Well...after much debate between mama and I, WE (she) have come to the conclusion that I may have grown a few too many plants the past few seasons??? 
2012 I grew out about 70 plants not including the huge number of ornamental peppers which about doubled that number. I didn't regularly harvest the ornamental plants so I ain't counting those...and in spite of some virus issues I was able to put together an epic season. So epic in fact that I had to purchase a chest freezer to store all the excess pods for future processing.
Here is one 2012 pull...I had numbers like this EVERY weekend! My season started (too) early and lasted until Christmas that year. I finally finished processing them just before I started pulling pods from my 2013 plants...
2013 was a "smaller" grow and in spite of my best efforts to keep the target of 20 keepers I promised the wife...I still ended up with over 50 plants. The "problem" in 2013 was...I really had no problems. My plants stayed healthy which meant...even more and bigger pulls...
A 2013 pull...
and another...
The hits once again kept on coming. Every weekend...thousands of pods. Which is a great freaking problem to have, but not according to mama.
So this year is gonna be a real deal small grow. I have talked her into letting me grow out 5 plants all of which are awesome wilds that I am super excited about. All 5 varieties are from John (Pr0digal_son) I have so many cool varieties left in the seed bank, but they'll have to wait until I have more time to dedicate to my garden and family.
For the past two years I have been a "geobachelor" which is a military term for folks that are stationed away from their families. I am only home on weekends...so dedicating so much of my few days home for the past two years to my grow has really been kinda selfish.
All that being said, I am still a grow addict...so I have talked her into allowing a few more "must have" varieties. So to my 5 wilds I will be adding a couple staple varieties...oh and wait, I am overwintering 7 plants...well really 11 but 4 are just ornamentals for Bonchi plants.
One overwinter is my growdown winner Birgit's Locoto...
Official measurement for the contest was just over 11' tall. Seeds started on Valentines Day and final measurement on Halloween...fun contest. Haven't seen a growdown posted for this season??? Keep your eyes peeled folks, tons of fun!!!
Here is the list for 2014...
Well not really a list as much as a photo...started 4 seeds each.
Soaked overnight...
Into peat pellets...
and set in the magic temp zone on the heat mat...
I verify temps using a meat thermometer and will monitor until It stays in the right temp area.
Temps slowly climbing for now...and there won't be much to report on for a while. These varieties are notorious for slow germination.
C. Tovarii 0/4
C. Exile Chacoense 0/4
C. Eximium 0/4
C. Galapagoense 0/4
Huge Rocopica 0/4
To those awesome varieties add the overwinters:
Birgits Locoto (3)
Romy Mystery Plant (2)
Pequin (1)
Goat's Weed (1)
Manzano (2) (still alive, but not attempting to overwinter...not gonna kill them on purpose though!!!)
I will also be sarting some Jals (Mucho Nacho) and Numex Big Jim's a bit later.
Here are links to my past two season's glogs...in case you're bored and have about a week to try to get through them both.
2012: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/27268-stc3248-just-another-grow-log-holiday-harvest/?hl=%20stc3248%20%202012
2013: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36599-stc3248-2013-grow-log-seasons-greetings-and-seasons-end/
It for now folks...welcome to 2014!!! I will update when I can and show my growroom and the progress of the rest of the overwinter plants...Thanks for looking in, there are a ton of glogs this year!
2012 I grew out about 70 plants not including the huge number of ornamental peppers which about doubled that number. I didn't regularly harvest the ornamental plants so I ain't counting those...and in spite of some virus issues I was able to put together an epic season. So epic in fact that I had to purchase a chest freezer to store all the excess pods for future processing.
Here is one 2012 pull...I had numbers like this EVERY weekend! My season started (too) early and lasted until Christmas that year. I finally finished processing them just before I started pulling pods from my 2013 plants...
2013 was a "smaller" grow and in spite of my best efforts to keep the target of 20 keepers I promised the wife...I still ended up with over 50 plants. The "problem" in 2013 was...I really had no problems. My plants stayed healthy which meant...even more and bigger pulls...
A 2013 pull...
and another...
The hits once again kept on coming. Every weekend...thousands of pods. Which is a great freaking problem to have, but not according to mama.
So this year is gonna be a real deal small grow. I have talked her into letting me grow out 5 plants all of which are awesome wilds that I am super excited about. All 5 varieties are from John (Pr0digal_son) I have so many cool varieties left in the seed bank, but they'll have to wait until I have more time to dedicate to my garden and family.
For the past two years I have been a "geobachelor" which is a military term for folks that are stationed away from their families. I am only home on weekends...so dedicating so much of my few days home for the past two years to my grow has really been kinda selfish.
All that being said, I am still a grow addict...so I have talked her into allowing a few more "must have" varieties. So to my 5 wilds I will be adding a couple staple varieties...oh and wait, I am overwintering 7 plants...well really 11 but 4 are just ornamentals for Bonchi plants.
One overwinter is my growdown winner Birgit's Locoto...
Official measurement for the contest was just over 11' tall. Seeds started on Valentines Day and final measurement on Halloween...fun contest. Haven't seen a growdown posted for this season??? Keep your eyes peeled folks, tons of fun!!!
Here is the list for 2014...
Well not really a list as much as a photo...started 4 seeds each.
Soaked overnight...
Into peat pellets...
and set in the magic temp zone on the heat mat...
I verify temps using a meat thermometer and will monitor until It stays in the right temp area.
Temps slowly climbing for now...and there won't be much to report on for a while. These varieties are notorious for slow germination.
C. Tovarii 0/4
C. Exile Chacoense 0/4
C. Eximium 0/4
C. Galapagoense 0/4
Huge Rocopica 0/4
To those awesome varieties add the overwinters:
Birgits Locoto (3)
Romy Mystery Plant (2)
Pequin (1)
Goat's Weed (1)
Manzano (2) (still alive, but not attempting to overwinter...not gonna kill them on purpose though!!!)
I will also be sarting some Jals (Mucho Nacho) and Numex Big Jim's a bit later.
Here are links to my past two season's glogs...in case you're bored and have about a week to try to get through them both.
2012: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/27268-stc3248-just-another-grow-log-holiday-harvest/?hl=%20stc3248%20%202012
2013: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36599-stc3248-2013-grow-log-seasons-greetings-and-seasons-end/
It for now folks...welcome to 2014!!! I will update when I can and show my growroom and the progress of the rest of the overwinter plants...Thanks for looking in, there are a ton of glogs this year!
:
they are so hairy!!