Sawyer's 2013 Glog - Last Harvest/First Sauce

I haven't done a grow log before, but thought I'd give it a try this year. I'm growing mostly super hots, so I feel like I'm already behind schedule. Anyone know where January went? No pictures yet, I'll add some later when things (hopefully) start popping.

My setup is a basic home-made 2-tier 1" PVC plant stand. Each tier can accommodate 4 standard 1020 nursery flats and has three 2-bulb T-12 4' 40W fluorescent shop lights suspended above. The bulbs are a mix of Daylight, Wide Spectrum, and Power Twist. (I can't give you a K rating on these off the top of my head.) I use heater mats to try to keep the flats in the comfort zone for germination. They are wired to a dimmer switch so I can adjust the current. Even with the dimmer switch, in the past I've had trouble keeping uniform temperature, so this year I've put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the mats to spread out the heat and a layer of kraft paper on top of that. The flats go directly on the kraft paper. If anyone has any tips or tricks for controlling the temperature of heater mats (without purchasing an expensive thermostat), I'd love to hear about it.

I use standard 1020 nursery trays with 1206 (72-cell) inserts. I filled the inserts to planting depth with Sushine Mix #1 and planted anywhere from 2 (new) to 4 (old) seeds per cell. I then topped off the trays with some peat-based germination mix. I intended to use Fafard 3b germination mix, but didn't want to open a new bag for only four flats. I had a small bag of Miracle Grow and one of Ferry Morse left over from days past so I used one of those, I forget which.

The germination stand is in a back room in the warmest part of the house. As plants geminate and become established they'll be moved, either in whole flats, or potted out separately, to a 3-tier, 5 flat/tier stand in front of a bright picture window on the south side of the house. No lights on that yet and may not need them since the window gets direct sun for several hours per day. I'll be starting a lot of other seeds besides hot peppers, so I can't just leave them on the heater mats 'til plant out.

I started four flats today, one whole flat of self-propagated, pure-strain red Bhut Jolokia and up to 12 cells each of the following (note - I prefer the term 7 Pot to 7pod, but am keeping the 7pod nomenclature here out of deference to the vendor):

(First parenthesis is # of plants from first planting on 2/11, second is # plants/# soaked on 3/4)

Red Bhut Jolokia (my own isolated) (75)
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) (0)
Brown Bhut Jolokia (PL) (1)
White Bhut Jolokia (PL) (8), (15/20)
Yellow Fatalii (RFC) (11), (6/10)
Giant White Habanero (RFC) (7)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (PL) (10), (28/35)
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend (RFC) (14)
T. Scorpion Moruga/Moruga Blend Yellow (PL) (6), (19/25)
T. 7pod Congo SR Gigantic (PL) (9), (2/7)
T. 7pod Large Red (PL) (4)
T. 7pod Large Yellow (PL) (1)
T. 7pod Brain Strain (PL) (10), (2/9)
T. 7pod Brain Strain Yellow (PL) (4), (11/12)
T. 7pod Brown (PL) (17)
T. 7pod Burgundy (PL) (8)
T. Douglah (PL) (5), (4/20)
T. Scorpion Butch T. (PL) (7)
T. Scorpion Yellow (PL) (18)
T. Scorpion Original Strain (PL) (1)
T. Seasoning (PL) (4)

New strains/sources started on 3/4:
Red Bhut Jolokia (PL) (45/50)
Scotch Bonnet Brown (PL) (22/34)
'12 7 Pot Yellow (RFC) (0/11)
'12 Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (PL) (0/14)
Datil (PL) (7/22)
Bhut Jolokia Orange (PL) (15/20)
T. Scorpion CARDI (PL) (7/20)
Tobago Treasure (PL) (8/20)

Started on 3/6:
Red Bhut Jolokia (own isolated) (>50)
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (CPI) (13)
NuMex Pinata (CPI) (40)
White Bullet Hab (PL) (13)

Unrecorded plant date:
Orange Hab (PL) (2)
TS Cardi (PL) (7)
Dorset Naga (PL) (5)

Started on 3/25:
Yellow Bhut Jolokia (PL) - 8/?
Long Choco Habanero (AjiJoe) - 17/42
Pimenta da Neyde (PL) - 14/30
Giant Mexican Rocoto (PL) - 0/40
CAP 1144 (PL) - 0/21
(old) Yellow Habanero (Trade Winds) - 0/24
(old) Jamaican Red Mushroom (RFC) - 0/18
Trinidad Congo Red (PL) - 10/12
Datil (PL) - 9/22 (4 hh)
7 Pot Primo (PL) - 5/18
Early Jalapeno (PL) - 19/36
Cracked Jalapeno (PL) - 33/36
Large Hot Cherry (PL) - 33/36
Surprise Hot Mix (AjiJoe) - 97/144

Edit 4/3: add sources PL=pepperlover, RFC=Refining Fire Chiles, CPI=Chile Pepper Institute
Edit 4/3: (in blue)
Edit 4/29: Edit title (again)

 

[Penny]

That's great, thanks.

 

[Sawyer]

That's great, thanks.

Well, there was only one ripe pod still on the plant and it was so over-ripe it was starting to get soft at the stem.  I ate some from the middle, where it was still firm, but it just tasted like a bell pepper and had no heat at all.  If I find another before killing frost, I'll let you know.
 
Here's a picture of Wednesday's harvest:

It is mostly from the in-grounds (except the yellow Brains at 6 o'clock).  I have about two-thirds as many more yet to pick, a few from in-grounds, but mostly from the potted plants.  The picture doesn't show it well, but some of these are well past their prime.  Partly, I just procrastinated on getting them in, but partly I was interested to learn which strains' pods hold up best to the cool, wet weather we've been having here.  And I learned a lot.  For example, the yellow Scorps above the yellow Brains have a lot of cracking in them.  So do the GWHs to the upper left of the white Bhuts.  Some of the yellow Scorps are cracking even before the pods ripen.  The yellow Brains, on the other hand, held up pretty well.  The pile of brown 7s at about 10 o'clock all came from one plant and are far and away the best pods for holding on the plant.  All in all, there are 30 varieties shown in the picture, 10 to 12 gallons of pods.
 
Needless to say, I've got my work cut out processing all these.

 

[Penny]

Great harvest Sawyer!!   What are the ones, kind of in the middle of the pic, looks like there are only 3 of them? At first glance they look like a tomato

 

[Sawyer]

Great harvest Sawyer!!   What are the ones, kind of in the middle of the pic, looks like there are only 3 of them? At first glance they look like a tomato

Thanks, Penny.  Those are Alma Paprika.  Those are/were an interesting plant this year.  They didn't get very big at all, less than a foot tall, but were just a solid mass of peppers.  They are sensitive to frost and the first light frost took out most the leaves.  The pods are still hanging on, but a couple got sunburnt without the leaves for shade.  These three, plus two earlier, are probably the only ripe pods I'll get.  There are at least that many more I'll pick green before the hard frost next week.  I'll try these again next year, hopefully get an earlier start, and maybe pinch off blooms until the plants put on a bit of size.

 

[Penny]

Ah ok thanks, I've seen them mentioned on here, just hadn't seen a picture of what they look like.

 

[Sawyer]

I ate one earlier in the year and thought it was pretty good.  Just a little spicy, but not so hot I couldn't eat the whole thing (and I'm a lightweight at eating the hot ones).  Very thick walls.  I'm drying these to grind for powder.  We'll see how it compares to store-bought paprika.

Ah ok thanks, I've seen them mentioned on here, just hadn't seen a picture of what they look like.

There's a better picture back in this post.

 

[Devv]

Well done John!
 
You will be busy!

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks, Scott.  Yes I am.  And a hard frost predicted for Tuesday morning will bring the end of anything left outside.  The in-grounds have already lost most of their leaves, though most of the pods are still ok.  The potted plants have suffered some damage here and there.  I'm taking notes on various strains' frost tolerance.
 
I received a nice care package from PepperLover a day or two ago:

I think you can read the powder descriptions.  The seeds are:
 
Moruga Yellow
Bhut Jolokia Red
Brown Moruga
7 Pod Primo
7 Pod Original Red
 
Thanks, Judy!

 

[stickman]

Thanks, Penny.  Those are Alma Paprika.  Those are/were an interesting plant this year.  They didn't get very big at all, less than a foot tall, but were just a solid mass of peppers.  They are sensitive to frost and the first light frost took out most the leaves.  The pods are still hanging on, but a couple got sunburnt without the leaves for shade.  These three, plus two earlier, are probably the only ripe pods I'll get.  There are at least that many more I'll pick green before the hard frost next week.  I'll try these again next year, hopefully get an earlier start, and maybe pinch off blooms until the plants put on a bit of size.

Actually, the Hungarians pick the Almapaprika pods when still yellow and pickle them. They have what they call "economic ripeness" and "biological ripeness". Many Hungarian varieties are intended to be harvested and eaten before fully red-ripe. They're not quite as sweet, and the seeds aren't viable, but taste fine. I think the immature pods are preferred for pickling because they keep their crunch when cold-packed.

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks for the info, Rick.  That's good to know, because there are several yellow pods out there now that won't survive Tuesday morning's freeze.  Do you know what recipe is commonly used to pickle them?  Is it a ferment or vinegar-based?

 

[stickman]

It's vinegar based Buzz... if you're interested, I'll pm you the recipe I got from Balasz (HabaneroHead)... this is what they look like when done.

 

[Sawyer]

That's very nice looking.  Please do send the recipe.  I've got enough for at least one and maybe two quarts.

 

[Devv]

Don't know if we're getting a frost or not, have to look at the dew points. 36° and 35° for Wed and Thursday.
 
Very generous of PepperLover!
 
Rick's Pickled look great too!
 
Have a great week!

 

[Sawyer]

It's vinegar based Buzz... if you're interested, I'll pm you the recipe I got from Balasz (HabaneroHead)... this is what they look like when done.

I got the recipe, thanks, Rick.  I've got a pile of Large Hot Cherry peppers I may use this one on, too.
 

Don't know if we're getting a frost or not, have to look at the dew points. 36° and 35° for Wed and Thursday.
 
Very generous of PepperLover!
 
Rick's Pickled look great too!
 
Have a great week!

Hey, Scott.  Yeah, PepperLover is a remarkably generous vendor.  I'm a little scared of those powders, but they sure smell good.  And all of the seeds are for varieties on my grow list for next year.
 
Those pickles do look tasty.  I'm going to be a pickling fool for the next several days.  In addition to a quart or two of AlmaPaprika, I also have more than a gallon of the Large Hot Cherry and around 8 gallons of jalapenos, all picked today.
 
They're predicting 25ºF to 27ºF here for tomorrow morning and down into the high teens for Wednesday morning, so my season is done.  Altogether, I picked over 20 gallons of peppers today.  And there is probably more than that much in green pods still out there.  I thought about picking them, too, for green sauce, but I'll do well to process the ripe ones before they go bad. 
 
I moved at least a couple, maybe three, dozen plants into either the front room or the root cellar.  Those are potted in anything from a #1 nursery pot up to a 5 gallon grow bag.  I also brought in two flats, 36 plants in 3.5" square pots that never got potted up this year.  The only plants I'm trying to salvage from the in-grounds are the one Funky Reaper and 4 Cracked Jalapenos.  I wasn't planning on saving any jalapenos, but these not only survived last Thursday's frost, they were already putting out new growth from lower down.  That frost pretty much finished off the in-grounds and singed the tops of several of the potted plants.  I've definitely formed some opinions on end-of-season performance for several varieties.  More on that later.
 
I've got a couple of pictures to post as soon as I get them uploaded.

 

[Devv]

The hot powders are fine, just use small amounts to start like 1/16th on a taco. Glad you got the huge pull! My season may be over Wed, now they're saying 31° to 33°.
 
I want to take cuttings of the Funky tomorrow..gotta go!

 

[Sawyer]

I had taken a couple dozen cuttings from a well-performing Moruga Scorpion and had them in a jar in the front window.  I don't know if it was the same rat from last winter, but the cold brought one in and it went straight for the cuttings.  I was left with a jar full of bare stems.  This time, though, the sucker also went for the PB and strawberry jam baited trap and is no more. (Looked for a "moment of respect" emoticon... no luck.)
 
Here's the last of the ripe MoAs:

I got six other ripe pods, but they are not very photogenic.  Of the four plants I had, the one in the garden bit the dust with last Thursday's frost.  The other three, two in #3 pots and one in a #1 pot, are in the root cellar.  The two larger ones will eventually find their way up to a windowed OW room, while the smaller will be part of a dark OW experiment.
 
Can anyone tell me if these look like they're from a 7 Pot Jonah? 

All of these pods were picked today from a single plant.  This is one of the OWs from last year and I thought it was a Naga Morich, but that's clearly not the case.  It was a plant I bought, not started from seed, and looking back at my receipts it looks like a 7 Pot Jonah is the only other possibility.  Is such a diversity of pod shapes on a single plant common for a 7 Pot Jonah?
 
I'll post a more comprehensive review of my experience this year later, but I wanted to mention here, the 7 Pot Brown, Fatalii, and MoA all impressed me with their late-season performance.  By that I mean these three (multiple plants of each) all continued to ripen pods without excessive cracking (some on the MoA), stem end softening, or mold on the pods, even after most of the leaves had fallen due to frost (and the Brown and MoA held on to their leaves better than the others).  Even though I've avoided a hard frost until now, the weather has been damp, cool, and often cloudy.  Overall, this year the red Bhut Jolokia has arguably been the best performer, but at the end, the pods haven't held up as well to the conditions.  The red BJ pods are prone to stem-end softening and black mold on the pods in these damp, cool, and cloudy conditions.

Just noticed today is my 2nd anniversary as a THP member.  Yay, me! 

 

[PaulG]

Happy Anniversary, Sawyer!  
That's one awesome harvest table there, bro!

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks, Paul.  I've made a dent in that pile, but then yesterday I pulled all these:
 
A 5-gal bucket full of jalapenos:

Those longest ones aren't jals, though they are supposed to be.  Non-hot, some sort of banana, I guess.  I'll pickle some of these in vinegar and (attempt to) ferment some.
 
Another 5-gal bucket full, this one a mixed bag:

 
And still more buckets full:

 
I've got two dehydrators going and need to pull the third out of storage.  Puree pots are simmering.  Good thing I don't have to be anywhere until Friday.
 
There are probably this many more green pods still out there, but enough is enough.  On the other hand, it apparently didn't frost last night as predicted and tonight's predicted low keeps going up with every update, so who knows what'll happen. 

 

[Penny]

  Holy cow!!!

 

[Devv]

Very nice finishing pulls there John!
 
We didn't get to see much of the garden shots this year, but you definitely did well production wise. Process and share with friends, there's no way you can eat all of those!
 
Enjoy the processing, it's half the fun!