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Mitzi's 2020 pared down grow

2019 was a poor year.  I had too many plants and they didn't get potted on when they should nor did they have the space and air and light they needed.  Even the plants in my neighbour's greenhouse didn't produce until very late into the autumn and most pods got frosted before they ripened.  Generally disappointing.
 
I am overwintering indoors:
  1. Bahamian Goat - three years old, entering its fourth year; wondering if it's past its best now?
  2. SB MoA - ditto
  3. White Bhut
  4. Caramel Moruga - currently has about 10 pods ripening
  5. Peach Fatalii - currently flowering and has set about 10 pods
  6. Chocolate Nagabrain
  7. Trippaul Threat White - currently flowering but doesn't seem to be setting pods
  8. BOC
  9. Havana Gold
  10. Guyana Rush (Heefy's cross) - not sure if this is still alive though
  11. El Oro de Trinidad - also Heefy's cross; didn't get much off it last year so hoping for better things in its second year
  12. Ethiopian Berbere - not sure if this is true as its pods are dark red rather than brown
  13. Chupetinho
  14. Cayenne
I sowed five lots of seeds on 29 December but only the IC2 (Ivory Coast) have germinated.  I've got six seedlings of that; I want to grow a few plants of it to see if they are consistent and whether it's worth developing as a variety.  Sowed another six varieties this last Sunday (12/1) but none of them have germinated yet.  I'm wondering if the airing cupboard isn't as warm as it has been in previous years?  We had a new boiler which might have affected it.
 
The European Seed Train has just reached me and it's so tempting but I really want to keep my grow down to about 40 plants maximum this year so with 14 overwinters and 6 seedlings so far, I have to control myself.  
 
Click to expand...
Hey, Mitzi, here's hoping for a big uptick in
your germination rate. I hate waiting around
for the seedlings to emerge!
 
Fourteen OWs? That's pretty ambitious.
Good work getting those through the winter,
mostly. A couple of months and you are home
free with them!
 
there's gotta be something on the seed train
you absolutely have to grow   ;)
 
I too have a great horde of OWs, most Pubescen but with a few Chinense, Anuum and Baccatum tossed in for appearances. Mine total 19 now, the aphids having overpowered a small number. They seem to really love the Chinense.
 
Luck to you. Keep the bugs out!!
 
The overwinters are mostly on my bedroom windowsills (plus one in the kitchen and a couple at work.)  My other half isn't too thrilled about it.  They are mostly in pop bottles (soda bottles for those of you across the pond who don't speak proper English) so constrained as small plants.
 
I bought ladybird larvae for the indoor plants last summer when I had a bad aphid attack and there are still a few of them lurking around (both ladybirds and aphids.)  So far the mini ecosystem is in balance.  Still have a few moths in the back bedroom, though, which is really, really annoying.  Just can't seem to get rid of them all.
 
Yeah, it's hard to totally eradicate the little critters.
I know the chili gods have a master plan, and aphids
are part of it, but it's beyond my comprehension   :think:
 
Mitzi totally agree with you for some reason we had a poor season last year here in the UK compared to other years. I personally don’t over-winter so I wish you all the best for this forthcoming season and let’s hope the weather is in our favour and we get a fruitful harvest

Good luck
 
Two varieties sown last Sunday are germinating: Choc Hab and Rocoto La Paz Rojo. Ive grown both before. La Paz was an absolute star so Im hoping for the same again. My previous choc hab was a poor specimen which produced just a few small pods so Im hoping for better; seeds are supposedly from productive plants. I know its a boring variety but Id like to nail it.

Also last year I grew too many superhots and then was scared to use them so Im going mainly for more maneageable heat levels this time around. Maybe Im finally maturing as a chilli grower.
 
Don't knock the Choco Habaneros! To my taste,
they make some of the best powder/flakes around!
I had a good specimen from some Refining Fire
seeds a few years ago. They were fairly productive.
 
I know what you mean about the superhots. A little
goes a long way!
 
Germinated so far:
  • IC2
  • La Paz
  • Choc Hab
  • Purple Peach (CGN 21500)
  • Aleppo
  • BBG7 white
  • BBG7 caramel
The IC2 seedlings are at second true leaf stage so they really need potting up; hopefully I'll have chance to do it this weekend.  The two BBG varieties aren't pricked out yet and that needs doing urgently, before the roots grow into the tissue and get damaged when I remove them.  I received five BBG varieties varieties from J H Skarby but so far, only two of them have popped, and it's over a week since I sowed them.
 
Only one Aleppo seed has germinated so I hope that grows on OK.  I do have some home-saved seeds I could try but they were open pollinated so might not come true.  If it does well, I will definitely isolate some pods so I can keep it going in the future.
 
Jobs for the weekend:
  1. Prick out BBG white and caramel seedlings
  2. Pot up IC2 seedlings
  3. Get all the seeds I have promised to various people IN THE POST, it has been too long now.
  4. Sow next batch of seeds - final chinenses and start some baccatums.
 
Good to see progress being made, Mitzi.
 
I usually let my seeds ride for 4 weeks before
I pull the plug on them. You may still get some
more varieties showing up for you. It will be
interesting to watch if you get all five varieties
of the BBG growing!
 
I have never heard that term.  I think I've always heard it referred to as "thinning out".  
 
Now I know.
 
Tybo said:
I have never heard that term.  I think I've always heard it referred to as "thinning out".  
 
Now I know.
Click to expand...
 
To me, 'thinning out' means getting rid of
overcrowded seedlings, especially in row crops.
This term could signify you are trying to save each
individual seedling.
 
This is an established method for transplanting
from flats in Jean Jevon's method.
 
Yeah as far as I am concerned, thinning out involves discarding (or eating) the “thinned” seedlings. Pricking out is transferring them from the germination container into their next containers. For my chillies this is individual Jiffy pellets.

So what I call pricking out is from the plastic tub they germinated in to the Jiffy. Then when they have grown on a bit, I plant the Jiffy in a larger container, which I call potting up. Later if something goes from one pot to a larger one, I would call that potting on.
 
PaulG said:
I usually let my seeds ride for 4 weeks before
I pull the plug on them. You may still get some
more varieties showing up for you. 
Click to expand...
 
It's almost four weeks since I sowed Rocoto Manzano.  The first one has popped this morning.  Yay!  In the past I've found rocotos taking longer to germinate than other species; I think those black shells are harder.  However, the La Paz popped in a week or less.
 
:party:  Alright, patience pays off. I hope it
is the start of something good!
 
Germinated so far:
 
Annuum:
  • Aleppo
Chinense:
  • Habanero Chocolate
  • Ivory Coast 2
  • Purple Peach (CGN21500)
  • BBG White
  • BBG Caramel
  • BBG Chocolate Elongated
  • BBG Orange
Baccatum:
  • Aji Omnicolour
  • Volcan de Teneguia
Pubescens:
  • Rocoto La Paz Rojo
  • Rocoto Manzano
Disappointed that Sugar Rush Peach hasn't put in an appearance in over a week.  Might have to sow a few more seeds as some of them don't look viable (dark spots in the centre of the seed.)
 
Still haven't managed to pot on the IC2 plants and they desperately need it.
 
Very grateful to JH Skarsby for the bubblegum seeds; only the large red hasn't germinated.  However, the Caramel seedlings are very puny-looking compared with the others so I'm not sure if they will grow on OK.
 
Another batch sown a couple of days ago:

  • BBG from AaronTT
  • Aribibi Gusano
  • Goats Weed
  • Jalapeño NuMex Piñata
  • Rezha
  • Uchu Cream

One more sowing still to go:
  • Basque (Espelette)
  • Large Orange Thai
  • Nigel's Outdoor
  • Fatalii (possibly, if seeds are received in time.  The seeds I already had failed to germinate.)
Add the 14 overwinters and it's fairly obvious that I'm not achieving my aim of keeping the grow down to the low 20s of varieties; I'll end up with about 36 if all the new sowings succeed.  I should change the title of this glog.  They're just all too tempting!
 
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