

A few Peppers are starting to ripen. The Shishito peppers that were planted first have the most peppers and are starting to turn red. I’ve discovered that I’m not a fan of the flavor of these Shishito peppers. I’m also surprised that many of the peppers are very small compared to photos I’ve seen. I plan to try them roasted tonight. The two Shishito plants might be chopped down next week if I don’t learn to appreciate their flavor.

Three Satans Kiss peppers off to the left that look like cherry tomatoes. Nice flavor and a little mild heat…..very nice. Wish my plant was producing more.

Overall, pepper production is low except for the Shishitos. I probably missed a step to produce more fruit. Also, peppers that I had hoped would have some heat have proven pretty tame (shishito, sweet jalapeño, Sweet Heat). Really enjoying the few extra sweet lunchbox peppers that I’ve had. As far as nice heat at my preferred level of heat, the Bulgarian Carrot, Aji Rico, Satan’s Kiss and Fresno seem to give me more satisfaction. Next year I will grow more Fresno's and hot jalapeños….and probably the Satans Kiss again.

My stash of peppers is primarily Shishito peppers that I let mature too long until red. I’m not enjoying these, but I’ll try them one last time. The orange peppers on the left side are the lunchbox peppers (really sweet), the Satan’s Kiss on the left look like the cherry tomatoes, and the sweet heat is the red pepper at the bottom of the photo.

The Aji Rico is starting to mature with a few peppers. I’m hoping they work well for a salsa.

 

[Tdub]

Day ???? (I have lost count….day 140 perhaps)

The ornamental peppers are finally starting to change color and put on a nice display for the front yard planter. The leaves have been curled since day 1 it seems, but I treated with Captain Jacks Deadbug last week just in case. I plan to treat them again today based on the leaf curl. Google says it’s a disease or pest…..I’ll look closer.

.

A ripe Aji Rico will be sampled for the first time today. I have high hopes for this one.

I’m down to 8 plants. I disposed of two large Shishito pepper plants since nobody I sampled cared for the taste. Next year I plan to narrow it down to 6-8 plants from the start. The Satans Kiss is the only pepper I might repeat from this year.

 

[Tdub]

A look at our local visitors. It is their first time above ground in 13 or 17 years according to the local Cicada experts. Despite the swarms and excessive 90 decibel buzzing sounds last week, they showed little interest in the pepper plants. The peak infestation appears over and the noise and numbers are dwindling as quickly as they started.

 

[Tdub]

Well, I’ve been spraying with Captain Jacks and these ant-like critters seem unphased. Any idea what is taking over my peppers? I sprayed them again, but they’re all over the place. I’m not even sure if they damage the plants.

 

[Downriver]

Not sure, but could be a leaf-footed or assassin bug nymph.

 

[CaneDog]

I remember a thread a while back where leaf-footed bugs were suggested, as DR suggests may be the case - bug thread

Also, here's a UF article

 

[Tdub]

Not sure, but could be a leaf-footed or assassin bug nymph.

Thank you! That certainly looks correct. Thank you Downriver and Canedog!

According to the web “The leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (Linnaeus) (Figure 1), is a widespread and conspicuous minor pest of many kinds of crops, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and ornamentals. It has been reported as a major pest in citrus groves, where its feeding on ripening fruit causes premature color break and fruit drop. Serious infestations do not occur often, but a large proportion of the crop may be lost when they do.”.

I’m spraying them with Captain Jacks and they’re not phased. I will read the links and figure out next steps. They’re all over the leaves and peppers.

Again, can’t thank you enough for making sense of this. I’ve never seen anything like it.