GeorgeJ's 2013 Tokyo-a-grow-grow - finishing off this season

Hey all.

First time growing from seed.
Thought I would start off with the grow box I built.

My apartment is so cold that I've built this box to sit in the closet and using a heat mat To keep things warm throughout. Not enough space or money to do everything separate.

So I built this box from Styrofoam and aluminium insulation sheeting. Managed to get everything from the 100 yen shop (japans version of the dollar store).

Here's it from the outside, in the closet (no gay jokes please) :

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On the inside there's a 50w fluorescent strip light I got for free with my axolotl tank. It's suspended from bamboo canes on wires, so I can adjust the height of the light as well as hopefully flexing in an earthquake.
To the left hand side, a small fan (also from an aquarium) which is pretty gentle to help toughen up the seedlings and prevent damping off.

It was alot brighter before putting the heat mat in, so I may put some thin aluminum foil over it. Thoughts?

I'm gonna prep the seeds and pots, so that's it for now.

 

[georgej]

new Vlog

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmeT-rAyVD4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

[georgej]

Here's a few pics of the three headed monster growing at the allotment

 

[georgej]

looks like my other butch t plant might not be a cross

 

[stickman]

Nice pics G! Is the plant at your MIL's allotment a Bhut? Good job on the Butch T. plant too... that one'll really warm the cockles of your heart...

 

[georgej]

The plant at the allotment.. I said it's a 3 headed monster. 3 plants that joined together.. Bhut, Dorset naga and jays peach ghost scorpion.

The pics are I assume of the bhut. Still haven't actually seen it for myself since I put it the ground!

 

[georgej]

One of the biggest typhoons in ten years grazed the coast this morning and last night, so got the plants indoors

Wisely so, the plants in the ground got hammered

Apparently it's just leaf damage from the high winds. Mother in law says other than that, they are fine!

 

[stickman]

Hi G, I've seen your Bhut and Dorset Naga reviews... does that mean the plants in your MILs allotment have been producing for you? Good job with the reviews btw, and continued success. Cheers!

 

[georgej]

Hey Rick

realised how long it's been since i updated this thing!

yeah the dorset naga was from MILs allotment. i went over there and the dorset naga had quite a few ripe. i decided to pick them all and ripen the ones that weren't with a banana in a brown paper bag.
the bhut's in the ground for some reason weren't doing as good. managed to get a couple of peach ghost scorpion pods too.
the typhoon had really battered the plants. i felt sorry for my MIL because these plants were HUGE! and she couldnt get much winter veg in, so i picked all pods and said to cut the plant down.

at home the plants are just about surviving! reduced foliage but..
pods are ripening on quite a few of them (albeit slowly because its cold ish at night but lots of sunshine in the day. hard for me to get too many great pics because its always night time when im at home it seems.)

waiting for my crying 7 pot brown to ripen

i have about 30 or habanero's ripening up on one plant (small pods, but still, i can't complain with how prolific that plant has been!)

Butch T X are ripening

there's about 35 thai chillies on this plant and they are also turning colour

you can see the Butch T X plant is pretty well laden with pods, which are turning colour slowly

Butch Ts are also starting (about a dozen pods on there)

7 pods have been a little unsuccessful. i'm over wintering a couple (if they survive the aphids i have indoors).
i have a bhut plant with about a dozen pods on which are starting to think about turning colour. Dorset naga pods stopped growing, i'm expecting them to start changing soon.. Jalapeno pods are also ripening up right now!

Finally got one pod on the chocolate hab! hope it can ripen. white hab is over wintering too, along with the tiny bhut plants i bought. 
Scotch Bonnet got culled. it was doing nothing and getting in the way.

all in all happy with my first season!
if i notice on the weather that theres gonna be a frost, the pods are at the stage right now where if i pick them they will ripen off the plant

already thinking what do i do next season?? i might concentrate on less plants and use some of the different varieties of seed i have already.. but a part of me wants to buy some fatallis and try them next year..

 

 

[georgej]

Frosts are setting in, so picked most of the Chillies and gonna ripen off the plant. There's the freezer bags full of ones already ripe too.

Jalapeño

Pod variation off one Butch T plant

The last men standing. Bhut is looking really healthy and the cold hasn't done too much harm. It's laden with pods so I want to try ripen them. Marginally warmer indoors n all.
Same for the Dorset Naga. Not as healthy but heavy with pods.
7 pot brown has a few pods that I really want to ripen.
Chocolate habanero has one pod.
The rest are my over wintering plants. White habanero, 7 pot yellow and 7 pot brown. Also 3 small bhut plants fighting their battle with aphids, currently outside (hoping the cold will stop the critters.

So most of the plants have been culled off. Shame to see them go.. But it's traditional to clean thoroughly and throw out old to have good luck with new in Japan. Starting new seeds on Friday.

All in all, great learning curve this first grow season