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Capsidadburn 2013 Less is more

Hello everybody!
This year I will be growing much less than previous season's. I have been reducing my pepper growing for a couple years now. I am germinating under 20 varieties and a month later than last year. I have between 25 and 28 overwintered plants that are out currently, but not to far from the back door. I think I put the first plants in the ground last year late Feb. and early Mar. I do not expect to exceed 50 to 75 new starts this season. Along with my daughter I am growing some veggies, herbs, flowers, and a few fruit trees. I will do my best to keep the grow log lively and entertaining. As always lots of pictures of plants and pods, but also some cool nature, and a few extra distractions from time to time.

Hope everyone has a great season!

Germinating:

All from saved seeds except store pods and Mini Mini from Finland THP member

Cumari do Para iso
Yellow 7 pod (Brain like)
Douglah cross F2 (small red uniform)
Chocolate Hab
Yellow Scorpion CARDI
7 Pot White
7 Pot Barrackpore
Chocolate Bhut Jolokia
Douglah cross F2 (red)
Quintisho
Douglah cross F3 (Brownish- maroon with bonnett-habish shape)
Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion iso
"Funky" orange habs from HEB
Manzano from Fiesta pods
Super Chilli
Trinidad Congo Red
Purple Flash
Smiter Q pequin like pods
Mini Mini

I will list my overwinters soon, can''t remember.

Here are some pics;
Germinating began Feb. 3rd. The three cells in the corner were all up on day 6. Douglah cross F2 small fat red pointy. I might post a pic from last year to show their shape. All my crosses are accidental nature.
IMG_0813-Copy_zpsd22c186d.jpg

Meyer Lemon bloom smells a lot like Jasmin
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Coming out of hibernation, overwinters
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Found this guy in a Mountain Laurel by my driveway. Western Screech Owl I believe
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Owl be back!
 
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Okay, so are those the final resting place for them? I have may top out at a few 3 and 5-gallons... and just let the fittest survive in the tiny pots for seed production...
 
Spicegeist said:
Okay, so are those the final resting place for them? I have may top out at a few 3 and 5-gallons... and just let the fittest survive in the tiny pots for seed production...
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Yes that is correct! I know they are jammed in there and it invites crossing easily. If I wanted isolation I would strip the plant of blooms, mark any pods with pipe cleaner ties and move it inside the back porch until it produces a few pods. Mark those pods with different color pipe cleaner ties and back outside it goes. The advantage is it really attracts beneficial' s and it's sort of like a swarm of fish in the sea. If they stay in their school pack they might survive. Yes this is twisted logic! I tend to treat the first year plants like incoming freshmen newbie's that have to prove their worth to make it to the raised beds (approx 28 spots) next season or pot up.

Thanks Charles!
 
Hello people of THP.
Well my son's state competition for Science Olympiad is over. As a team they placed 11th out of 31 teams. The middle school team placed better at6th overall. My son took 7th in his gravity vehicle event. Hopefully we will be back next year.

While we were gone to the tournament there were a couple of cold nights, and wind that had me concerned, but all is well. Not a whole lot going on but I'll post a few pics.
Out of concern for the wind I imprisoned this Romanescu broccoli before I left.

Trying some vertical space growing with these Russian Melon's, Tatume Squash, and a French melon I forgot the name of.

Last plants germinated; Kashmiri chili from dried pods from local Indian supermarket

Naranjilla or Bed of Nails


Tarahumara Chiltepin

Amarillo Chiltepin

Have a good day!
Mike
 
Thanks Prodigal! The overwinters are small bushes now with lots of buds, some blooms. With the exception of the Aji Amarillo most are still 1foot to foot and a half diameter. The Amarillo is 3 feet tall with no buds yet. Last year they were easily 5 to 6 feet tall. I saved some of their dead stalks for more aesthetically natural dragon fly perches.

Some of the overwinters with Tomato's in the foreground.

Aji Amarillo and Armenian cucumber also an overwintered cross on the right side of pic next bed over
 
Well I gave up om my brocolli which I planted to late and had bolted with out making heads.  I yanked them all and replaced them with a couple Egg plants and some chiltepins.  Here is a pic from Friday May 17th.  It got up to 96 that day and I grilled some catfish.  I snapped pics of the first dragonfly of the season on the dead Aji Amarillo staulks.  She is visable in the pic slightly on the right side.  She stayed there all through my grilling enjoying the sun.

Close up of her similar to Roseate Skimmer.  I will eventually figure it out.

I also have the problem of my tomatos smothering my overwintered peppers.  Typically I don't have much luck with them.  These Better Boy's are taking over.

In the center here is a first year Quintisho.  Like last year I got to much N in my soil mix and the new growth has some distortion.  You would think once was enough to learn from a mistake.

Listada de Gandia egg plant

Passion Fruit from collected seeds
 
No sir Charles, they are all doing well. I removed some broccoli (post 104 pic) from the group of plants and replaced them with 4 Amarillo Chiltepins and 2 egg plants.
The "dead" quote from a couple posts back was referring to last season's dead Aji Amarillo stalks that I am using as perch places for the dragonflies instead of bamboo to create a slightly more natural aesthetic for the pics.
Have a great day
Mike
 
We had almost two inches of rain in as many days.  Most of the peppers are turning the corner so to speak.  Here is a late Memorial day weekend update.
Growth is starting to show itself well, and also the sodding work in progress.

A young dragon fly samples the bloom of a 4th year Tepin.



I carved back some breathing room for the overwinters from the summer squash and the tomato

A friendly visitor to a pequin (Smiter Q)

On the left here is Tatume Squash and Charentais melon on the right.  Bidwell Casaba in the foreground

Most of my first year plants just starting to set pods

 
Happy Memorial Day weekend to everybody!
Mike
 
That sounds perfect.  I'm only growing on my patio this year, a lot of shade, but I did manage to get a few chinenses to fruit pretty well, so things should turn out okay.
 
Thanks SG and Peptacular! 
 
Some young pods from an overwinter Douglah cross.

Without a doubt the most attractive plant I have.  It is Mini-Mini of which I got in a trade a couple years back.  At first look the leaves look more chinense than baccatuum.  Time will tell soon enough.  The branching does seem more like a baccatuum.

This is from my Daughter's grow; Johny Jump up

An immature male Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) on cucumber leaf

4 year old Tepin.  Starting to load up after the first tea extract.

 
 
Cheers THP
 
Spicegeist said:
4-year-old Tepin looks great.  Does it get more prolific after the first year?
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Thanks Charles. They do. This one has spent most of it's life in a semi shade spot. Not sure if that is why it's leaves are tiny. I have another 3 year old with larger leaves that has grown in mostly sun. No pic.
 
Peptacular said:
Agree with Geist, almost looks like a miniature tree, a la bonzai. Is it a wild variety? Very distinct looking.
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Yes. It is the native Texas Tepin of central and south Texas. Historically said to have kept cowboy's awake and warm around a campfire on cold nights.
 
This weekend in Round Rock, TX
4 year old Tepin pods

Overwintered 7 Pot White.  This plant made a few large pods last year.  I was undecided about my like for this plant.  We will see if it is anymore productive this year.

No doubt about my love of this plant.  Quintisho 1st year 2 pics


Orange habs that I referred to as "Funky" from their shape.  Hoping for the same shape and famous production.

Overwintered Douglah

Adult Male Common Whitetail dragonfly

Female Flame Skimmer Libellula saturata 2 pics

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae237/marsrats/IMG_1513_zps6fd70705.jpg[/IMG]
[url=http://s975.photobucket.com/user/marsrats/media/IMG_1513_zps6fd70705.jpg.html]
 
For the love of gardening
Have a great day!
Mike
 
I dig dragonflies!
Plants are green green and green. Look great!
How was the white 7 last year? Tasty? Hot? White or more yellow? I have two going and curious on what you liked or didn't like.
 
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