Hottoddy's 2013 Season - Wrapping Up Pics

Sanarda · Mar 21, 2013

WOWWWWWW that is most excellent. I know the feeling of running out of room and desperate for plant out. Unfortunately we have a few more weeks. I think you may have a pod before you get to plant out at the rate your going :rofl:

Congrats on the great grow

Spankyscolts · Mar 21, 2013

Looking great!! Gonna have your hands full of pods lol !! Let me know how the seeds do !

hottoddy · Apr 3, 2013

Pots! It's almost time and I needed quite a few more pots. I was looking for 5 gallon "root pouch" types but they were more than I wanted to spend. I found these "slightly used" on Craigslist - 5 gallons (with some #6s mixed in). They are not the flimsy blow-form kind. The seller works in the plant business, and comes by a lot of pots through various nurseries. I picked up 58 for $40 (about 69 cents each). I think that was a pretty good deal. All they need is a quick hose down. I may still pickup a few root pouches to see how they do.

Sawyer · Apr 4, 2013

That is a good deal. The new #5 blow-mold pots I just got were ~95¢ each. They have handles, but they're still pretty flimsy. You might want to dip those in a bleach bath after you hose them down, just to be safe.

hottoddy · Apr 13, 2013

All the peppers are more than ready to be potted up, I'm just waiting for a bit nicer weather for the superhots. I plan to pot up the annums and a few others this week. I still have three trays under the lights in my garage, and the rest are in the greenhouse. Here's the first tray (including Chiero Roxa, Bhut Jolokia, Scotch Bonnet, Brain Strains).

The second tray includes 7 Pot Jonah, Trin. Scorps, Red Scotch Bonnet and a very interesting and tall "Most Prolific" on the left.

The third tray has some Caribbean Red Hab, Fatalii/Red Savina, Fatalii among others.

Here's what's in the greenhouse. Mostly Jalapenos, Manzano, Cayenne, Tabasco with some tomatoes and a few randoms hots mixed in. They seems to be doing fine, but need to get out of the solo cups! It looks like Ajijoe's "Mixed Hot Surprise" I germinated is a ..... Jalapeno!

Thanks for looking!

Dshlogg · Apr 13, 2013

Man those leaves are shinier than Kojak's head. Nice healthy looking plants. Your pubes are weeks ahead of mine. Those things will fill out 5# pots in no time. Good luck this spring!

hottoddy · Apr 15, 2013

Dshlogg said:
Man those leaves are shinier than Kojak's head. Nice healthy looking plants. Your pubes are weeks ahead of mine. Those things will fill out 5# pots in no time. Good luck this spring!

Thanks! They may be shiny in part due to neem oil. I've been spritzing them to ward off a few bugs. We have a few more nights in the 30s this week, but then things look to be warming up. So, I hope to start getting them outside very soon.

hottoddy · Apr 21, 2013

I started potting up the non-chinense varieties yesterday, and got our small garden planted (tomatoes, onions, romaine, spinach, onion, peas, carrots). Here are a few pictures. As this was my first time from seed, I was surprise at the root mass. On most, I tried to break/loosen them up a bit on the bottom.

Here are some of the jalapenos (cracked and early), manzanos, lemon ajis, blue mystery. The lemon aji in the foreground was the worst looking (yellow leaves on the bottom). It was really root bound and dry on the bottom, so I hope it recovers in its new home. When I see these in their #5 pots, I can't believe they were surviving in solo cups!

Next, I moved all the chineses out from under the garage lights into the greenhouse. I have a few CFLs in the greenhouse with a small heater, but their light will primarily be from the sun from now on. I'm having a bit of trouble with a brown-type of aphid on some of the chinenses. I knock them down with soap, neem, but a few days later they spring up again - sometime on a different plant. Nothing major, but I keep the treated plants in a separate container to try to minimize any spreading (the ones in the front below). Hopefully, I'll be able to get the remaining babies out within a few weeks so I can get the help of naturaul predators as well. Things are starting to heat up here! Here's what's left to pot.

Some of the superhots have been budding/flowering quite a bit. Most of the advice here seems to support pinching most, if not all, at this point since it's still April. I'll probably keep pinching until I pot them up in a few weeks.

Oski · Apr 21, 2013

Wow you are doing great. Im wondering what people do with all these plants they plant. I suspect sell them but i have no idea. Great job and good luck

hottoddy · Apr 21, 2013

Oski said:
Wow you are doing great. Im wondering what people do with all these plants they plant. I suspect sell them but i have no idea. Great job and good luck

Thanks! I may be in over my head, as I'm doing 5X this year. Last year I made a lot of hot sauce, and salsa for neighbors and friends. This year I'll be doing more of the same, along with smoking, drying, freezing, etc. I'm going to have to buy a dehydrator and possibly an extra freezer this summer. I might try my hand at selling some in the near future.

hottoddy · Jun 2, 2013

After battling a type of recurring brown aphid (or spider mite, not sure), things are finally starting to take shape outside. It seems nature (mainly spiders) are solving what Neem, Bonide and lots of soapy, garlic spray couldn't handle. Bugs seem much tougher to conquer inside garages and greenhouses. I'd knock the critters out, but they'd come back every 3-4 days. The plants outside have been doing great, with little happy spiders hanging out their shingles.

Here are a few shots of the peppers scattered about the yard. Most are potted up with about a tray to go (78 total).

I had some trees taken out to increase space and sunlight. I'm using some of the good wood as plant stands. It helps these peppers stand up taller then the surrounding lilies on this side of the yard.

I tripled up some (same variety) in the big half barrels. Herbs are planted on the left side. This will all get filled in when I get the rest potted up (hopefully in a week).

I took these about 7pm so the sun was low in the sky.

Looking at the Nardellos and Jalapenos (lots of pods already!). A trio of Manzanos are in the black pots and just starting to push out pretty purple flowers.

This is what I have left to pot. Time to buy more soil! Thanks for looking.

JoynersHotPeppers · Jun 2, 2013

Looking good, I too had indoor battles and I agree the outdoor life for the plants is much easier to maintain with natural predators.

hottoddy · Jul 17, 2013

Here is a quick update with a few pics. Warm days seem to finally be here in Portland and growth is taking off. I have tons of pods and some of the superhots are actually ripening!

My first Chocolate Bhut!

Here is one section of my little pepper operation.

One puzzler is the Manzanos. This is not a good picture, but here's three I have clustered together. They have had lots of beautiful, light purple flowers for about 2 months now. They seems to get lots of bee/wasp activity, but no signs of podding. I've heard they need need to be in groups, but is this normal? They are big.

Thanks for looking!

buddy · Jul 17, 2013

very nice. good luck on the balance of the season.

hottoddy · Sep 13, 2013

A nice colorful pick today of yellow and orange. From left to right: Fatalii, Beni Highland (top), Orange Hab, Lemon Aji (top), CGN21500. I think this batch is destined for the dehydrator. Should I put some smoke on them first? I've got peach, apple and hickory wood ready to go, but haven't smoked any yellow/citrusy peppers before.

I'm amazed at the Beni Highland. The two plants I have are fairly little, but they are huge producers. This was my second picking, and combined they almost fill a gallon baggie each time - with lots more coming. Highly recommended pepper!

Shhh ... and here's my first attempt at a hybrid. This was the only one that took. It's a Fatalii (mother) x T. Scorp Moruga blend (father). We'll see what happens next year

hottoddy · Sep 22, 2013

I'm not sure if anyone is looking, but here are some updates toward the end of the season.

First is my 5 year-old daughter standing behind a ghost and scorpion plant (habs in front). She's about 44 inches tall.

Overwintered Bhut Jolokia in a 10 gallon cloth grow pot - gonna get more of these next year!

A 7 Pot Brainstrain with TS Moruga Yellow CARDI in back/left.

One of the Fataliis (love'em and they seem to do well here).

Red Brain Strain.

A "Most Prolific" (about 4 foot tall) with Tabasco in the back.

My oldest daughter helped with the day's harvest (ghost, hab, chocolate cross ?, 7 pot jonah, chiero roxa, fatalii/red savina)

It's been a great year so far, and I hope the weather stays somewhat mild for another month. Soon I'll have to handpick a few keepers for overwintering and the small greenhouse. Thanks again for looking!

Sawyer · Sep 22, 2013

Nice looking plants and harvest. How are the Manzanos doing? Did they ever set any pods?

hottoddy · Sep 22, 2013

Sawyer said:
Nice looking plants and harvest. How are the Manzanos doing? Did they ever set any pods?

Yes! All three Manzanos are loaded now. The biggest are a bit larger than a golf ball but no color yet. They just sat with flowers forever, then suddenly took off once the days started cooling a bit. I hope they have time to ripen. I'll get some pics next time. Thanks!

Sawyer · Sep 22, 2013

That's great! I thought I saw a flower on one of my Manzanos the other day (2 yellow, 4 red), but when I looked more closely today, nothing. If it was there, it fell off. I got mine started late, so wasn't expecting anything this year anyway. Hope to keep them alive this winter and get an early start next year.

hottoddy · Nov 2, 2013

I'm pulling the last of this year's crop. I still have about 15 plants in a little greenhouse that'll probably last through November.

Here are the last of the Chiero Roxa (from Scarlet Fire) and CGN21500 (from Ajijoe). The CGNs are the larger of the two - and boy are they tasty!

Here's a look at some of what's left in my little greenhouse. Below are Naga Morich and Yellow Fatalii. Most of these are finally ready for picking - it takes a long time for many of them to ripen here (plus we had a crappy September).

Some 7 Pots Jonahs under the table. Love these.

The Trinidad Scorpion Morugas are finally busting out.

Look a Manzano is finally ripening in the distance!!!

Some monster Nagas!