Update: My pepper plants from Uncle B arrived in the mail on Friday, and they're all potted up, and growing under lights for the time being. I ordered Carolina Reapers, and Trinidad Congos, just so I can try my hand at some real super hot chinense's, regardless of whether they end up outside... I also bought Caribbean Red, and Hot Paper Lanterns, which I'm sure are going to do quite well here, as well as Hinkelhatz, which apparently does really well in cooler conditions and fruits early.
The growing season started early, and things really dried out and warmed up, starting around early April. I had directed seeded honey dew melons that germinated on April 30th, when temperatures were climbing up to 28C(82F). May was a spectacular month; in fact, we were beginning to worry that we heading into drought and forest fire season early. And yet, we have returned back to our cold, wet spring conditions, the kind I'm use to on the west coast of Canada. The nights have been plummeting down to 9C (48F), and the day time temperatures are around 12-14C (53-57F). It's been raining for over a week. So all my chinense's have stayed inside an unheated greenhouse, and the one's from Uncle B are under lights inside the house. The only peppers I have outside, right now, are Bulgarian Carrot and Ring of Fire, and they're growing slowly. Apparently, this weather pattern is the norm, here, where it seems to warm up to summer like weather in May, then the it returns to the wet and cold in June. Warmer weather and drought usually begins in late June/ early July.
I think in the future, I'm going to try Limon, and Beni Highlands, as well as Safi Scotch Bonnet and Star of Turkey. I highly doubt that there are any other chinense's that are as hot as Caribbean Red and Hot Paper Lanterns, that will be able to be productive outdoors, here, with such sketchy spring weather. I'd like to think that there is a Trinidad/bhut type super hot, the kind with placenta all through out the fruit, with a pimply exterior, that could handle our cool and wet springs, but I'm growing doubtful. None the less, my search continues.
Calamari Kid: I do plan on overwintering all of my plants. I think one of the keys to success will be starting the season with fully grown plants.
PS: Just came across Maritime Madness after posting this. Apparently these growers, who are growing peppers to make their own hot sauce, are attempting to grow them outdoors on Prince Edward Island. Forget everything I said about the west coast being a tricky place to grow peppers, PEI is in the Maritimes, a place that is better known for it's permanent summer fog and short growing seasons, rather than pepper ripening heat. By the sounds of it, they've been successful with jalapenos and cayennes, and are only just trying habaneros this year. They appear to be mostly planted outside, with clotches for part of the year, and black plastic mulch on the ground. Does anyone recognize the orange fruit the fellow is holding in some of the pictures? Is that a bubblegum, or a brain strain?
The growing season started early, and things really dried out and warmed up, starting around early April. I had directed seeded honey dew melons that germinated on April 30th, when temperatures were climbing up to 28C(82F). May was a spectacular month; in fact, we were beginning to worry that we heading into drought and forest fire season early. And yet, we have returned back to our cold, wet spring conditions, the kind I'm use to on the west coast of Canada. The nights have been plummeting down to 9C (48F), and the day time temperatures are around 12-14C (53-57F). It's been raining for over a week. So all my chinense's have stayed inside an unheated greenhouse, and the one's from Uncle B are under lights inside the house. The only peppers I have outside, right now, are Bulgarian Carrot and Ring of Fire, and they're growing slowly. Apparently, this weather pattern is the norm, here, where it seems to warm up to summer like weather in May, then the it returns to the wet and cold in June. Warmer weather and drought usually begins in late June/ early July.
I think in the future, I'm going to try Limon, and Beni Highlands, as well as Safi Scotch Bonnet and Star of Turkey. I highly doubt that there are any other chinense's that are as hot as Caribbean Red and Hot Paper Lanterns, that will be able to be productive outdoors, here, with such sketchy spring weather. I'd like to think that there is a Trinidad/bhut type super hot, the kind with placenta all through out the fruit, with a pimply exterior, that could handle our cool and wet springs, but I'm growing doubtful. None the less, my search continues.
Calamari Kid: I do plan on overwintering all of my plants. I think one of the keys to success will be starting the season with fully grown plants.
PS: Just came across Maritime Madness after posting this. Apparently these growers, who are growing peppers to make their own hot sauce, are attempting to grow them outdoors on Prince Edward Island. Forget everything I said about the west coast being a tricky place to grow peppers, PEI is in the Maritimes, a place that is better known for it's permanent summer fog and short growing seasons, rather than pepper ripening heat. By the sounds of it, they've been successful with jalapenos and cayennes, and are only just trying habaneros this year. They appear to be mostly planted outside, with clotches for part of the year, and black plastic mulch on the ground. Does anyone recognize the orange fruit the fellow is holding in some of the pictures? Is that a bubblegum, or a brain strain?