Sawyer '18 – Back from the Void

Hello everybody, old friends and new friends alike.  The last couple three years have been challenging for me, but come hell or high water, 2018 will be the year of the pepper.  I'll try to fill in some details going forward, but for now, I mostly just want to get this glog started.  The one in 2016 petered out before its time and I didn't even start one last year.  For any who would like to review better times, there are links to previous years' glogs part way down the first post in the 2016 glog:
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/58711-sawyer-16-memorial-day-update/?p=1260981
 
For the most part, I'm using the same set up as described in those topics... a couple of multi-shelf PVC plant stands with 4' T8 fluorescent shop lights.  I have a lot of new stuff to try out this year, but I'll be starting with the old.
 
My seed stock has taken a huge hit in the interim.  I do have some old stock I'll be testing and adding to the list as germination tests verify viability, but for now, this is my grow list:
 
Variety - Source*
 
CHINENSE:
7 Pod, OS Red - 2
7 Pod White - 2
7 Pod, OS Yellow - 2
7 Pot Cinder Caramel - 5
Bahamian Goat - 5
Bhut Jolokia, Chocolate Brown - 2
Bhut Jolokia, OS Red - 1
B.O.C. - 5
Big Black Mama - 5
Brain Strain, Yellow - 5
Chocolate Bhutlah - 2
Carolina Reaper - 2
Moruga Scorpion, Red - 2
Papa Dreadie - 5
Pumpkin Bubblegum - 5
Reaper Bhut - 2
Scotchbrain - 5
 
HATCH STYLE: 
New Mexico No. 6 - 4
 
HOT ANNUUM: 
Gochu - 5
Habanero - 4
Habanero, Orange - 3
Santa Fe Grande - 3
Shishito - 3
Jalapeño, Tam - 3
Jalapeño, Zapotec - 5
Thai, Large Orange - 5
 
MILD ANNUUM: 
Poblano - 3
 
SWEET ANNUUM: 
Bellingrath Gardens - 3
California Wonder - 4
Palmyra - 2
Piquillo - 3
Sulu Adana - 2
Tekne Dolmasi - 2
 
Baccatum: 
Pluma - 2
 
Pubescens: 
Aji Largo - 5
Aji Oro - 5
Rocoto, Mini Red - 5
Rocoto, Guatemalan Red - 5
 
Hybrids: 
PDN-Bonda - 5
 
* Source key:
1 - Self
2 - PepperLover
3 - Trade Winds Fruit
4 - American Seed
5 - Devv
 
I do have a few other self-saved seeds, but the only one listed right now is Bhut Jolokia, Original Strain Red.  These seeds may be more than ten years old, but they've been refrigerated and last fall a germination test yielded around 70% germination.  
 
I also plan to start a topic in "Growing - Other" and one somewhere in one of the "Business" forums.
 
Thanks for looking in.  More soon.

 

[Devv]

Papa Dreadie pods are starting to ripen.

These first pods don't have the desired shape, hence the post here instead of the community glog. This plant is well-isolated in a suburban back yard where none of the neighbors have a garden (as far as I can tell). Once the pod shape... shapes up, I'll start saving isolated seed.

 
Congrats on the P.Dreadie's John!
 
I had limited success with them in the spring, and I'm keeping them alive for the fall crop. Just love the P.Dreadie's
 

 

[Sawyer]

Now that it's time to start the 2019 grow, I figured I'd better update this one from last year. I took pictures throughout the year and will post some of them over the next several days. Guess I'll start with this "bowl of peppers", photo taken 181109:
 

That's about a kilogram of peppers that processed into ~100 grams of powder blend. 
 
Once I get it cropped and sized, I think I'll use this pic for my avatar.  The old double trillium is getting a little old, especially considering I don't have the plants anymore.
 
Today I'm modifying the Lava Bar label for two new flavors, hazelnut coffee and maple.  If you don't know what that's all about, you can get the details over in this forum ad.
 
More pictures soon.

 

[Sawyer]

This is what those peppers looked like segregated for processing. I saved all the seeds.

 
And after stemming and seeding:

 
Spread on the tray before going in the dehydrator:

 
The dehydrator will hold ten or more of those trays.  This was my last harvest before a killing frost, hence the few unripe pods.

 

[CDNmatt]

Really is awsome Sawyer sir.

 

[Devv]

Good to see the harvest John

 

[Ghost Pepper Revolution]

Nice harvest

 

[DontPanic]

I like the mirrored kaleidoscope effect of the peppers in a stainless bowl. 

 

[internationalfish]

I like the mirrored kaleidoscope effect of the peppers in a stainless bowl. 

 
Woah, didn't even notice that. Very cool!

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks, guys.
 

I like the mirrored kaleidoscope effect of the peppers in a stainless bowl. 

I like that, too. That's what led me to use it for my avatar/icon, but I think the size and resolution don't do it justice.
 
Here's a close-up of the red ghosts in the previous images, harvested 181106:

 
This is the plant they came from:

 
This plant was grown from the isolated original strain ghost seeds I've talked about elsewhere.   This one was isolated, too.  It got a late start in the ground and rain garden soil isn't really optimum for growing peppers.  But it managed to put on one good flush of pods.

 

[Trident chilli]

Good to see your continuing your glog John

 

[Sawyer]

Good to see your continuing your glog John

Thanks, John. I'm basically working backward through time, posting pics until I get back to whenever I left off last year.

 

[Sawyer]

Taking a time jump back to the present, I harvested this little handful of tepins yesterday:

 
This has been an interesting plant.  Mike (capsidadburn) sent me the seeds a few years ago.  This plant was started in 2017.  I think it never made it out of a 3.5" square pot that first year, but I did manage to OW it.  Last year, I potted it up to a larger pot, and it was off to the races. 
 
What has been interesting is that the original growth bore all the smaller pods above (the smallest dried ones aren't much bigger than a large grain of rice.)  But the plant put out new growth from right at ground level.  This new growth grew extremely vigorously and bore the larger pods pictured above (about the size of a large English pea.) 
 
I thought some random seed must have gotten into the pot and germinated alongside the original plant, but I poked around the base and the new growth is coming from the same main stem as the old.  Flavor and heat are about the same between the two pods, though the larger are bit more watery.
 
Hopefully I can keep it alive through its second winter.  I pulled all the pods I could without breaking greenery.  (The unripe ones are really stuck on tight.) 

 

[Sawyer]

Skipping back thru time, these were harvested 181017:

 

[Sawyer]

This is a Sulu Adana, harvested 181016:

 
That's just a regular sized beer coozy.  The Sulu Adana is a great sweet pepper, very crisp and juicy.  Great to have around in the garden for a quick snack or in lieu of taking a water break.

 

[Sawyer]

Here's a shot of my PDNxBMJ, taken 181013:

 
Another shot of the same plant taken a couple of days earlier on 181011:

 
I'm trying to OW this plant.   Some of the harvested pods from this plant are in the upper left of this post. 
 
Note the ginger in the small pot just to the right.  

 

[PaulG]

Really beautiful harvest pics, John.
The colors on the Bhuts are psychedelic!

Some nice white nuggets on the PDN x BMJ, too.
You should post a pic of the plant to the PDN x BMJ
thread!

 

[bubspeppers]

Awesome harvests!

 

[Sawyer]

Awesome harvests!

Thanks, Bub. Hopefully, there will be even more this year.

Here's a shot of a red moruga taken 180930:

I think my cross-species grafting project turned out pretty well.
 
This is a two (three?) year old Papa Dreadie Select in its isolated backyard, pic taken 180909:

It's in less than optimal health due to competition from those marigolds.  They were supposed to be "dwarf", but turned out to be anything but.  I brought the plant home a short time later and removed the marigolds.  The PD recovered sufficiently that I hope it OWs for another year.  I have a pretty decent supply of isolated seeds available for SASE or other postage arrangement.
 
This is maybe my first harvest last summer, 180827:

You may recall the OW plant last year I thought might be a Padron.  It wasn't.  It bore the Hatch-style pod on the left.  It had a handful those over the year, but I seem to have misplaced the seeds from them.  Maybe they'll turn up.
 
You can tell these pods are in a 1020 nursery flat.  I left it on a table in the shade outside.  All of the little tepin pods were gone the next day.  I guess one of its common names isn't "bird pepper" for nothing.  My hope is that I find volunteers of these growing around the place next year.
 
The pale yellow pods in the middle are a mystery.  Very low heat level, not zero, but low.  Sweet and crunchy with an excellent flavor.  And a very good keeper.  I call it a "Trainer Hab."  I have lots of seeds for these and look forward to growing it again this year.
 
The pods on the right are Bahamian Goat.  Except for the hatch-style plant, I'm trying to OW all of these.