Highalt's 2013 Grow - End of Season Wrap Up

I know some of you guys have already started seeds for next year's grow, and I should have started the Manzano's a month ago, but I am still working on finalizing the grow list.

Each year since I started growing peppers, the list has gotten bigger, and they have taken up a larger % of my vegetable growing space. I started working part-time 3 months ago, and I am a mother of three, so I am struggling with being realistic about how much time I can devote to pepper growing this coming season. Right now, I've got between 65 and 70 varieties on the list, and some of them I'd really like to have more than one plant. Last year, I ended up with about 50 varieties and a total of 75 plants. So you can see that I have some work to do before I start putting the seeds in the dirt!

I thought I would go ahead and put up my tentative list, and use the feedback I get from you guys to help me narrow things down a bit. Those of you that know me will notice that I still haven't gotten brave enough to add any supers yet ... maybe next year.

So here's what I got so far:

Annums
Alice's Favorite
Alma Paprika
Ancho Gigantia, and/or Ancho San Luis
Barker (NuMex)
Biker Billy Jalapeno
Black Hungarian
Cayenne Thick (Can't remember who it was that was raving about this one this past season, but I don't have seeds for this one yet.)
Chilhuacle Amarillo
Chocolate Cherry
Cochiti
Cosa Arrugada and/or Pepperoncini
Costeno Amarillo
Fish
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Goat's Weed
Golden Cayenne
Hungarian Hot Wax
Jaloro
Jamaican Hot Yellow (Anyone have a source for these? It's confusing to me that the Jamaican Hot Choc. is a Chinense, but this one is listed as an Anuum!)
Jimmy Nardello
Leutschauer Paprika
Lumbre
Mulato Isleno
NuMex Pinata
NuMex Vaquero
Patio Red Marconi
Pusztagold
Sandia
Sante Fe Grande
Serrano (Not sure which one. May try the purple one this year.)
Tangerine Pimento and/or Yummy
Tobasco (Need seeds for this one.)
Zapotec Jalapeno

Baccatums
Aji Chinchi Amarillo
Aji Yellow
Birgit's Locoto
Bishop's Crown (Don't actually have seeds for this one yet. If anyone has some, I'd be willing to trade for them.)
El Oro de Equador
Inca Red Drop
Lemon Drop (Maybe. Last time they were bitter. May try a difference source.)
Pimenta Barro do Robiero
Purple de Arbol and/or Negro de Arbol (Which one is better?)

Chinenses
Aji Dulce (type 1 or 2 ?) Is this the same as Rocotillo?
Aji Limo Rojo
Bonda ma Jacques (Don't have seeds for this one yet either. May just grow Gold Bullet or regular yellow habanero as a substitute?)
Cheiro Roxa
Habanero, Peach (and maybe the Pink as well)
Habanero, White (I have the regular white, and White Bullet. Is the Peruvian White better, or are they all about the same?)
Jamaican Hot Chocolate
Purple Bhut (Okay, I don't have seeds for this one either. Maybe I'll substitute Condor's Beak if I can't find any.)
Scotch Bonnet Yellow (Have some labeled True Jamaican Scotch Bonnet. Should those be yellow? Or red?)

Pubescens (Yeah, I know I'm really too late on these, and probably won't get any ripe fruit this coming season)
Orange Manzano
Red Manzano
Yellow Manzano


Well, I think that's about it. I'm sure the list will change a few more times before it's a done deal, but at least it's a start!

So tell me what you think about the ones I have questions on, or let me know where to find seeds for the ones I'm missing, or tell me what I should have on the list and don't. Just kidding on that last one!!!

 

[Devv]

Beautiful peppers, the more I look around the more great glogs I find!

I hope your year is a good one!

Scott

 

[highalt]

Beautiful peppers, the more I look around the more great glogs I find!

I hope your year is a good one!

Scott

Thank you, Scott! Appreciate you checking out my glog!



A couple non-pepper picks just to prove that spring really is here!

Euphorbia polychroma

 

[PIC 1]

Cool blooms !...Bonnie

We're behind on the typical Spring weather here , but I can see some crowns, spikes and other perennial leaves poking through the soil.

 

[stickman]

Nice shots of the Jonquils Bonnie! Ours are up but not yet in bloom. The difference must be the intensity of the sun at your elevation. Hope you and your family have a great Easter weekend!

 

[RocketMan]

Looking good Bonnie. I'll be interest to see how your Ground Cherries do. I planted a bunch into a 3 gallon Air Pouch and got nothing coming up. don't know what happened, they came from some fresh berries that Rick sent me. Hope yours do well.

 

[stickman]

Looking good Bonnie. I'll be interest to see how your Ground Cherries do. I planted a bunch into a 3 gallon Air Pouch and got nothing coming up. don't know what happened, they came from some fresh berries that Rick sent me. Hope yours do well.

Don't give up on 'em just yet Bill... I think they need a shot of warmth initially, just like Tomatoes. The Ground Cherries I sent you came from a volunteer in our vegetable garden, and I seem to remember that it didn't germinate until about mid-May.

 

[highalt]

Cool blooms !...Bonnie

We're behind on the typical Spring weather here , but I can see some crowns, spikes and other perennial leaves poking through the soil.

Thanks!

We haven't had any measurable snow this month. You guys in the midwest and east have been getting it all. Starting to get a little concerned about the fire season around here this year, but it is nice to see some growth happening outside.

Nice shots of the Jonquils Bonnie! Ours are up but not yet in bloom. The difference must be the intensity of the sun at your elevation. Hope you and your family have a great Easter weekend!

Thank you, Rick!

That intense sun does help make up for those cool nights around here!

Looking good Bonnie. I'll be interest to see how your Ground Cherries do. I planted a bunch into a 3 gallon Air Pouch and got nothing coming up. don't know what happened, they came from some fresh berries that Rick sent me. Hope yours do well.

I've grown ground cherries for several years now, but usually buy the plants from a local organic place nearby. They didn't do well last year though, so I am thinking about trying to grow them in pots instead of the ground this time. If I grow them on the porch instead of at the community garden, I can baby them a little more this time around. The year before last, I had a decent harvest. It took all season, because the kids kept snacking on them, but I eventually had enough to make this pie:

and the year before that, I made Ground Cherry Jam, but I decided I didn't care for the seeds. If I had strained them out though, it would have taken twice as many berries! Mostly, I grow them for the kids. They love looking around for the ones that have fallen off the plant. It's like finding little prizes in the garden!

 

[Devv]

This is a new one for me, what's a ground cherry?

BTW Happy Easter,

Scott

 

[RocketMan]

Don't give up on 'em just yet Bill... I think they need a shot of warmth initially, just like Tomatoes. The Ground Cherries I sent you came from a volunteer in our vegetable garden, and I seem to remember that it didn't germinate until about mid-May.

Haven't given up on them yet but thanks for the info, I'll keep after them.

I've grown ground cherries for several years now, but usually buy the plants from a local organic place nearby. They didn't do well last year though, so I am thinking about trying to grow them in pots instead of the ground this time. If I grow them on the porch instead of at the community garden, I can baby them a little more this time around. The year before last, I had a decent harvest. It took all season, because the kids kept snacking on them, but I eventually had enough to make this pie and the year before that, I made Ground Cherry Jam, but I decided I didn't care for the seeds. If I had strained them out though, it would have taken twice as many berries! Mostly, I grow them for the kids. They love looking around for the ones that have fallen off the plant. It's like finding little prizes in the garden!

I'm growing them mostly for the kids too. Also planning to start a Strawberry pot sometime with early harvest types for the kids to find.

 

[highalt]

I happened across them at the nursery I mentioned above, and had never heard of them either.

Here's some good info on them:

http://www.organicga...ground-cherries


... and Happy Easter to you as well!

 

[DocNrock]

Glad the seeds made it there, Bonnie. I got the seed for the Golden Cayenne from SocalChilehead. The seeds I sent you, though, were from fresh pods. Hopefully they will sprout quickly, as the have not been dried.

Nice score from Shane...healthy Fatalii plant.

All looking really good. Come on Springtime!

 

[highalt]

Thanks again, Doc! I put a couple of the seeds in a plug today, and those are the last peppers seeds I'm sowing this season. This time I really mean it!

Not sure Shane's plant is going to like the reduced lumens it will be forced to survive with here, but I'm sure it will adjust.

 

[highalt]

Today's update:

After taking the younger kids to an Easter Egg Hunt, decorating Easter eggs, and baking a cake for tomorrow's dinner, I watered & fed the peppers and snapped a few shots of them. (the peppers, not the kids! Actually, I took some of them too.)


I usually do close up shots, so thought I'd take a few group shots today.


Top view of the chinenses

Some of the shorter ones getting a little extra help from the growlight.

The older annuums

Top view of those same annuums

Some of the younger annuums

Check out the oversized cotys on this Fresno!

The lone True Jam. Scotch Bonnet, finally starting to grow some real leaves. Sure hope it takes off soon!

This is the big brother to the Chocolate Cherry that pulled through with no cotyledons.

The first annuum to sprout this season, Yummy. (Hope it lives up to its name!)

Have a few more I'll post tomorrow, or later tonight if I get a bump.

 

[Sawyer]

Check out the oversized cotys on this Fresno!

My Pinata Jalapenos have huge cotys, too.

 

[Sanarda]

Beautiful pics. when is your plant out date?

 

[highalt]

Beautiful pics. when is your plant out date?

It is usually safe to plant out here around Memorial Day, but we've been known to have frosts in early June.


Cochiti

Beni Highlands

Lemon Drop - it has some nice side branching, and a couple of damaged leaves (ooops!)

Goat Weed - both of mine are very slow growers.

Ochsenhorn sporting some true leaves.

Okay, I know I've shown like a hundred pics of this guy, but since he's my only Manzano, I can't help myself.

Purple Bhut

The No ID's looking more and more like Cheiro Roxa's

... and finally, the first tomato sprout of the season = Indian Stripe

Okay, I'm done for the night. I have to go put together some Easter baskets so that I can go to bed.

 

[stickman]

Beautiful pics Bonnie, and doing great considering when you sowed them. I'm sure they'll grow strong when you plant them outside in 6 weeks or so. Cheers!

 

[DocNrock]

Looking great! That is going to be quite the pepper patch come Memorial Day!

 

[Devv]

Very nice! They'll be just right for dirt day.

Frost in June? That's crazy!

 

[highalt]

Well, it looks like I'll have a few extra tomato plants to give away. Since most of my tomato seeds were from '10 or earlier, I sowed extras to make up for the decreased germination rates. Apparently that wasn't necessary!


Indian Stripe (Sowed 3, 100% germ.)

Amish Paste (Sowed 3, 100% germ.)

Earl's Faux (Sowed 3, 100% germ.)

The fact that the Amish Paste and Indian Stripe were from my own saved seed, makes me feel pretty good about my seed saving technique.


I try not to post too much non pepper stuff, but since it's Easter, here are some pics of my little ones.

The anticipation of the hunt!

She seemed pleased with her haul.

Egg decorating

This morning after checking out their baskets.

The oldest son, who's 14 now, opted to skip the photo ops, and Easter related activities. Of course, he still expects a basket of candy though!


Happy Easter to all my THP friends!!!