PeriPeri's Grow Log 2012: South Africa

Sawyer · Mar 15, 2013

PeriPeri said:
Nitrile gloves also let the capsaicin through eventually. So at the mo, hands are still burning even though the last chilli I touched was like two days ago lol Everything I touch just burns! It's the price you pay - is what I have now come to lol On the bright side Caroline the Reaper is helping me in putting all the seeds in packets - and she is doing a sterling job. Not sure what I would do without her! That is such a painful job as well!

Try double-gloving the nitriles. That's what I used to do when handling... toxic materials. Better safe than dead. Change the outer pair every now and then and the inner pair whenever you have to remove them (meals, rest breaks, etc.) Also, don't the seeds need to dry for a while before putting them in packets?

PeriPeri · Mar 15, 2013

Sawyer said:
Try double-gloving the nitriles. That's what I used to do when handling... toxic materials. Better safe than dead. Change the outer pair every now and then and the inner pair whenever you have to remove them (meals, rest breaks, etc.) Also, don't the seeds need to dry for a while before putting them in packets?

Hi Sawyer. Thanks for the tip. Toxic materials - woa... here I am worrying about a wee bit of Capsaicin!

Yea, all seeds are sun dried in seeds for sure. A good two days at least does the trick. Don't want to run the risk of seeds moulding in packets!

DocNrock · Mar 15, 2013

PeriPeri said:
I do have to do something with them... not sure what it is yet...

Powder! That is what I will do with mine.

PeriPeri · Mar 15, 2013

Actually quite excited to be going to the farm tomorrow. Season is closing in. One last push or two and I should be able to bring in the harvest. Hope the guys have been watering this week and not been busy patrolling the farm fences. Anyway, I will try and take loads of pics for you guys

DocNrock said:
Powder! That is what I will do with mine.

That is going to be one hell of a power Doc lol

PjPEPPERS · Mar 15, 2013

PeriPeri said:
There will be pictures as always! Pictures must go on for my fellow chilliheads. That is awesome... never enough space, but the space I used this year was a plenty for me. About 1000 plants... has kept me very busy. But if you have someone else to help, one could do more I guess. I have spent time in the UK and gardening is huge. So you have a really awesome market for seeds. Another thing is the affinity to Indian quisine is massive in the UK... so most people have grown up with a liking for spicy food. So yea... plenty people looking for really hot chillies without a doubt. There is also a huge market for people doing hydroponics in my experience... so you are sitting very cosy there. Not to mention that many smaller cities and villages have market days... the sky is the limit as they say! Nice!

I have learnt so much this year it is actually quite scary. Nothing quite like jumping in the deep end lol Not sure if you have many monkeys in Devon - but pepper maggots and cutworm have been my biggest adverseries without a doubt. But mother nature is really an amazing thing... and I must say that even though there have been other pests like aphids... those Ladybugs were real troopers and kept them all in check... anyway - I'm rambling. You are in for a treat when your season starts (soon) - I look forward to reading your glog!

oh yeah, there's Indian take outs and restaurants all over some cities as well as hydro shops on most retail parks. It's big business over here. Mostly used for growing non chilli related plants :shame:

, there's always someone growing and then getting busted in every city over here.

Devon is right next to Dorset (where the dorest naga comes from) so there is quite a big following for hot peppers down here. I'm growing indoors this season but next season will be moving back closer to our land, which is situated in the north west of the uk. It's not that far from where a lot of premiership football players own house's so it's quite a posh area - not that I am posh at all, far from it! lol. But it's good because the folks up there are used to doing the weekly shop and farmers markets rather than the supermarket and are prepared to pay for quality also. So will certainly be setting up a stall at some point - maybe not a weekly jobbie but certainly the big calender events.

Another thought I have is to grow small pepper trees for hire. These could be used in stead of the traditional bay trees used at weddings and such. I have been speaking to a few florists for awhile now and they seem to like the idea. They also like the idea of having pepper bouquets for the brides also but that is a bit further down the line yet. So yeah loads to go at next year.

No monkeys in devon other than the two small ones I raise every day otherwise know as the children :lol:

Looking forward to sitting down with a brew and catching up on the weekend pictures of your glog, always a pleasure.

Cheers Lourens

Pete

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

Hi Pete,

I spent some time in Newbury, Berkshire... Reading had one of those shops you were talking about, just off the main road lol The law is a little fuzzy about said banned narcotics that people grow in their homes I believe. Someone told me it is legal to buy the seeds from those shops. It's legal to plant those seeds from those shops and its legal to grow plants from those seeds. What makes it illegal is the intake of the substance from those plants. It's a wee bit crazy really.

Great idea about hiring plants out. Some chilli plants are a wee bit delicate. I imagine this would only be the ornamentals and hardier plant types like the Frutescens.

Yea, I have also got two monkeys, although they go no where near the vegetable garden if they can help it. I had to bribe them yesterday to help me.

I will probbly only get to load pics tonight. I didn't get much time to pick chillies yesterday. I also had the kids with me, so it is difficult. Anyway... I do have some pics and will upload later. Even though I only had three hours, I have a table full of chillies again. I only got to pick the specialsed ones. I didn't pick any of the general chillies (as I call them) - the big Peri's that will make the backbone of my sauces. Will have to come to collect those during the week. Leaving them on won't be a bad thing... let them go really ripe!

I have been looking at big pots and bottles. I have my eye on a 55l or 100l pot. I am also thinking of bottling sauces in 125ml bottles. That is 400 bottles max. 200 mild and 200 hot. I can get the bottles for about .20c. Not sure if this is good at all. I need to buy a chest freezer now - I have completely run out of space to freeze chillies! My seed stock is almost full. As mentioned, I am aiming for 100 packets... still extracting seeds - man that is a pain is the derriere!

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

Ok, so just a set of picks to get the ball rolling... I have got to go see the Cricket today (shame) - South Africa vs Pakistan. Should be good.

In any case, I have not shown you this before, but I have been monitoring this plant for a while now. It does look like a hybrid of sorts. Its a Haba and looks to me like a hybrid between a white Haba and an orange Haba, resulting in this off white peach coloured Haba. Which I think looks quite awesome. I can't wait to try this pod I picked. I know last year I got a batch of big white Habs from my friend in Cape Town and amazingly they had absolutely no heat... but had the most amazing flavour! I am hoping that this pod - if it has hybradised with an orange haba, will have a nice zing to it! I will let uou know.

Ok, so this is where I need some of your help guys. I found this ripe pod on one of my plants. This plant was among some Red Habs. I had thought that this might have been a Hab Lantern... but now that it has changed colour, it is clearly yellow.

All pods have the same shape... this teardrop shape.

Is it an Aji of sorts... lemon drop?

PjPEPPERS · Mar 17, 2013

Yeah would definitely be ornamental's for the plant hire etc - wouldn't want to make any brides blush :oops:

lol

The peach/orange/white habs are brilliant. So big also. If they have a bit of a zing and not too much they would go real nice from salads etc, bringing some nice colour to the plate. Would make a lovely sauce colour also - kinda like the colour when you add creme fresh to a tomato sauce. Over here we'd call it Chicken Tikka colour! Lovely!

I think the yellow pepper may be a Datil or Fatali. More on the side of a Datil. I think the Aji lemon has a more curved bottom tip then the pepper shown. The Fatali looks slightly more wrinkled but the Datil looks very similar to your pepper. But I'm rubbish at ID'ing peppers so don't take my guess for gospel.

Still can't believe the size of those peach habs - they are like the size of a sweet pepper something like the cali wonder pepper we get over here in all the supermarkets. Love it!

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

I will do a taste test this afternoon. But it has the most amazing Grapefruit scent from outside... totally awesome!

Correction: Ruby Grapefruit!

I think you are right on the Datil. How do I end up with a Datil. Never bought the seeds - have no clue lol

DocNrock · Mar 17, 2013

PeriPeri said:
I think you are right on the Datil. How do I end up with a Datil. Never bought the seeds - have no clue lol

Could be a cross, or perhaps, at the origin, a stray Datil seed made it into the seed you purchased? In any event: Score!

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

DocNrock said:
Could be a cross, or perhaps, at the origin, a stray Datil seed made it into the seed you purchased? In any event: Score!

Score for sure! Going to enjoy this one... I love surpises like this!

megamoo · Mar 17, 2013

Nice harvest pics. That looks just like my Peach Habanero. The green pods are really pale, almost white and when they ripen they go through two shades of peach, the second one slightly darker. Heat is like a Habanero.

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

Thanks Megamoo... Peach Habanero does sound right. Cant get over the smell on the outside at the mo... just like Ruby Grapefruit! Amazing...

The Nagalah is going full steam... not many pods, but rapidly changing colour. From th etaste test I did on the first pod, it does have very much a Naga flavour... really great taste. Good heat, although the first pod was a little milder than expected. Amazing orange colour though!

7Pod Changing colour...

Naga Kings still not showing any hint of changing colour. I'm beginning to think that maybe this is the colour they are supposed to be? lol

Can someone give me a bump please

Sawyer · Mar 17, 2013

PeriPeri said:
Naga Kings still not showing any hint of changing colour. I'm beginning to think that maybe this is the colour they are supposed to be? lol

That would be cool if it turns out to be the case.

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

Douglah coming on in pods... really looking forward to this one. Apologies, plant pic is a wee bit blurry.

The Red Fatalii is looking great from a far but far from looking great close up. Unfortunately something is attacking it. Nibbling holes in the pods... every ripe pod has been nibbled on... man its irritating... I just want to taste the pods so I can see the difference between red and Yellow

armac · Mar 17, 2013

Since you only see your garden on the weekends, from what I gather, who actually raises your garden for you. They seem to be capable growers.

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

Theres a second round of pods coming on for the Facing Heaven chillies... amazing irridescent colours on those pods.

MisterNo · Mar 17, 2013

Nice pics Lourens

About that hab - I also think it is Peach Habanero.

Dont know where did you get the seeds from, but I bought some Red Hab seeds last season and got those Peach Habs as result.

Heat was classic hab, but I didnt like the taste, there was just not much taste to it.

PeriPeri · Mar 17, 2013

armac said:
Since you only see your garden on the weekends, from what I gather, who actually raises your garden for you. They seem to be capable growers.

Armac, I find your post quite insulting to say the least. I have grown every plant single handedly from seed. Planted, transplanted and fertelized every plant myself. Apart from mother nature and the guys that water the plants when I can not, the plants do their own thing. If you have read the glog from the beginning you would know this!

JonahXButchT loads of flowers...

Loads of flowers, great looking plant, but jury still out on this one. Either its a Peach Long or a ButchTxMoruga... only time will tell.

MisterNo said:
Nice pics Lourens

About that hab - I also think it is Peach Habanero.

Dont know where did you get the seeds from, but I bought some Red Hab seeds last season and got those Peach Habs as result.

Heat was classic hab, but I didnt like the taste, there was just not much taste to it.

Hi MisterNo, thanks for dropping in! I think Peach Haba fits the bill. I was even saying to my girlfriend that it looks peach in colour. But it certainly was among the seeds I harvested from Red Habas last year. I know none of them were peach in colour... so this must be a throw back or mutation

All the same, I like it!

WalkGood · Mar 17, 2013

Lourens, you have to stop posting so much great stuff ... I come here and use up all my "Like This" allotment for the week, lol. Great stuff mon keep dat great grow going

Have you tried the Douglah yet? I love the taste on the red ones, wasn't sure on the color of yours from the pics. Have a great week mon!