glog Hey Y'all, the Stettoman is Still Hangin'!

Wow, it's been a minute, eyuh?

Since moving to Colorado Springs in 2021 I've been pretty busy failing at growing my pepper bliss. Oh, stuff will grow, but my Serranos are stunted and not prolific. Colorado is supposed to be great for peppers, but been a bust for me.

Except for one stubborn Arequipeño that, without any assistance from me, is entering it's FOURTH season. And IS prolific. Dunno why, but I let it.

And yes, I planted Serranos and this year.
When I get a chance, I'll try to catch up with y'all I used to kibbutz with.

Oh, and we're moving again, this time to east-central Texas...

 

[stettoman]

OK folks (& folkettes, of course), I was told to get to work, so here I am, at it

My grow this year is going to be meager, as I haven't had much luck on this side of town (halfway to Kansas). But as noted earlier, I have an overwinter Arequipeño Rocoto that has defied logic and nature and doing quite well in its 4th season. There are several pods now and continues to flower:

I'm so impressed that I culled seeds from last year's harvest and birthed an Arequipeño baby:

Other than that, those LO Thais have been "thinned" to two in each 4" pot. I'd like to keep them slow until Texas, along with all these stunted Serranos Tampiqueño.
LO Thai:

And Andy's (GIP) Serranos Tampiqueño:

Believe it or not, the Serranos were planted way back in Jan/February. Given every ounce of love, care and feeding that I've always given, yet they refuse to grow more than 4 inches tall. I abandoned the raised beds, but thought they'd do better than this. We shall see. These guys have had a solid 10 days of good ionized rain from Colorado thunderstorms, I was expecting a burst of growth. Many/most of you never had the pleasure of @GIP famous smoked powder, but I'm hell and high water determined to carry on in his heavenly craft, and to share with the membership.

Wish me luck, folks!

...now back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Carry on the legacy!

 

[stettoman]

Heh heh, boy I can't wait for bumper crops like I was getting in zone 3. And yeah, if I can get the chokecherry trees to grow there the jelly will roll!

It's late already, I know, but I'll have a list of seeds to share soon as well, half of them Pubescens.

Boss, you ARE the Kwisatz Haderach!!!

 

[NJChilehead]

Nice! Would it be awkward to start a band with three bass players?

 

[stettoman]

Nice! Would it be awkward to start a band with three bass players?

 

[stettoman]

Man, I thought I'd get further down the road

before this, but my "tallest" Serrano was covered with aphids this morning. I spent 5 minutes squishing every one I found, but no doubt the uphill battle has begun.

There oughta be height restrictions for these little monsters, or better yet SPECIES restrictions....

 

[stettoman]

Quick update (I believe I said something about a meager grow )

So then, we uproot in 5 weeks and head to Texas, I'm hopeful that the spoiled rotten kids all survive the trip. We have movers booked, realtor signed, and packing is well under way.

Remember in a prior post that this guy had a family of aphids move in, right?

A debris field has developed on one leaf. A tiny spider has set up shop and the aphid issue seems resolved!

All plants are growing, happy and healthy, yet uncannily adolescent. I'm fine with that, it means easier transport to the new digs in Pflugerville. Meanwhile, my 4th season Arequipeño has set a number of pods.

And continues to bust out flower buds.

I haven't really done much research yet regarding zone 9, but I'm guessing year-round production is not in the cards. Can't wait to find out!

Thanks for watching, we will continue after this short commercial break.............

 

[CaneDog]

I'd say your Arequipeño has earned a first class seat for the trip down! Perhaps coach for the adolescents...

 

[Downriver]

Pflugerville? That's down there with all them edumacated people. I hear the nightlife be hoppin! Sounds like fun times!

 

[stettoman]

I'd say your Arequipeño has earned a first class seat for the trip down! Perhaps coach for the adolescents...

Yeah, me too. We're taking 3 vehicles, so I'll have an empty copilot position available. I'm devising seat belt positioning for the old girl and the whelps will ride at the back of the cargo bay. We're planning to stop in Abilene to visit a rancher friend I haven't seen since May of 2002. It should be peazey.

Pflugerville? That's down there with all them edumacated people. I hear the nightlife be hoppin! Sounds like fun times!

We'll be sure to avoid any and all the edumacateds we run across, if not over. I'm sure the Texicans will understand.

Yes, Pflugerville. I here differing accounts about that music scene. It's another "We'll see" kind of thing. I do intend to attend the Kerrville Folk Festival, several friends perform there every year.

 

[stettoman]

The Amok Time begins. Truck shows up on the 30th or 31st, we leave the day after. The flooding in the Hill Country unnerved us, but everything is as set as its gonna get, so here we come.

Plants are marvelous. That's all. No noticeable growth, no noticeable much as anything. I can only expect conditions to be pepper friendly where we arrive. Another learning curve coming up.

...just wanted to touch base. I gotta go paint a hallway...

 

[Harmonic_Heat]

I've moved cross-country a couple of times. Always "fun". Longest personal move was 3500+ miles. Not military or job related. Longest drive/helping someone move was a little over 4000 miles. But I'll say even my last move of about 1000 miles wasn't much different, just shorter to get from old to new, still drastically different lol! Two vehicle "convoy" ha, NW rural TX especially between Amarillo and Raton was a crap shoot with cell service...could see cell towers but no service, no roaming, nada. I wish you the best of luck in your move and hope it goes smoothly and the plants settle in quickly!

 

[stettoman]

I've moved cross-country a couple of times. Always "fun". Longest personal move was 3500+ miles. Not military or job related. Longest drive/helping someone move was a little over 4000 miles. But I'll say even my last move of about 1000 miles wasn't much different, just shorter to get from old to new, still drastically different lol! Two vehicle "convoy" ha, NW rural TX especially between Amarillo and Raton was a crap shoot with cell service...could see cell towers but no service, no roaming, nada. I wish you the best of luck in your move and hope it goes smoothly and the plants settle in quickly!

Yup, many crossings myself, and it is never less exhausting. We will be going by way of Raton & Amarillo, and having experienced dead spots on virtually every move, I've had these little jonnies since the early aughts for just that reason.

They still work like new, and are so easy on batteries I never worry about losing power.

The rain & flooding may be a hindrance though, but we have friends in Abilene & San Angelo to lay over in if need be. Trust me, I'm doing due diligence on this move...

 

[PaulG]

Awesome progress there, my friend!

 

[stettoman]

Awesome progress there, my friend!

Holy moly! Hey Paul, been an an age. The Willamette still treating you well? I still have so many legacy seeds you sent me in the wayback! I planted LO Thais this spring just to see, and got overwhelmed with hooks! Glad to know I can tap you for tips. Be well, we'll chat soon!

 

[stettoman]

So then, peppers. Actually, considering the amount of space I'll need to get these guys to Pflugerville, they're compliance is notable. On the other hand there is a deficiency/overabundance of something causing a notable wilt in all but my First Prime Serrano. It has a dozen small flower buds coming...

But the rest are ailing...

The last is a next-generation Arequipeño from the mother plant, which holding its own in the current 90°-plus heat phase we're in.

So we're two weeks out from our move to Texas, I'm hoping for input from the Texans in the group to help with the learning curve once we're there. I pray for you subject to the flooding, hope I can be some small help if needed.

Oh. My last gig in Colorado is this coming Saturday afternoon in Victor, at 9900 ft elevation. Pray for my lungs, this is a biggie: The Tony Gorkiewicz film crew will be doing extensive video for an EPK for the band. So sad to leave these cats...but I just can't wear the sad face. I'm a professional...dammit.