Howdy,
I was researching some hot peppers I received seeds for in a blind swap and most of the links pointed here it seemed, so I thought I'd hang around and see what I could learn. From what I've seen here so far, the growing skill and zeal are pretty impressive.
Last year was my first year back at gardening in a long while, and I didn't really get in gear with peppers but did grow a couple of Anahiems, a Shoshito, and some Jimmy Nardellos. I bought some habs, serranos, and red bells for smoking and made a good bit of hot sauce. That's when I caught the pepper bug. I've thought a bit about making sauce on a limited commercial scale once get my feet under me.
I've got seed of about 20-25 varieties of peppers -mostly hot, that I'm about ready to germinate. Zone 6b is still a ways out for putting them in the ground though so I'm a little hesitant. I don't have a greenhouse, but I have a 4x8 cold-frame. I built 500-600 sf of raised beds last year and hope to finish up with around 1000 sf by the end of summer. Plus I have a garden space for row crop 50' x 100', but 15 x 100 of that is already in raspberries. Mostly I kept it in buckwheat cover crops last summer. I also put in 12 apple and 5 pear trees last year -yes, I'm confessed cider fiend.
It was a busy first year. I put in a fall garden and I'm still getting onions, greens and carrots out of the ground. Leeks, garlic and, 2nd season asparagus are also on the way. I grow by the organic method pretty much and lean heavily toward OP varieties.
When I'm not gardening, I'm in the woods mostly, or playing chess or piano.
Sorry if that was too long winded.
JJJ
I was researching some hot peppers I received seeds for in a blind swap and most of the links pointed here it seemed, so I thought I'd hang around and see what I could learn. From what I've seen here so far, the growing skill and zeal are pretty impressive.
Last year was my first year back at gardening in a long while, and I didn't really get in gear with peppers but did grow a couple of Anahiems, a Shoshito, and some Jimmy Nardellos. I bought some habs, serranos, and red bells for smoking and made a good bit of hot sauce. That's when I caught the pepper bug. I've thought a bit about making sauce on a limited commercial scale once get my feet under me.
I've got seed of about 20-25 varieties of peppers -mostly hot, that I'm about ready to germinate. Zone 6b is still a ways out for putting them in the ground though so I'm a little hesitant. I don't have a greenhouse, but I have a 4x8 cold-frame. I built 500-600 sf of raised beds last year and hope to finish up with around 1000 sf by the end of summer. Plus I have a garden space for row crop 50' x 100', but 15 x 100 of that is already in raspberries. Mostly I kept it in buckwheat cover crops last summer. I also put in 12 apple and 5 pear trees last year -yes, I'm confessed cider fiend.
It was a busy first year. I put in a fall garden and I'm still getting onions, greens and carrots out of the ground. Leeks, garlic and, 2nd season asparagus are also on the way. I grow by the organic method pretty much and lean heavily toward OP varieties.
When I'm not gardening, I'm in the woods mostly, or playing chess or piano.
Sorry if that was too long winded.
JJJ
from sunny South Florida! 
