seanw first glog (2013) - Racing the End of the Season...

Hello and greetings My first post here, and I'm prepping for my first major season growing. I've done a few small pepper plants here or there, and two summers ago I tried for some variety of ghost chili or other (the pop top cans you can get from thinkgeek), which turned out to look like ghost chilis, but were super mild (may have also been the fact that they were getting almost no sun in the apartment we lived in at the time, and by the time we got the house, they got outdoors just in time for the frost to hit).

I've got a heat mat and a 50 hole rapid rooter en route, and I'll be grabbing some cheapo work lights to give me some light. I also need to rig some sort of container to keep in the heat, they'll be going in my insulated-but-unheated garage until I move them into the garden, thinking either a styrofoam cooler or just putting that silver bubblewrap insulation stuff on a box.

In addition to some herbs and other garden veggies, here's my pepper list for the year:

HP22B
Yatsufusa
Tabasco
Paprika
Firecracker
Early Jalapeno
Moruga Trinidad Scorpion
NuMex Suave Orange Habanero
Chiltepin
Orange Hab
Bhut Jolokia
Red Savina Hab
Hot Cherry Pepper
Butch T Trinidad
Scotch Bonnet

I may have gone a bit gonzo on ordering. We haven't built our garden yet. This will be the second garden, the first is dedicated to berries, and got mauled by rabbits and chipmunks, even with fencing. The vegetable garden is going to be 6'x30', in three sections. Gonna stick peppers and some tomatos in one of the 10x6 section, the other two will be for the other veggies. I'm gonna have to break out some pots for the rest of the peppers. We'll see what happens once we get the garden together, though My current plan is to build a frame around the garden and cover it with 1" or 2" fencing, big enough for the bugs, too small for the critters.

Here's hoping all goes well!

 

[SeanW]

Okay...all my plants are now in aluminum trays, so that I can bulk water. Cool!

I took an inventory - the peppers that are currently growing are:
Red Rocoto - 1
Primo - 2
Aji Limon - 2
White Bhut Jolokia - 3
Fatalli - 3
Cheiro Recife - 4
Orange Habanero - 5
Moruga - 4
Prik Kee Nu Suon - 3
7 Pot Douglah - 2
NuMex Suave Orange - 2
Jamaican Hot Chocolate - 1
Red Savina - 1
Red Bhut Jolokia - 3
Butch T Scorpion - 2
Scotch Bonnet - 1
Datil - 1
Korean Gochu - 1
Krimzon Lee Paprika - 1
Urfa Biber - 2

Looks like 45 plants, by my count. I also have another rocoto that is literally a stick, I ripped the cotys off along with it's helmet, but the stem is still green so I'm holding onto it to see what happens. It'll likely die, but whatever. Worth a shot.

In my germinator, in addition to san marzano toms, broccoli, white sage, cumin and onions are...
5 cells of 2 seeds each of..
Yellow Mini Bell
Espelette
Fresno
Alma Paprika
Chilly Chile
Pimiento Rubio De Mallorca
Kashmiri Mirch
Gernika

3 cells of 2 seeds each of...
Yatzyfusa
Pasilla de Oaxaca
NuMex Jalmundo
Bradley's Bahamian
Poblano
Peter

and 2 cells of 2 seeds each of...

Firecracker
Pasilla de Bajio
Early Jalapeno
Tabasco
Serrano
Cherry

I think I need a few more

 

[stickman]

All great varieties Sean. Good luck with your grow, and we'll see ya around the campus...

 

[stc3248]

Nice...Y'all are working the northeast pepper connection. Cool stuff, great list and atta boy on the trays!

 

[SeanW]

All great varieties Sean. Good luck with your grow, and we'll see ya around the campus...

Thanks again! I'm asking around with my friends to see if anyone wants some pepper plants, I was planning on axing some seedlings, but didn't have the heart If not, well, guess I'll have a ton of peppers. I PROBABLY don't need a dozen different super hots...it's amazing how your grow list changes. My original plan was for 4 super hots, some habs, japs, paprika, cayenne and fresno. Maybe a dozen plants in all. Then I found THP and was all OHH I WANT THAT ONE, and OH, LOOK AT THAT, and kept buying more seeds from a stack of different vendors, who sent me free seeds and added to my grow even more...it's not my fault, I tell ya!

I'm already planning for next year...saw a picture of a Black Pearl ornamental, which looks pretty cool. This year was (Um...is...grow baby, grow!) pretty all over the place, I think I want to settle down and focus on regional varieties like urfa, datil, the few basque varieties I have going on, but we'll see what happens. Mostly, I keep finding new and exciting peppers and am out of space to germinate them, so I'm just making a list

Nice...Y'all are working the northeast pepper connection. Cool stuff, great list and atta boy on the trays!

Well, I think we're at close to 5' of snow for the season, with the potential of another 6" to a foot tonight, so us NE growers gotta stick together or we'll never unbury ourselves

Kinda had to cram the trays in, the greenhouse bars are 17.5" apart, and I got 19" trays - luckily foil is flexible! Thanks for the tip, it was much easier to glug some water in there and let it go, particularly since this last watering included some cal-mag and silica blast. Need to find some liquid NPK ferts for now, before I get it outdoors.

I was only planning on saving the seeds from a couple plants this year, but I am going to have to step that up and save a lot more, partially to save money on seeds, partially to trade and/or give away to feed my habit

Hopefully the long-grow varieties can make it. I'm sure with the variety of peppers I have, I'll be pulling pods of one type or another the whole summer long!

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks again! I'm asking around with my friends to see if anyone wants some pepper plants, I was planning on axing some seedlings, but didn't have the heart If not, well, guess I'll have a ton of peppers. I PROBABLY don't need a dozen different super hots...it's amazing how your grow list changes. My original plan was for 4 super hots, some habs, japs, paprika, cayenne and fresno. Maybe a dozen plants in all. Then I found THP and was all OHH I WANT THAT ONE, and OH, LOOK AT THAT, and kept buying more seeds from a stack of different vendors, who sent me free seeds and added to my grow even more...it's not my fault, I tell ya!

THP should start a 12 Step subforum. Of course, that would be like putting an AA meeting room in a liquor store, so maybe not.

 

[stickman]

Well, I think we're at close to 5' of snow for the season, with the potential of another 6" to a foot tonight, so us NE growers gotta stick together or we'll never unbury ourselves

True, that...

If you decide to grow ornamentals next year, I'll have seeds for Aji Omnicolor, Chinese 5-Color and Peruvian Purple.

 

[SeanW]

THP should start a 12 Step subforum. Of course, that would be like putting an AA meeting room in a liquor store, so maybe not.

Step 1. Register for THP
Step 2. Look at all the pepper sources and new peppers
Step 3. Buy them all
wait...what were we supporting, here?

True, that...

If you decide to grow ornamentals next year, I'll have seeds for Aji Omnicolor, Chinese 5-Color and Peruvian Purple.

I'm growing chilly chile, an ornamental, this year, I might add a few next year. Will have to look into a seed swap later this season If there's anything you're interested in, I'll make sure I keep seeds from it.

 

[SeanW]

Gonna have to do a test of my peppers, once I get them. Gotta figure out which ones have the slow heat, which have the immediate heat, which have the long, lingering pain...

They do a chili competition at my office. I only started a few months ago, so I missed it this year, but got to taste it. They were okay. My chili is better...of course I have to decide if, next year, when the competition comes around again, if I want to try and win, or if I just want to firebomb people for giggles. "What, I only used ONE pepper in the whole batch, what's wrong?" Actually, what I'd love to go for is "It's so hot, I can't stand it, but so good, I can't stop eating it." May have to start making chili now, to refine my technique

 

[stickman]

I'm growing chilly chile, an ornamental, this year, I might add a few next year. Will have to look into a seed swap later this season If there's anything you're interested in, I'll make sure I keep seeds from it.

Thanks for the offer Sean. I think I have the itch scratched for now but it's hard to say what it'll feel like in 9 months or so...

Actually, what I'd love to go for is "It's so hot, I can't stand it, but so good, I can't stop eating it." May have to start making chili now, to refine my technique

Yeah, I get that a lot! Lol, and a good strategy! I'm still working on the ultimate chili blend.

 

[SeanW]

Thanks for the offer Sean. I think I have the itch scratched for now but it's hard to say what it'll feel like in 9 months or so...


Yeah, I get that a lot! Lol, and a good strategy! I'm still working on the ultimate chili blend.

Unsure what it says that we're already planning next year and this year isn't even outside, yet!

In non-pepper land, broccoli grows fast! Two days and nights and I already have a pile of little guys going

 

[stc3248]

There are several on your list that would put your chili over the freaking top...Primos, Bhuts, Douglah, Butch T...even the Red Savina...Of those Bhuts or Primos would be on point for both the flavor and pain in my book. Good luck! I've won a few and usually make a couple entries...one to win and one as a sideshow.

 

[SeanW]

The question is - bring pods in beforehand to watch people eat them, and give them warning as to what I mean by "no, seriously, really freaking hot" or just let them suffer without warning. Probably some warning... Don't want to kill anyone

 

[stickman]

I'd tell 'em ahead of time... gotta keep the Lawyers happy... If they insist, give 'em what they say they want.

Quick question Sean... What does the FDA stand for in FDA Scotch Bonnet pepper? Is it Foodarama?

 

[SeanW]

I'd tell 'em ahead of time... gotta keep the Lawyers happy... If they insist, give 'em what they say they want.

Quick question Sean... What does the FDA stand for in FDA Scotch Bonnet pepper? Is it Foodarama?

Unsure, I haven't seen that used with the peppers, before. I got that one from pepperjoe, who just called it "Scotch Bonnet"

Starting to see a potential for some hooks on my latest round of peppers, but I have 100% germination on each of the 60 broccoli seeds I planted, and each of the 10 san marzanos...a bit better than I was expecting, gonna have to kill some!

 

[SeanW]

It's continuing to look a lot like christmas...that foot of snow we got Tuesday is still kicking around. I need to get ferts into my lawn so that I can start putting down nematodes...maaajor grub issue, here.


Hooks on a handful of my annuums, unsure which ones, gotta take a closer look. My popsicle sticks are absorbing water, making the names hard to read...

 

[stc3248]

Yeah...I abandoned the Popsicle sticks for that reason last season. As for the warning or not question...if it's in the chili, you could just name it something like..."Sean's Flaming Hot Death Chili" and I think they'd get the point before they shoveled some in their face???

 

[SacFly]

Hi,
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your log. Let's hope warmer weather gets here soon. Best of luck with your grow!

 

[SeanW]

Yeah...I abandoned the Popsicle sticks for that reason last season. As for the warning or not question...if it's in the chili, you could just name it something like..."Sean's Flaming Hot Death Chili" and I think they'd get the point before they shoveled some in their face???

I need to make a map before I completely lose track of things. Luckily I made that list, or I'd never know. I might switch to plastic knives. I didn't have an issue with the popsicle sticks when I used them in solo cups with dirt, but sitting pretty much directly in the water in the rapid rooter tray was not a good idea.

I'll just call the chili "burns twice"

Hi,
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your log. Let's hope warmer weather gets here soon. Best of luck with your grow!

Thanks I actually really enjoy Winter, but my plants don't, so it'll be nice to get stuff outside.

My grow-bags from discount hydro are starting to arrive, 3 and 5 gallon, with a few random 10 gallons that I may or may not use.

Annoyingly, a bare root rose I ordered from Gurney's just arrived (literally as I was typing this). No idea what I'm going to do with it until I can put it outside, usually they don't ship until later in the season

 

[SeanW]

Last of my grow bags have arrived, so I'm all set there.

Plants are looking a little yellow, I haven't actually fed them anything real, but I have some liquid fish fert due in today. However, the yellow may be from overwatering, so I'm torn about whether or not to feed them when the stuff arrives, or to let them dry out some, first.

Shot of the little yellow guys:

I think I also need to rearrange my trays, the plants on the edge aren't getting as much light as the guys purpling up in the center.

Can't wait for the snow to clear and temps to come up so I can get these guys outdoors...

Hoping to give a couple plants to some friends this weekend, which will free up the space I need to get the annuums into cups.

I may also rearrange my seedling trays, got some that are popping profusely, others that are just sitting there. I want to get the lid off the ones that are growing, and keep the lid on the ones that are still waiting to pop.

 

[stickman]

I hear ya bro... I'm still waiting for some of the Annuums to pop here too. Guajillos and Big Jim Anaheims popped right up, and a couple Holy Mole' and a Vesena... the rest are still languishing... Even if no more pop, I've got enough for a good grow this year with what did.Time marches on... I started Eggplant this past weekend, and will start Tomatoes this Saturday. Early greens are all sprouted, and I already thinned the Claytonia.