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Capsaicin Fiend's First Grow Log - 2016

With the amount of chili's I go through in a week, and the not-so-reliable quality of the ones I can get at the asian markets here... I decided to finally try to grow my own!
 
I searched for a while on Amazon to find a reputable seller with live Thai Chili plants, as I cook mostly Thai and Indian and those are my go to.  I didn't want to attempt growing from the seed right away since my knowledge level is a solid zero... that's a project for next year.  Anyways I ended up finding the plants and ordered them, and the seller turned out to be a Thai family with a greenhouse the next block over from me!  What a weird but awesome coincidence, they brought the plants over themselves the next day for me, suggested a good spot in the yard for them, and told me I was welcome to come browse their garden and sample their products. Can't beat it! 
 
A week later I went to the local gardening center to pick up some herb plants, and to my surprise they had a giant selection of "Super Hots", hundreds of plants and at least 30 varieties.  Spicy food really must be catching on.  I picked up 1 Carolina Reaper, 1 Scotch Bonnet, and one Trinidad Scorpion.  I probably would've bought a ton more but the prices were pretty steep, I'd rather wait until I actually know what I'm doing and can grow from seeds before expanding the grow.
 
So as of right now I have:
9 Thai Chili
1 Carolina Reaper
1 Scotch Bonnet
1 Trinidad Scorpion
 
Had the Thai Plants in a windowsil for a couple weeks, temps were warm enough so I put all the plants in a raised garden bet with store-brand organic potting soil.
 
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I live in the middle of a swamp/woodsy area, so animals and birds are a constant problem in gardens here.  I doubt most animals would mess with these, but we've had gardens been trampled and dug up before by something, and there are tons of birds around here that don't seem to mind the heat of peppers.  Built a little cage thing with some pvc and chicken wire that just tips to the side when I need to get in.  It doesn't seem to block any sunlight.
 
Also covered the soil in some dry sphagnum moss as a mulch.  Seems to be doing great at retaining moisture and regulating the temp.
They've been outside for about 2 weeks now, I kept them well watered after transplanting but now I'm just watering them when the soil feels dry 3 inches or so in.  Not sure if that's the correct way, that's just what I've read so far.
 
 
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And the herb garden:
2 Bell Pepper Varieties
4 types of Thai Basil
2 Cilantro
 
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Gotta say, fresh thai basil in a spicy basil fried rice and loads of fresh cilantro sprinkled over an indian chicken curry is definitely something I could get used to!
 
The plants seem to be doing well so far, had an aphid infestation on all plants a week ago but after brushing them off i haven't seen one since.  Hopefully all goes smoothly, I'll keep reading up on growing and I'm definitely open to any tips and suggestions!
 
 
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