stc3248's 2014 small wild grow

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! 

 

[Nulle]

Well those furry kids can fill my monitor anytime

 

[Devv]

81 days, wow!
 
I had one pop in my pile of discards, don't know what it is but it had to be sitting there 2-3 months. It came up 30 days after the Chuncho's and has passed them up already.
 
Love the pet pics! I see Lacy scored Kitty thinks she owns the place...don't they all.

 

[Spicegeist]

San Diego has a perfect climate to grow anything...minus the water. If I continue to water that plant I am certain it will keep on keepin on...
 
 
Hey Charles!!! The Galapas are the most finicky so far about the move outside...but the first one has finally started to move after dropping a few leaves. Hope the second one takes off right away! That crack pepper is a trip. I have had hundreds of volunteers so far this season...scrapped most, but I think that one deserves a shot!
 
 

 
I do envy the great plant environment...  I remember how massive the eucalyptus trees get there.
 
Volunteers are still exotic for me since we do experience some serious frost from time to time here, we made it to negative Fahrenheit this past winter.

 

[Svetlana]

Hi Shane, 
 
I like pics of Jewels & Porter !
 
Capsicum tovari rewarded your patience !      
 

The variegation wasn't great on most of them...but its there. I almost bought one, but was able to resist.

 
Often, Fish pepper has a beautiful variegated foliage when it is larger. 
if you want some, I have seeds from protected fruit.  
You can sow several and select plants with the most beautiful foliage. 
 

 

 

 
 
 
If you like variegated foliage i can also send you the little Puprple flash  :
 

 

 
 
 
And Variegata ( = Trifetti)
 

 

[Vegas_Chili]

Wow, nice to see all or most of the ladies outside in the ground.
I like the way yours thicken out, mine last year did the same but I had a fan on them. This year no... No fan and most look thin and some look ok.

Congrats on the Tovarii, 81 days is quite a bit of time Lol. Patience rewards . I want to give that one a try next year if I can, but I need to move out to a bigger place.

The mother in law just rented a house very close by and I went to check it out yesterday and I automatically invited myself. seems ok to plant a few there and sun exposure is so good, so let's see what happens.
You're a master grower whether in pots, in ground, bonchi. You master everything, keep it green and can't wait to see those flowers .

-Walt

 

[stc3248]

Well those furry kids can fill my monitor anytime

Haha...thanks. They do make for fun pictures. I am having a hard time finding things to throw on here since I don't have as many plants as I normally do...so they make it in as fillers.
 
 

81 days, wow!
 
I had one pop in my pile of discards, don't know what it is but it had to be sitting there 2-3 months. It came up 30 days after the Chuncho's and has passed them up already.
 
Love the pet pics! I see Lacy scored Kitty thinks she owns the place...don't they all.

Yup...almost three months in the germ tray??? I think no matter how hard we try to simulate their perfect environment, there is no substitute for mother nature. I think once I shut the lights down and place the germ tray on the back porch many more will pop. I had one pellet pop in the compost pile last year...to add to that ones mystery, it didn't resemble anything I started??? Was a nice surprise though and put out hundreds of really nice yellow pods. I saved some seeds...but it will always be a mystery.
 
Both dogs and both cats think this is their house and we're the guests...and they're just about right. I haven't shown any pics of our other cat...her name is Chicken, which is a long story...maybe I will tell that tale one of these days.
 
 

 
I do envy the great plant environment...  I remember how massive the eucalyptus trees get there.
 
Volunteers are still exotic for me since we do experience some serious frost from time to time here, we made it to negative Fahrenheit this past winter.

Yeah...in typical cali fashion folks planted those damn trees here and now they're considered a nuisance invasive species. Huge and everywhere. They shed their bark and make a big mess and choke out the native species. Seems as though everyone but us out to the far west really got hammered this winter even down in Tx and Fl. Crazy winter...but ours stayed about 10 degrees warmer than normal with the lows. We usually get quite a few hard freezes...none this year. 
 
 

 
Hi Shane, 
 
I like pics of Jewels & Porter !
 
Capsicum tovari rewarded your patience !      
 

 
Often, Fish pepper has a beautiful variegated foliage when it is larger. 
if you want some, I have seeds from protected fruit.  
You can sow several and select plants with the most beautiful foliage. 
 

 

 

 
 
 
If you like variegated foliage i can also send you the little Puprple flash  :
 

 

 
 
 
And Variegata ( = Trifetti)
 

 

Very generous offer which I may take you up on!!! I am fairly certain I have seeds for both Fish and Variegata but they're a couple years old.  I am in the military and still have no idea where I will be headed this time next year. Once I figure that out we can work something out! I do have a fair number of seeds myself and would gladly gift you some in return. Thanks again for the offer!
 
 

Wow, nice to see all or most of the ladies outside in the ground.
I like the way yours thicken out, mine last year did the same but I had a fan on them. This year no... No fan and most look thin and some look ok.

Congrats on the Tovarii, 81 days is quite a bit of time Lol. Patience rewards . I want to give that one a try next year if I can, but I need to move out to a bigger place.

The mother in law just rented a house very close by and I went to check it out yesterday and I automatically invited myself. seems ok to plant a few there and sun exposure is so good, so let's see what happens.
You're a master grower whether in pots, in ground, bonchi. You master everything, keep it green and can't wait to see those flowers .

-Walt

Thanks Walt! Those Tovarii sure did test my patience! You will be glad to know that she took her hat off and stood upright. Coty's are spred to their first taste of light. Looking good thus far! Fingers still crossed I don't do something to screw it up. Would be nice to have relatives close by for some extra room. Hope she likes it spicy!
 
Well, leave is over...got a ton done, but most not in the garden. Cleaned the garage, bought new furniture and got it assembled and in place, moved the old stuff to the game room, made a dump run and dropped a bunch of stuff off at the Salvation Army. I did get some weeding done and put the tomatillo and tomato plants in the ground along with the wilds I showed a couple days ago. I did have a funny thing happen the other day though. My son had three friends over, all 12-13 years old and I was making them some hot dogs and leftover pizza for lunch. I had some fresh cut turnip greens on the stove for dinner later that evening...when they came in one of the boys asked what I was cooking...I told him, and he responded with "I LOVE GREENS!" another boy yelled out "TURNIP GREENS?" I said yeah...and they proceeded to eat the entire pot full! I had to break out a bag I had frozen to put on for dinner...lol. Was glad to do it, was so great to see them all chowing down on something that was actually good for them!
 
Hope everyone's weekend was as killer as mine!
Shane

 

[PaulG]

Hey, Shane, just wanted you to see how some of the seed you sent has turned out.  
Here are the c. galapagoense, c. chacoense var. exile,  and Charapita.  All these from the aerogarden.
Unfortunately the char got sunburned yesterday, and lost some leaves, but still looks good:

 
Here's the Wild Brazil.  Funny enough, Jason sent me some
WB seed later, but I'll grow it next year:

 
Hope you are having a good time back in the saddle.  
Vacations are way too short.

 

[Penny]

Awww, the critters are sooooo cute, and great updates too!

 

[gnslngr]

S'up Chief,
Those Fish Pepper plants are purty good lookin critters, excellent variegation.Where there's a will, there's a way-where ever we grow em, "peppers on the run" make for much needed distraction most of the time...even if they are infested with fungus gnats.Hopefully those asses get kicked today-in fact , I gotta get off here and transplant em to cups right now...one more beer and that won't happen!
 
Have a good one-
DJ

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Great updates Shane! Can't wait to see everything podded up. Toss in a couple of those fish peppers and purple flashes and you'll have quite the capsicum wonderland.

 

[Devv]

I'm hoping your in paradise, and not working too much

 

[WalkGood]

Closing out last años glog with a great season & harvest I expected no less with dis years glog, epic mon, glad I read up = )  Now killa powder shots again, smexy hooks, Bonchi galore, Kauai to boot … ya lined up for anunda epic season brethren … Sombrero’s off  \o_

 

[Portuge]

Excellent pics throughout your glog Shane, amazing list of wilds you got growing...

 

[stc3248]

Sorry folks...been UA lately. Got some work stuff going on that has me on lock down pretty tight. Maybe an update soon. Good news is I got my next set of orders inbound. EOD Mobile Unit 1 out of San Diego. Will spend more time away than home once there, but at least the kids can keep their roots planted for three more years. 

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

Looking nice. Heat wave here the next few daya plus Santa Ana winds. Pods galore in your future

 

[stickman]

Sorry folks...been UA lately. Got some work stuff going on that has me on lock down pretty tight. Maybe an update soon. Good news is I got my next set of orders inbound. EOD Mobile Unit 1 out of San Diego. Will spend more time away than home once there, but at least the kids can keep their roots planted for three more years. 

 
Is that ship duty or are you on call Chief? Good luck with that... I'll bet your wife likes that it doesn't involve a move. Cheers!

 

[PaulG]

Welcome back, Shane  
 
Cool that your family gets to stay in place for three more years.
 
We're having some SoCal weather - three or four days in a row
with high 70's to mid 80's, then it will be back to more normal
weather here - highs in 60s lows in 40's.

 

[JJJessee]

+1 on the not moving part. Soak up those SoCal rays a few more years.
It is kind of odd that a wild seed put in a nice well-watered, well-lit, abode would still choose to behave wildly
 
 
Sorta like people I guess.

 

[annie57]

"Wild man" Shane! Glad you're getting to hang out there!!! (Vicinity.) Heck no! Just couldn't pull that one "on crack" (good one, Jason). Nice to think the Chunchos will outgrow that weird leaf curl. Sweet tater slips, kids eating greens, furry shots? Cool!
 
You can make it happen in ground or pots, Shane! Superb patience does pay! Trip J: we create peppers in our image

 

[maximumcapsicum]

Glad to hear you'll be sticking around Shane!