SKULLBIKERS Fun with peppers in 2021 GLOG

And so it begins, another year of growing some peppers. This will be a sort of continuation of last year
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/73129-skullbikers-roaring-into-the-twenties-glog/page-1
 
as several of those plants are still going(and many got whacked and ended up on the burn pile). 
 
Anyway, I have 3 trays of peppers sown and many have germinated already(mostly annums). I wanted to compare several different jalapeños for taste in real time. This tray is all jalapeños, ten types from 7 different vendors. The seeds in block 3 are from 2014.
 

 
Another tray with annums at each end and mostly rocotos in the middle(and they're taking their sweet time).
 

 
 

 

[skullbiker]

This is one of the plants that got somewhat annihilated by something last fall. I had moved it off to a corner of the yard and pretty well ignored it other than an occasional shot of water. A couple of weeks ago I gave it a good dose of the juice and bingo, we got flowers! (although the dead side of the plant is still quite dead)
 
The bad side.
 

 
The good side.
 

 

[PaulG]

What variety of Rocoto(?) is it?

 

[skullbiker]

What variety of Rocoto(?) is it?

 
I honestly have no idea. The tag probably got pulled when It looked like it was pretty well dead last fall. I would probably guess Rocoto San Isidro judging by the size of the plant but until I see a mature pod I won't know. ‍

 

[skullbiker]

I picked a bunch of jalapenos yesterday. I used half a dozen of them in my fresh batch of fried cabbage and the rest got loaded up for the evening meal.
 
Mucho Nacho
 

 
Paquime Hybrid
 

 
Emerald Fire
 

 
Biker Billy
 

 
You can see them get used here   http://thehotpepper.com/topic/74545-skullbikers-2021-flog/page-2   as soon as I get it posted up.

 

[PaulG]

I like seeing the comparison of the different types.
Those Paquime Hybrids are monsters.

 

[PtMD989]

I grew SRP last year and it was awesome tasting. I’m not sure if my taste buds are messed up, but the ripe pods tasted like green apples. [emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[skullbiker]

I grew SRP last year and it was awesome tasting. I’m not sure if my taste buds are messed up, but the ripe pods tasted like green apples. [emoji848]

 
I should find out in a while how these taste. They seem to take very long to go from green to ripe.

 

[skullbiker]

Found this bee hanging out on one of my Zapotec plants. VERY large compared to the local honey bees. The Florida bee people say it is a QUEEN YELLOW JACKET, probably a new one preparing to start a new nest.
 

 

[skullbiker]

Back to peppers. A few update pics of various peppers.
 
Scarletts Chili X Poblano F2 pods just turning red. I'm anxious to see how these will be.
 

 
A couple shots of Antep Aci Dolma pods, they're getting bigger.
 

 

 
A Stuff Enuff Hybrid bell pepper. I have been growing these for years and they never disappoint. 
 

 
Suhuaro Big Chili, living up to it's name.
 

 

[ahayastani]

Bees, wasps, ... all useful insects, but you don't want their nests in your house
 
"Big" seems to be the adjective that currently fits best your garden

 

[dragonsfire]

With the lack of Bees the Wasps are even more essential. 

 

[Indiana_Jesse]

Ah yes, a queen Southern Yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa). Great insects to have patrolling our gardens...it's too bad they are so defensive of their nests otherwise they would be celebrated for how beneficial they are. Also, they are quite a nuisance when they scavenge for protein (for the larvae), and sugary stuff (for the adults) instead of sticking to hunting other insects (their main source of food for the larvae).
 
An interesting fact about this species is that where their range overlaps with the Eastern Yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons), the large queens will usurp the already established (but still small) colonies of the Eastern Yellowjacket by killing their smaller queen. She then starts laying eggs which the remaining Eastern YJ workers rear to adulthood and eventually it becomes a Southern YJ nest with only Southern YJ workers as the Eastern YJ workers eventually die off of natural causes (worker YJs only live 2-4 weeks as adults).

 

[DontPanic]

For shits and grins, I'm gonna give seed sprout tea a try.
 

 

[skullbiker]

For shits and grins, I'm gonna give seed sprout tea a try.
 

Alright! What have you got to lose. Some may say it's bunk, others may swear by it. There's only one way to know for sure.

 

[skullbiker]

Moving containers around yesterday, as usual a few unwanted dwellers underneath.
Two big fat grubs and three slugs.
 

 

[skullbiker]

Gelbe Riesen Giant Yellow Rocoto, seeds planted last week of December, pods poppin' out now.
 

 
A few pics of a cross of some sort.
 

 

 

 
Rocoto Pisac Amarillo, seeds planted Feb. 1, flowering now.
 

 

 
 

 

[Siv]

Moving containers around yesterday, as usual a few unwanted dwellers underneath.
Two big fat grubs and three slugs.
 

1A408F25-73B7-445E-860A-F2136BBD9556.jpeg

 
I found a whole bunch of those white grubs when I was emptying some of my grow bags. Initially I was shocked and just fished them out and dropped them on the ground thinking that the birds would get them.
 
Then I did some googling to see what they were and they turned out to be cicada nymphs. I felt a bit bad as what I read suggested they feed on trees, not smaller plants and are broadly beneficial. A few days ago I found more in another bag and I just left them in the grow bed where I put the soil.
 
The slugs, however...

 

[skullbiker]

I pulled the first ripe pod off of one of the Scarlett's Chili X Poblano F2 plants. It has some heat, a bit more than a somewhat mild jalapeno. The flavor seemed good to me and fairly juicy for a thin walled pod. I'll have to see if pods later on change much. I think these would definitely be good loaded/stuffed.
 

 

 
I may plant a couple of the seeds and see what F3 brings before winter.

 

[skullbiker]

 
I found a whole bunch of those white grubs when I was emptying some of my grow bags. Initially I was shocked and just fished them out and dropped them on the ground thinking that the birds would get them.
 
Then I did some googling to see what they were and they turned out to be cicada nymphs. I felt a bit bad as what I read suggested they feed on trees, not smaller plants and are broadly beneficial. A few days ago I found more in another bag and I just left them in the grow bed where I put the soil.
 
The slugs, however...

 
The grubs we have turn into beetles. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/white-grubs.html
Besides damaging the lawn areas, the armadillos root for them as a source of food, usually leaving many fairly large holes in the lawn.

 

[Siv]

 
The grubs we have turn into beetles. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/white-grubs.html
Besides damaging the lawn areas, the armadillos root for them as a source of food, usually leaving many fairly large holes in the lawn.

 
You're right - the ones I found must be June Bug nymphs, not cicadas. Now I wish I had dealt with them...