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Siv's fourth time around...

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

I thought it's about time I started this season. It's been an uncharacteristically sustained period of below freezing temps at night over the last month which has definitely killed all chilli plants that I grew last year. When it warms up a little, I will have to go out and clean everything up in preparation for this year.

So this time I thought I'd be extra lazy and bought these 100 seed rockwool trays rather than the 1"cubes I usually use. Two lots in a 1020 tray gives me 200 seeds with the hope of getting 30 or so plants. It's sitting on the heating mat set to 85F with the dome on and no lights for the moment. The plan is to fish them out once they pop and go straight to net pots or soil (assuming the weather behaves).

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As a reaction to last years lack of super hots, I have gone Chinense heavy this year.

From left to right, the first lot of seeds are from WHP:
  • Nagabrain Chocolate (new)
  • Big Yellow Mama (new)
  • Orange Ribbon (a favourite from 2020 but not grown last year)
  • Super Bhut (new)
  • Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion (new)
  • White Habanero (new)
  • Death Spiral (new)
  • Bombay Morich Orange (new)
  • Yellow Reaper (new)
  • Andy's King BOC (new)
The second lot are mainly from Texas Hot Peppers and others
  • Peri Peri (THP - grown other seed sources before but not this one)
  • Kandy Sri Lanka (THP - new)
  • Orange Ghost (WHP - new)
  • Thunder Mountain Longhorn (THP - new)
  • African Bird (THP - new orange peri peri type)
  • Galapagos Habanero (seed train from a few years ago - new)
  • King Naga (THP - new)
  • Numex Sandia (THP bonus seed - new)
  • Solid Gold (saved seed from 2020)
  • Fatalii (saved seed from 2020)
10 seeds of each variety other than Kandy where there were only 7 in the pack. Let's see how this works. Given my long growing season, if this is an abject failure then I'll go back to more tried and tested starting procedures in March.
 
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I ran out yesterday and plucked whatever I could manage. The weeds have buried the plant labels so I have no idea what these are now... I think the yellow ones are Big Yellow Mama. The red on the right look like red fataliis but I planted yellow - maybe they are Super Bhut?

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These have me at a loss. I really have no idea what these are supposed to be as they don't match any of the varieties I started. I have blended these up with some vinegar - they're quite hot.

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These are beautiful - I'm pretty sure they are Bombay Morich Orange.

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Nice pickins Siv. Looks like "fire in the hole" is in your future. :)
 
Some peppers still on the plants... Peri peri; looking forward to these!

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Lots more of these curly ones, some still to ripen:

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And more Morich - lots of green ones here too.

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And finally I have no idea what these are. They start green, go brown then red. Just by looking you would expect them to be bishop's crown or something like that but I didn't plant any of those!

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I'm highly confused by these peppers... Some have gone green to brown and others green to yellow. Who knows where the red ones came from as they were the first ones I saw. I naturally assumed there were at least two different plants but there's only one and all the peppers you see in the photo are from the same plant. It's also the tallest and most productive of all my plants this year - a typical trait of a newly formed hybrid.

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In other news, my dehydrator catastrophically failed and melted 3 or 4 trays on it's way out. Another one is on order and hopefully arriving today so I can get these guys drying again.

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In other news, my dehydrator catastrophically failed and melted 3 or 4 trays on it's way out. Another one is on order and hopefully arriving today so I can get these guys drying again.
I have burned through three NESCOs in the
past eleven seasons. Finally broke down and
bought a heavier duty model. Would have spent
less in the long run if I had done so originally. The
thermostats are definitely the weak link. I have
heard/red that NESCO will replace them if you
send a pic and cut the cord on the old one. I would
pay a few more dollars for one with a heavier duty
thermostat.
 
I have burned through three NESCOs in the
past eleven seasons. Finally broke down and
bought a heavier duty model. Would have spent
less in the long run if I had done so originally. The
thermostats are definitely the weak link. I have
heard/red that NESCO will replace them if you
send a pic and cut the cord on the old one. I would
pay a few more dollars for one with a heavier duty
thermostat.
I guess this is about par then - it was 3 years old. I've already bought a replacement NESCO that's a bit larger but what do you suggest for a better version?
 
I guess this is about par then - it was 3 years old. I've already bought a replacement NESCO that's a bit larger but what do you suggest for a better version?
@Siv -

After checking three different rating sites, each with a
different top pick ๐Ÿคจ I chose this one. Lots of nice features,
notably temp adjustment by one degree increments, and timer
up to 48 hours. Six 12x13 inch screens. I bought silicon mesh
sheets to accommodate the small berries from the wild varieties.
I especially like the stainless steel construction. This was the
middle price of the top three picks.

Cosori dehydrator.
 
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Well I guess 2022 has come to a close with regards to chillies. My wierd multi colour pods have all turned red:

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The peri peri have ripened up nicely:
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So everything was pulled off the plants:
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Some sad looking pods that should have been pulled off earlier but a reasonable no effort haul. Next year I will have to make sure I do more to protect the beds from weeds. I'll also be out again for 2 months during summer so shouldn't make the same mistake twice!

Time to start making sauces!
 
Hey, @Siv, You closed out the 2022 grow season
in great form. Kudos for a nice season in Tejas! The
red pods on the plant in the first pic above would
have made a great Christmas tree! I don't remember
what all you were growing, but looks like mostly super
hots. Last pic is a nice money shot!
 
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