It's never too early to get started!

Sooo... 2022 season is over and most of my 2023 plants are already there - no reason not to start a new thread already!

See my previous glog... https://thehotpepper.com/threads/2022-too-early-to-get-started.75362/

While all my current plants are technically overwinterers, only a couple have grown through the 2022 season and are considered interesting enough to keep for next seasons grow.

Let's start with the famous Schneider farms SB plant, which will be going into it's third season in 2023. It currently doesn't look all that nice but that was also the case during the winter of 2021 so no worries here...

Top view:

Next in row is my Scotch Brains plant...

Top view:

And then there's the Humble Servants Homestead (HSH) SB, which was also elected to stay for next season...

Top view:

 

[ahayastani]

You watch that in mexico?

Some things are better left behind....

 

[MarcV]

Another photo update... let's start with the larger plants...

7pot brain strain yellow on the left, large KSLS on the right. The YBS is already flowering...

SB7J on the left, SB Schneider Farms on the right. Schneider is already flowering...

Next are the majority of the annuums. I topped them all last week but they don't seem to have noticed it yet. I'm not a fan of their leggy growth behavior...

From left to right:

• Ñora
• Jaranda
• Jeromín
• Piment D'Espelette
• Tap De Cortí

Next: from left to right:

• San Juan Tsile Pueblo (about to open its first flower...)
• Small KSLS
• KSPS
• KSSR
• 7pot Burgundy "Bou-rgundy"

Next: from left to right:

• Scotch Brains
• Scotch Brains 7pot pheno
• Scotch Bonnet HSH

...and a group shot:

And last but not least the seedlings... From left to right:

• Kraken Scorpion Orange
• JA Red Habanero
• Carbonero
• Fatalii
• Orange Fatalii (a second seed just popped)
• Orange Blob (I think it's going to make it!)

The 7pot Nebru won't make it. Mold started to appear on the pot, I checked the seeds inside and they were all brown and lifeless. I think all of these pots were too wet and I'm lucky the others did make it...

 

[Ratatouille]

Marc, your plants are really gorgeous!

(Rooting for the blob! )

 

[MarcV]

They've looked better... pruning makes them look ugly...

 

[Tinkerbelle]

looking good Marc - how are you looking for space?

 

[MarcV]

Space? What do you mean? Do I need space?

 

[MarcV]

And suddenly another orange fatalii has popped...

 

[CaneDog]

Always happy times when things are sprouting! And one of life's great mysteries; how a seed can manage to migrate to the edge to sprout after clearly being placed near the center.

 

[SineNomine]

And suddenly another orange fatalii has popped...

Fingers crossed for these little plants.
If you have some extra seeds in the fall , I would love to grow a plant or two.

 

[MarcV]

...maybe because that's where I put the seeds

 

[MarcV]

Fingers crossed for these little plants.
If you have some extra seeds in the fall , I would love to grow a plant or two.

Shouldn't be a problem. I probably still have some original seeds from THSC too, I may not be able to save isolated seeds...

 

[SineNomine]

Or we can try to organize more of us to buy from THSC. Here the envelope with the tracking number would be an advantage.

 

[MarcV]

Slowly starting to face reality... while outside temperatures are still way too low to put the plants outside, inside in our little veranda temperatures can rise quite a bit, especially on top of the fridge near the roof where the plants currently reside. Consequently growth is accelerating and the plants really start needing more space... why am I still planting seeds?

 

[Ratatouille]

Have you considered stacking the plants? Cause the ground rule is, if you don't have aphids, you are still allowed to sow more.

 

[MarcV]

Ok then....

I spread the plants out a bit at other spots in the veranda that I could free up for more room. That would give me another week or two extra time. Some of the plants handle the trimming nicely but others, like the annuums and the schneider farms SB don't seem to like it...

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Consequently growth is accelerating and the plants really start needing more space... why am I still planting seeds?

I feel your pain, greenhouse is full, shelves are full and I'm still starting off more seeds - someone shoot me
The Spring Fair is in 2 weeks time so a lot will be moving to new homes, hopefully

 

[MarcV]

That's a nice surprise... the schneider farms scotch bonnet is already producing!

 

[skullbiker]

That's a nice surprise... the schneider farms scotch bonnet is already producing!

Lookin good! You'll be eating those in no time.

 

[MarcV]

No chilli for a change...

I've said it a couple of times already... before I started growing chillis I was actually a (wannabee) citrus grower. Citrus doesn't really grow all that well in my area unless you have the luxury of a heated greenhouse. One citrus relative (or I should say - citrus species) that does grow well here is Poncirus Trifoliata (Citrus Trifoliata). No greenhouse needed, it can handle deep freezing temperatures. I knew of a couple of mature plants in a park in my area of which I collected fruits and grew the seeds. That was back in 2011, and here is a picture of the seedlings (right half of the photo):

I kept one plant growing in the back yard. It must now be about 1,5 meters in height, maybe a little more. It might have been larger already but was hit by slugs a couple of times, setting it back quite a bit. I've been waiting for it to flower for multiple springs already, and this spring, after 12 years, it is finally flowering!
Here's a picture of a flower:

I would had loved it if the flower would smell like orange blossom but unfortunately there's no smell at all.

Oh, and don't rush out to get yourself a hardy citrus plant because the fruits smell and taste horrible and contain a sticky resin. ...and the plants are extremely spiny.

 

[Ratatouille]

Twelve years in the making. Now this is a story I like.