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PeriPeri's Grow Log 2012: South Africa

Hi All,

So I'll give it another try this year. God knows I love chillies and I would love nothing more than to have a bumper harvest... but I suspect the truth of the matter is I do not have green fingers. In fact, give me a chilli and I will be pretty guaranteed to kill it lol That's not negativity talking, that's reality based on last years experiences lol

Last year it was pots. This year its a farm east of Pretoria, here in South Africa. My reasoning for this madness is pretty much like a hunter hunting with a machine gun... out of the thousand seedlings I plant... I must walk away with something lol (I hope).

So I have a pice of land. Good soil down by a river in the african sun.

The planting area has been divided into two sections. An enclosed area (±40mx40m) with shade netting and an open area (±40mx40m). Water is limited, but there is borehole water.

Outside Area:
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Inside Area:
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Temps this time of the year are in the mid to high 30ºC. It's the rainy season, so there is rain and it comes in buckets and hail-stones!

So here are the pics I took of the inside and outside areas Saturday 6/10/2012. It was 37ºC that day. I have a video as well which I took last Sunday when I started the planting (to come). Luckily we have a cold front at the moment, so since monday it has been overcast, cool and we have rain (magic). I think its about 23/25ºC at the moment. I planted on Sunday (36ºC) early morning (24/25ºC) and late afternoon and pretty much watered for the rest of the day. Didn't look like rain at all... but it's here and could not have come at a better time really!

As you can see I have laid out the beds in rows. Planting is at 45-60cm intervals. I am doing a little experiment also with double planting and single planting. I suspect the yield will be lower with the bushes that have been double planted... but who knows. A different climate... maybe results will show different.

On the grow list:

Bishops Crown
PeriPeri (naturally)
Hotazel
Hot Pixie
Thaibo
Thai Dragon
Baby Belle
Cal Wonder
Yellow Scorpions
ButchT
Black Pearl
Naga Viper
White Hab
Orange Hab
Brown Hab
Red Hab
Big Jim
Long Thai
Cayenne
Cheyenne
Jalapeno
Carolina Reaper
Serrano
Pasilla Bajio
7 Pod
Bhut Jolokia
Naga King
Scotch Bonnet
Hungarian Sweet Wax
Cherry Bomb
Boriya Mirch
Brain Strain
Ring of Fire

Still to come...

Angkor Sunrise
Devils Tongue White
Barrakpore
Douglah
Jonah
JonahxButchT
Primo
Naga Morich
Infinity
Goronong
Devils Tongue Choc
Hab Choc

One or two other... but I can't remember.

First lot I planted on Sunday 7/10/2012.... details will follow...

Over and out for now!

PeriPeri
 
Just spoke to my guy on the farm... sounds like the Caroline Reapers are going crazy. They are just getting dozens of pods now... aparetly they all seem to have tails and are looking real gnarly! Bishops are going orange now... could there be some picking that needs doing this weekend?
 
Goint to the farm today! Aparantly ther was a big storm the other day...something was looking over my chillies, as a big cyprus tree decided to fall away from my chillies as opposed to on them :) Phew! Imagine that... all this work and the whole crop whiped out by a tree lol :doh:

I will be sure to take loads of pics ;)
 
Goint to the farm today! Aparantly ther was a big storm the other day...something was looking over my chillies, as a big cyprus tree decided to fall away from my chillies as opposed to on them :) Phew! Imagine that... all this work and the whole crop whiped out by a tree lol :doh:

Wow either it was your lucky day or the pepper Jah deemed it so ;)
 
Crazy weekend... busy. But as mentioned, I did go to the farm. Plenty happening there, but still no full on harvest. Bishops still going orange. No supers yet... but Golden Habs, Thai chillies, Fish peppers, Cheyennes, California Wonders and....

Let me introduce my delight - the Calapeño Wonder... probably pretty common to you guys... but hey I'm loving it. Its a cross between a Jalapeño & a California Wonder. This one is still turning red, but I had a taste of a red one and man it is sweet, red, plump, juicy and its got zing! I have had to pick them green as the rats were chowing them... and man I don't want that. These are awesome! It's like a Jalapeño just massive and sweet and just a tad milder I would say...

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This is just the frigging bomb! Taste as hell!
 
Carolina Reaper is doing just splendid. Loads of flowers busy turning into pods... probably about 6 or 7 pods by now... looks like a good producer... (apologies, camera was not behaving - or I had too many beers to focus!)

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As you can see, every node is dripping with loads of flowers... and pods seem to be coming very quick. Fairly large pods too!

My first ghost... that is apart from the naga morich and naga kings... the Bhut has been painfully slow to grow... I have younger pants and they too seem to be very slow... so I am summising that the Bhut is a slow grower. Unlike the naga morich - which has been amazing... and the naga kings that are now going nuts ;)

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Trinidad 7 Pod/Pot doing its thing. Pods look big!

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Wow either it was your lucky day or the pepper Jah deemed it so ;)
:pray: I'll go with pepper Jah lol

Wow, crazy news about the cypress tree. Glad it fell the other way! Sounds like you might have some pickin' to do. ;)
Not so much... although it's taking me some time to extract the seeds and chop up what I did collect!

If one of ye chilliheads could throw me a bump please - i'd be gratefull ;) Chilliheads to the right of me, chilliheads to the left... but their all asleep na, na, na, na, na, na... :whistle:
 
Bump ahoy!... Today's gotta start early. Wow, that Jalapeno/Bell pepper cross looks pretty gnarly with the corking on it...
 
Wow man that is brilliant. Not sure you get superheros like yourself here in SA. When you're sick and you don't have medical aid, you're screwed :)
 
Whoa looking good there Lourens, Can't help you on the ID but your pods are really shaping up there, your reeper looks pretty mean.
 
Lourens great updates ... that Calapeño Wonder looks awesome, would love to taste one. Maybe I'll have to grow some in da near future as I've never seen them locally for sale, every little ting is looking alright mon ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Sounds like you need a few cats or rat traps, hope you can get dem before they get you ...
 
Thanks team! I suppose I will find out what they are when they change colour and I get to do a wee taste test. Whatever they are, I like the general shape and size.

Lourens great updates ... that Calapeño Wonder looks awesome, would love to taste one. Maybe I'll have to grow some in da near future as I've never seen them locally for sale, every little ting is looking alright mon ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Sounds like you need a few cats or rat traps, hope you can get dem before they get you ...
lol, man the Big Jims are being nailed hardest. The rats are gnawing at them and then just moving onto the next one. Problem is, when it rains, the pods then fill with water and rot from the inside out... but I have started picking green ones there too... I'm hoping they will still turn red. Also, theres a little beetle/fly insect that is drilling holes into the peppers (Big Jims) and creating havoc - this is what they look like...

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If anyone has an id on the bug, would be great... otherwise not a problem... I think the Big Jims have paid the price for being on the outside of the crop... but this is a good thing, as I'd rather loose them than whats inside the field ;)

Pasilla Bajio still green - c'mon! turn brown now damn it!

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Interesting variations on the Fish pepper. This little plant had one branch of more cream peppers. They looked quite cool ;)

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The Cheyenne. I like these little dwarf chilli plants. They produce these beautiful golden orange pods that are massive in comparison to the actual plant. I really like the fruity taste and texture of the pods too... quite underestimated in my opinion... and they have quite a kick too. I have a few mutations on these too. Looks like a Cheyenne X Thai hybrid... has a lot more heat and are red in colour. Anyway, I'm rambling... lol


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Yellow Fataliis are looking gnarly... can't wait for these to change colour.

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Scotch Bonnets... quite a few pods coming along. I seem to remember struggling to germinate these... lost quite a few at seedling stage too.

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But there is also some colour about. I have picket quite a few bags... also in the outside area. Most of the pods at the very bottom of the plants are turning red. I would have expected the ones on the very top to turn red first as they get more sun... got to look deep into the plants to find the red ones.

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A bump, a bump... my kingdom for a bump!
 
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