Stefan_W's 2013 Pods A-Ripenin'! Glog

I am going to start the new glog for my upcoming growing season on a bit of a personal note. One year ago tomorrow (January 3rd) is the one year anniversary of the day that my daughter was diagnosed with a tumour that is lodged in the middle of her brain. The past year has involved treatments and hospital stays, and there were at least three different points when we were pretty sure she was not going to make it. But she is a fighter, and nothing could keep her down for long.

Sofia has personally planted every pepper and tomato seed that I have started in the past three growing seasons. She beat the odds last year to help me, and once again she is defying what medicine has to say to help me out this year.

We started a jalapeno plant about a week ago just for the sake of watching it grow, because we both love it so much. One of the jalapenos grew to the point that it had its firt couple of leaves, so we transplanted him into a bigger pot. While we were at it I decided to put in some aji lemondrops, partly because they take a long time to fruit up and I wanted to give them a huge head start.

This is the jalapeno plant. I pulled the second one out because we did not need it, and discovered that the roots had grown all of the way down to the bottom of the cell.

My daughter personally doing the transplant.

Her aim is better than mine, and so it turned out perfectly.

Next up was taking out the lemondrop seeds from peppermania.

I need a few extras of this type, so I asked Sofia to plant two seeds in each of the four cells. Two plants will be for us, and whatever else grows will be given away to good friends.

Two of the three tiers in my lighting stand are currently being used as toy shelves, which is cool for now. The lights are adjustable, and moved down to get close to the seedling.

The heating pad works extremely well, and once the cells are covered the top clouds up in no time.

A happy early jalapeno seedling in his new home. I thought I heard "feeeeeed meeeeee" coming from that direction, but I'm not sure.

That's it for today, folks! Welcome to my new glog

 

[DocNrock]

That Dixie Golden Giant sounds like an incredible tomato and plant!  Your Cherokee Brandywine looks great!  That plus some of those numerous Jals = some great salsa, I bet! 
 
Glad to see you got a Jonah to return home!  Any thoughts about talking to the guy who bought all those starts from you?  Replenish your home grow? 
 
In any event, it looks like you are still going to have a season!  Woo Hoo!

 

[cool98010]

Hope You Get Delicious Tomatoes And Peppers  

 

[Stefan_W]

Really glad things are on the upswing!

 
Yeah, I just hope things turned around in time. It is supposed to rain the next few days, but the overnight lows are better than the daytime highs have been for the past couple of months.

I never had any doubt
 
Stefan great looking maters on your Cherokee Brandywines, they look wonderful! Have a great weekend brethren!

 
You too! The brandywines are absolutely loading up now, and we are looking forward to having BLTs in a couple of weeks time. 

Very nice.  I just love tomatoes.  Cherokee purple is delicious.

 
I've heard so much about this variety over the past couple of years, and I can't wait to try it. If it is half as good as everyone says it will be a huge hit in my household.

 

[WalkGood]

... The brandywines are absolutely loading up now, and we are looking forward to having BLTs in a couple of weeks time. ...

 

[Stefan_W]

That Dixie Golden Giant sounds like an incredible tomato and plant!  Your Cherokee Brandywine looks great!  That plus some of those numerous Jals = some great salsa, I bet! 
 
Glad to see you got a Jonah to return home!  Any thoughts about talking to the guy who bought all those starts from you?  Replenish your home grow? 
 
In any event, it looks like you are still going to have a season!  Woo Hoo!

 
I will definitely be making salsa ASAP. After using up 20 bags or so of home made frozen salsa I made last year before the winter was even over, I decided that I was going to really load up properly this time around. 
 
The guy who bought most of my peppers is a farmer who makes his own hot sauces to sell, so I doubt any more will be coming back my way. And that is fine, because I can always grow more different varieties next year. To be honest, I had my doubts about loading up so heavily on superhots anyway so the cold snap ended up being a correction for me. 

Hope You Get Delicious Tomatoes And Peppers

 
I do too! The tomatoes and peppers are always delicious, so I'm not too worried

 
You said it, bro. 

 

[Stefan_W]

Ok, I am pleased to report that things have improved enough to do a real update!  At this point I know I will not get full production out of my plants, but it doesn't matter. I should have a sampling of great pods by the end of summer. It is nice to finally have a heat wave in these parts, and for the first time this year our overnight lows are above 16. I expect things to start rocking and rolling, so this is basically the start line.
 
My Bahamian Goat pepper is not doing as well as some of the others, but he is coming around. He is one of the only ones without flower stems peaking out.

 
The paprika is flowering up like crazy, and I have my first few tiny pods. I expect to get a full crop from these plants, which will be nice because I make it into powder that I use in almost everything.

 
The early jalapeno put out flowers just as the cold snap hit, and then it died back to a small sized stick. Now it is back at the point where it will be flowering any day now.

 
The Tobago Treasures are exploding! Stems all over the plants, and they are looking like they will be heavy producers.

 
I plucked a couple of pods off of this firecracker when I set it outside, and then it died back. The flowers and pods are coming back in force. I found this variety to be versatile and great in sauces.

 
The peach scotch bonnet is getting set to flower. Funny thing about all of these plants is when they died back the tops were wilted. Now that they are growing back they are all growing outwards.

 
The jonah, loving it back at home. It is a little water logged because we have only had 2 days without rain in the past 3 weeks, but it'll be fine.

 
Madame Jeanette, also getting set to flower. I'm really looking forward to tasting this one, and I'm glad that it looks like there will be enough time for the pods to ripen.

 
The overwintered Ghost pepper plant. The leaves have been growing from the bottom upwards, which makes it look kind of strange.

 
A closer look at the same Ghost pepper plant. This one has stems all over it, and it looks like it may be a monster producer. I just hope there is enough time for the pods to set and ripen.

 
A bump to continue the update would be appreciated
 
 

Ok, everyone must be in bed. That's where I should be too, so I'll continue the update tomorrow.

 

[PeriPeri]

Hey Stefan! It's been a while since I was online, so some hectic catching up. At last post you and jack frost had a tangle. But I see its Jack Frost 0 - Stefan & Sophia 1. Great guns my friend, you did well to bring those plants back from the ice age! And in my experience, when chillies do come back from a set back like this, they grow like fury. Nice to see them plants looking so good my friend. The Peach Scotch Bonnet is awesome - is it the Long? The Bahamian Goat peppers... wow, what awesome flavour in those! Your in for a treat Well done!

 

[stickman]

Hi Stefan,
   Wow, your grow has really bounced back after the "biblical" weather you had this spring! We started getting warm nights here just this weekend and it's made a huge difference already, so I hope they make it to you ASAP with the same effect! Cheers!

 

[Stefan_W]

Hey Stefan! It's been a while since I was online, so some hectic catching up. At last post you and jack frost had a tangle. But I see its Jack Frost 0 - Stefan & Sophia 1. Great guns my friend, you did well to bring those plants back from the ice age! And in my experience, when chillies do come back from a set back like this, they grow like fury. Nice to see them plants looking so good my friend. The Peach Scotch Bonnet is awesome - is it the Long? The Bahamian Goat peppers... wow, what awesome flavour in those! Your in for a treat Well done!

 
I'm hoping those varieties are good after all I went through to grow them this year!
 
Keep in touch, my friend.

Hi Stefan,
   Wow, your grow has really bounced back after the "biblical" weather you had this spring! We started getting warm nights here just this weekend and it's made a huge difference already, so I hope they make it to you ASAP with the same effect! Cheers!

 
The weather is still strange, but at least now it is a hot strange which will work way better. The bounce back is great so far!
I'll continue my update where I left off yesterday.
 
This is the aji lemondrop. He is huge now, all things considered. The thing I notice about him is that he does not seem to like all the rain we are getting. Still starting to form stems, and is about to flower up like crazy.

 
The overwintered tabasco doing well.

 
He has already started to flower a bit, and the first few pods are poking through.

 
The Butch-T is doing fantastic. He was one of the first to turn around, and is quickly becoming one of my favourite plants.

 
The Butch-T is also forming a lot of stems and is getting ready to flower up.

 
II have two Yellow 7 SR Gigantics on the go. They definitely were not looking all that gigantic a couple of weeks ago, but they are growing a bit faster than everything else so there is still hope.

 
Top view of that crazy jalapeno. He is flowering and budding like wildfire right now.

 
Opposite view, looking up at the jalapeno. Loads of flowers with mini pods in the middle.

 
The Mako is a bit behind, but all I really want is 4-5 pods to try at a minimum so I think I'm fine.

 
The supers all growing well, with the jalaleno at the end. Definitely a lot bigger than this time last week.

 
Ok, that is it for the pepper pics. 

 

[PIC 1]

Hey Stefan,
Your plants are exploding with new growth. The Bhut is lush.......plenty of time for a harvest.
I'm a big fan of tomatoes myself........I just happen to also like hot peppers......lol...Is the Purple Cherokee a cross with the Brandywine ?
 
By the way, did you receive an envelope way back when ?
 
Greg

 

[WalkGood]

Looking lush Mr. Green Thumbs, hehehe.
 
Way to go, I knew they're turn the corner and give you some pods this season ... great job mon!

 

[Stefan_W]

Hey Stefan,
Your plants are exploding with new growth. The Bhut is lush.......plenty of time for a harvest.
I'm a big fan of tomatoes myself........I just happen to also like hot peppers......lol...Is the Purple Cherokee a cross with the Brandywine ?
 
By the way, did you receive an envelope way back when ?
 
Greg

 
Hi Greg, I am a huge tomato fan! I don't post many pics of them here because it is a pepper forum, but the most exciting time of the summer is when we have our first garden fresh BLTs. I often refer to the Cherokee Purple as a Brandywine, but I am not positive that it is (I see it as both brandywine and beefsteak, and the vendor lists it as an heirloom and nothing else). This is the seed vendor I used:
http://www.rareseeds.com/cherokee-purple-tomato/?F_Keyword=cherokee%20purple
 
I don't recall you sending me anything. The only seeds I ever asked for and/or got from someone on here were from Denniz, who sent over a sample of biker billy jalaps. Are you mixing me up with another Stefan? I know there are several on this board, and we try to steer clear of each other to avoid confusion

Looking lush Mr. Green Thumbs, hehehe.
 
Way to go, I knew they're turn the corner and give you some pods this season ... great job mon!

 
Thanks! It sure looks like I will be enjoying some peppers this year after all. I had to admit I had my doubts.

 

[PaulG]

It was heartening to see that your and Sophia's hard work was not for naught.  
Your plants have come back strong - you gots dem skills, brother!  Hail is my
worst fear.  We don't get much here, and it's usually small - 1/4" (.6cm) give
or take, but stuff happens and I worry anyway whenever there are T-storms in
the forecast.  It's usually a late summer thing here, although we can get some
spring hail once in a while.  Anyway, happy to see that you have your grow back
on an even keel.  I agree that too much sun is a better problem than too much
hail/frost!

 

[Devv]

Don't know how missed it...wonderful update Mr. Green hands!
 
I just know everything would kick in for you...good great deal!

 

[Peptacular]

Glad to see everything doing well after a rough spring. Those overwintered plants look healthy as all get out! Even if the weird shape of the ghost made me chuckle a bit.

 

[Stefan_W]

It was heartening to see that your and Sophia's hard work was not for naught.  
Your plants have come back strong - you gots dem skills, brother!  Hail is my
worst fear.  We don't get much here, and it's usually small - 1/4" (.6cm) give
or take, but stuff happens and I worry anyway whenever there are T-storms in
the forecast.  It's usually a late summer thing here, although we can get some
spring hail once in a while.  Anyway, happy to see that you have your grow back
on an even keel.  I agree that too much sun is a better problem than too much
hail/frost!

 
I hear you with the hail. We get a big hail storm every spring here, and without fail it happens within the week after putting my plants outside. I was really fearful of it at first, but because it happens so early the damage to my plants is pretty minimal and they just grow everything back in a short amount of time. I think the late summer storms you get are probably much worse for the plants. 
 
Thanks for stopping in, Paul!

Don't know how missed it...wonderful update Mr. Green hands!
 
I just know everything would kick in for you...good great deal!

 
Thanks! It is really quite amazing how fast things are turning around. I went outside this evening and I swear the gigantic yellow 7s grew a couple of inches. I am thankful that things turned around in time for me to get a harvest from most of the plants.

Glad to see everything doing well after a rough spring. Those overwintered plants look healthy as all get out! Even if the weird shape of the ghost made me chuckle a bit.

 
Yeah, the ghost is a bit weird. When I cut it back I saved the main stem, and I realized pretty fast that it sort of grew around the other stems and had developed a bit of a corkscrew shape to it. No biggie for me though, because I like things that are odd and unique. That's why I hang around here with you fine folks

 

[Stefan_W]

I just have a short update today. We are at the end of the first 2.5 day stretch without rain since the snow melted, and the forecast is calling for thunderstorms and heavy rain for the next 5 days. At least the plants had a chance to dry out a little before we kick right back in to the rain cycle. The temps are outstanding for pepper growing right now, and all of the plants are responding really well and growing like weeds.
 
These are the twin yellow 7 SR gigantics. To give a sense of scale the pots are quite large, and the plants are booming. The stems impress me, and they are already among the largest of any pepper plant I have ever grown.

 
The Butch-T. 

 
The aji lemondrop in the largest pot I own. I can't believe how bushy this plant has become. I'm not sure if this is a trait, or if it is because the top froze off in the spring. Either way, I'm happy with it and the plant is starting to put out flowers.

 
Ghost pepper starting to flower. The bottom half of the plant, below this shot, is a wall of green leaves.

 
The tabasco is starting to flower. The number of stems on this plant is insane, and if the majority flower it will be quite the pepper haul at the end. These are my favourite to use, so I'm pretty happy with it.

 
The rain started to spit down so I cut picture taking short, so I'll post another update once the rains end.
 
Thanks for looking

 

[DocNrock]

Wow, Stefan, your last two updates when viewed together really put your grow into perspective.  I'm really glad to see that they are not just bouncing back, but bouncing back with a vengeance.  Looks like you indeed will have pods for the season.  Most excellent.

 

[GnomeGrown]

Looking good Stefan.
 

 

[Stefan_W]

Wow, Stefan, your last two updates when viewed together really put your grow into perspective.  I'm really glad to see that they are not just bouncing back, but bouncing back with a vengeance.  Looks like you indeed will have pods for the season.  Most excellent.

 
I swear I see a difference in the size of the plants every day now. The growing conditions are ideal at the moment, so it is catch up time. Thank you for stopping by!

Looking good Stefan.
 

 
Thanks! I am crossing my fingers that there is enough time left to get some good pod productions happening. Thanks for stopping by!