Highalt 2011

[highalt]

You are absolutely right about the windscreen, Megamoo. Plus, less chance of a strong wind blowing your windbreak onto your plants if some airflow gets through. The problem I have with doing that is my veggie garden is in the front yard, and I live in a subdivision with an HOA. Maybe if it was something I could easily set up and take down, so that it would only be there for a day or two at a time, I could get away with it. Right now my perennial beds are so full of colorful flowers blooming that maybe the yard police would be too distracted to notice

 

[highalt]

I have pods now!!!

Chimayo

Jimmy Nardello

Chilhuacle Rojo

Santa Fe Grande

Kalocsai V2

A tiny Czechoslovakian Black

This last one was supposed to be Alma Paprika, and the plant itself looks just like all of the other ones I've ever grown, but this is obviously NOT an Alma Paprika pepper. They start out cream colored and round. This is from my own saved seed, and this is the first time I've ever had them not come true. I'm curious to see what it ends up looking and tasting like.

Guess it's time to break out the glue and paintbrush.

 

[romy6]

Hey Bonnie. Nice looking pods. That czech pepper looks narley. Can't wait to see what color your mystery pepper turns. Nice turn around after the rough spring you had

 

[bigt]

Very nice. Fantastic job on the pictures!

 

[PIC 1]

Wow! that Czech plant looks pretty cool, and when those "Nardello's" ripen up you'll be in for a sweet/heat/treat. I like to fry'em up with some sweet onions and charise(Portuegese Sausage)then fold the mix into an omelet! good Sunday morning grub, post some more pic's of your Alma Paprika pepper, your 1st few pods can look slightly different,than what your use to seeing, it usually happens with my Scorps and 7/Pots.......good luck on your grow

 

[highalt]

Took my camera with me to the community garden this afternoon. These are all plants I've posted pics of before. They are finally starting to show some grow, but no pods yet. We've had some rain showers the past few days, and everything looks happier now

Sandia

Puya

Joe E. Parker (Quite a few blooms on this one)

Ancho Gigantia (This one lost almost all of its leaves after planting out. Making a real comeback!)

Aji Yellow (No buds yet. Sure hoping there is enough time left to get a few ripe pods this season!)

 

[highalt]

Here's some updated pics of the plants here at the house.

Lemon Drop. A little concerned about the lack of buds ...

Cosa Arrugada. No pods yet, but at least it's starting to bloom.

Santa Fe Grande. Looking forward to these!

Fresno. The plant is tiny, but has quite a few pods on it.

Kalocsai V2. If I don't get any Alma Paprikas this year, than I will use these for paprika. This thing is loaded with pods!

Czechoslovakian Black. It has several pods on it now, and they all have a pointy tip. The Black Hungarians I grew last year were shaped more like a Jalapeno.

Speaking of jalapenos, I thought mine would be covered with pods by now, but I have two Jalapeno M's, and they are just now thinking about developing buds. At least they have put on some growth recently. It seemed like they were never going to take off.

 

[highalt]

Still no ripe pods here, but some of the plants are now loaded with pods.

I'll try and get some updated pictures later today, but here are a couple of shots of that mystery pepper, you know, the Alma Paprika that isn't.

It doesn't really look like anything I grew last year, so I have no clue what it is.

 

[highalt]

Okay, I'm back

Took advantage of a little cloud cover to get a few more pics. I discovered that I'm no longer able to get shots of individual plants though, as the veggie bed has become a bit of a jungle now.

Here is a pic of the entire veggie bed, approx. 5' x 12'.

At the very front are five different kinds of basil. I just made my second batch of pesto this afternoon and the picture was taken AFTER I cut them back. Behind the basil is a row of various carrots. Then comes two rows of peppers. Behind the peppers are the tomatoes. On the far left are a few peas, and an empty spot (trust me, it's there) for the fall lettuce crop. On the far right are onions, cucumbers, and a couple of leftover radishes.

The tall plant on the back left side of the picture is Ancho San Luis. I didn't get a close up as it is just now starting to flower. Beside it is Lemon Drop, which doesn't have any pods yet either.

Next to that is Jalapeno M. It was a late starter, but is finally starting to develop some pods.

Beside it is Cosa Arrugada. These are the weirdest looking peppers with all of their wrinkles.

Then there is Serrano Tampiqueno. It has quite a few pods on it, and lots of blooms.

Here is a close up of two pods intertwined.

In front of that is Santa Fe Grande. It is a small plant, but the peppers are good sized.

Next to it is Fresno. Mine is very small with just a few upward facing pods.

Then comes the Czechoslovakian Black. It has a half dozen or more pods, but is not near as productive as the Black Hungarian was for me last year. Still a cool looking pepper though ...

On the far right at the back is Sandia. This plant has the largest pods so far of any of my peppers this year.

In front of that is Chilhaucle Rojo

And at the far right front is Kalocsai V2. Very nice looking peppers, and a good producer. Good thing too, since my Alma's are a bust this year.

So there's today's tour of the veggie bed. I'll try and get some shots at the community garden soon, since are a finally a few plants with pods on them there. The container plants are doing so pitiful this year, that I don't even want to take their picture.

Hope you enjoyed!

 

[midwestchilehead]

Congrats, Bonnie. Glad the Sandias are doing well for you. My alma's put on lots of pods, but some are really small and they seem to take forever to ripen. I've only had one ripe one so far. Hopefully my conquistadors and garnets will produce a lot of paprika peppers. I'' amazed anything is producing in this heat, but I guess I got an early start and will actually get two harvests this year :-)

 

[megamoo]

You are getting a lot of production from a small space. Nice work

 

[romy6]

That is a beautiful shot of the garden. Very nice pods Bonnie.

 

[highalt]

Thanks guys! I'll have to get a shot from the end, so you can see the rows in there.

I noticed tiny buds on the Aji Yellow at the community garden, and Puya is blooming now too. I try and post some pics soon from there as well.

 

[highalt]

Well, it looks like I'll have to repost my last few pictures, but I'll do that another time.

Tragedy struck today ... I used up the last of my homemade paprika making a batch of pesto.

I've only harvested a couple of peppers so far, Chimayo, which has just a tiny hint of heat, and Georgia Flame, which had a nice, tolerable heat. Have any of you grown the Georgia Flame? The seeds came from Seed Savers Exchange, which lists it as hot, but most of the sources I have found say it's only 1500 SKU. I thought the heat was similar to a jalapeno, but not really sure.

There are a few peppers starting to show some color, so hopefully I'll have harvest pictures soon. I'm ready to crank up the dehydrator and replenish my paprika stash. Maybe make a few different powder blends of varying heat levels.

 

[megamoo]

I am a pesto fanatic, can't wait for winter to end so I can grow some huge basil plants. Smoked paprika is my favourite spice of the moment... how do you use it in pesto? It sounds like a winner to me

 

[Pablo_h]

Okay, I'm back

Took advantage of a little cloud cover to get a few more pics. I discovered that I'm no longer able to get shots of individual plants though, as the veggie bed has become a bit of a jungle now.

Here is a pic of the entire veggie bed, approx. 5' x 12'.

Hope you enjoyed!

That's an awesome garden there. So closely packed, yet so neat and productive.

I am a pesto fanatic, can't wait for winter to end so I can grow some huge basil plants. Smoked paprika is my favourite spice of the moment... how do you use it in pesto? It sounds like a winner to me

My chilli seedlings are getting crowded by basil too. Last of my mature basils dying off, and I started more sweet, lemon and thai basil. Soo quick to germinate, put them with heat that the chillies have, and the basil germinates in a day. Shove them under the lights and they grow so fast.

 

[highalt]

I am a pesto fanatic, can't wait for winter to end so I can grow some huge basil plants. Smoked paprika is my favourite spice of the moment... how do you use it in pesto? It sounds like a winner to me

I just add a tspn or so per batch, 'cause everything's better with a little spice I use about a 1 to 3 ratio (cups) on the oil vs. basil, throw in a few garlic gloves, 1/2 cup or more of pine-nuts, walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds. Just mix it in the food processor, add a little salt till it tastes right, and spoon it into ice cube trays. Once it's frozen, I pop the cubes out and put them in a freezer bag, so I can use as much or little as I need for cooking.

I like to use a mix of half Genovese or sweet basil, and half lemon basil for my pesto. The lemon basil has a nice fresh taste, and doesn't have as strong a flavor as some of the other varieties. I like the cinnamon and Thai basils, but the rest of my family thinks they are too "spicy".

 

[highalt]

That's an awesome garden there. So closely packed, yet so neat and productive.


My chilli seedlings are getting crowded by basil too. Last of my mature basils dying off, and I started more sweet, lemon and thai basil. Soo quick to germinate, put them with heat that the chillies have, and the basil germinates in a day. Shove them under the lights and they grow so fast.

Thanks, Pablo! It isn't looking quite as neat now, more jungle like, but making a batch of pesto yesterday should increase the amount of sun the peppers are getting now. Plus, I tied the tomatoes to their stakes again yesterday, so they aren't leaning on the peppers anymore either. If I could just teach them all to play nice with each other ... then again, I can't even get my kids to do that

 

[highalt]

Check it out! Today's pepper harvest!!!

Clockwise from top left:
Jimmy Nardello
Kalocsai V2
Frank's
Mystery pepper (the one that was supposed to be Alma Paprika)
Chimayo
Fresno
Chilhaucle Rojo

Now which ones to use in tonight's dinner - Bowtie pasta with shrimp, pesto, and broccoli? Decisions, decisions

 

[Phildeez]

That mystery pepper looks like my Aleppo pods.