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

 

[Stefan_W]

Good looking beercan chicken and pod porn Stefan! This hot weather should kick your chiles into overdrive if you make sure they get enough water. Your Ajis look like mine... all sprawling outward more than up, and loaded with pods.   Cheers!

 
Yep, sprawl is exactly how I would describe the lemondrops. Talk about huge producers too. Cheers!

You've got a really nice grow going on, and I have my fingers crossed for a major pull before the frost!
 
Do you have a green house?
 
As far north as you are you deserve one!

 
I would love to have a greenhouse, but there is no room in the yard. My backyard is actually pretty small, so I invent ways of maximizing garden space. I'll have to make a video one of these days to show you what I mean.

 
Seriously amazing grow for how north you are - i am very jealous and also wonder if you're using a green house. Hope you enjoy the results of your hard work

 
Thanks, and thank you for stopping in! I had a very rough start so my plants are about a month behind where they usually are, and I've grown some pretty long season stuff in past years. I used to live in Winnipeg, and superhots were out of the question with the growing season there. Here in Ottawa the summers are pretty good, even though they are still on the short side for pepper growing. But a bit of TLC and healthy doses of compost tea, and it all always works out in the end. Cheers!

 

[Stefan_W]

Here is a mini update to show how things are going. We had a massive storm pass through here on Friday which caused some damage to my garden, but the pepper plants made out fine.
 
Peach scotch bonnet. These little guys are great because I can see them from my back window, which makes me happy.

 
The prodigal jonah is starting to flower, but is it too late?

 
The second year ghost pepper plant has pods all up and down the entire plant. It looks like a major harvest will be coming in early Sept.

 
Speaking of major harvests, the aji lemondrops put out a jaw dropping amount of pods. 

 
The second year tabasco plant is also loaded up.

 
I'll take a picture of the tabascos on a less windy day in the near future, but this is what every branch looks like (only less blurry).

 
The best looking of the Butch-T pods. Looks like trophy size to me

 
Yellow 7s are still growing, and I'm still moving the pots further away from each other every 4 or 5 days.

 
I have to admit, because everything else is a month late this year I've been cutting off a jalapeno pod every day or two. You have to do what you have to do sometimes.

 
The first teeny mako akokosrade pod. I wont have many of these get to the point where they ripen, but I'm confident I'll at least get to try a couple to see if I want to grow them again next year. 

 
 
Ok, I guess it was not as "mini" of an update as I as hoping for. I left off pics of the madame jeanette pods and other such things so I have something to update later this week. Thanks for having a look!
 

 

[GnomeGrown]

Looking awesome, Stefan.
 
You are going to be swimming in Tabascos!
 
Happy Harvests!
 

 

[3/5King]

Hey Stefan! I just noticed your Sig. lol, yep, that's about as true a statement as I've ever heard.
 
Nice to see some poddage coming your way brudda! I have a plant that looks just like your Tabasco plant/pods.....but I didn't plant any Tabasco....whoooeeeeeooooooo. I forget what they are supposed to be but they taste like a pickled pepperochinni! 
 
Maybe you can put sometype of hoophouse over your plants to extend your season and get all of those pods ripe??? I'll be rooting for you at the end of the season! 

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

Nice plants and pods! I love the lemon drop and lost all my plants last year resulting in no powder. It makes one of my favorite fish and poultry powders. Best of luck!

 

[roper2008]

Your plants are looking great.  I see a lot of hot sauce in your future.

 

[Stefan_W]

Looking awesome, Stefan.
 
You are going to be swimming in Tabascos!
 
Happy Harvests!
 

 
Thanks! Tabascos take forever to ripen, but I'm sure there is a harvest coming down the road

Hey Stefan! I just noticed your Sig. lol, yep, that's about as true a statement as I've ever heard.
 
Nice to see some poddage coming your way brudda! I have a plant that looks just like your Tabasco plant/pods.....but I didn't plant any Tabasco....whoooeeeeeooooooo. I forget what they are supposed to be but they taste like a pickled pepperochinni! 
 
Maybe you can put sometype of hoophouse over your plants to extend your season and get all of those pods ripe??? I'll be rooting for you at the end of the season! 

 
Thanks man! I would do something to extend the season, but the issue is that the containers are kind of spread out so I would have to fork over cash for a very partial solution. I just roll with it and the season ends when it ends.
 
Pickled pepperochinni sound really good!

Nice plants and pods! I love the lemon drop and lost all my plants last year resulting in no powder. It makes one of my favorite fish and poultry powders. Best of luck!

 
Thanks! I tasted one of the aji lemondrops when it was still green and in my kitchen before going outside, and it was already tasty. I can just imagine how great it will be once the pods ripen the whole way. I think you were one of the ones pushing for me to grow them when I had an extra spot, and you definitely pointed me in the right direction. 

Your plants are looking great.  I see a lot of hot sauce in your future.

 
You can definitely count on that. This year I plan to experiment with colours, seeing as I have red, peach, and yellow peppers to go with purple, red, orange and yellow tomatoes. The salsas are going to rock!

 

[Trippa]

Looking good Stefan ... in your climate the fact you get superhots to ripen in such a limited grow season is a credit to you ... 

 

[WalkGood]

Stefan everything looks like it’s coming along great, love dem all! I think you’ll have plenty of ripe pods, maybe not all but enough to keep you happy.
 
I love da beer can yard bird we make them often as well, normally I’ll soak one in spicy mojo and powder it up with JA Hab. The second one we’ll do none spicy for the kids and their friends. Your cooking and plating shots are great!
 
Plants, pods and pictures are great as typical, I had no doubts … great job mi northern brethren ^_^

 

[Stefan_W]

Looking good Stefan ... in your climate the fact you get superhots to ripen in such a limited grow season is a credit to you ... 

 
Thank you very much! I can usually get a pretty decent haul, but this season has presented as many challenges as I have ever seen all in a row. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get a bunch of pods ripened by the end of it all.

Stefan everything looks like it’s coming along great, love dem all! I think you’ll have plenty of ripe pods, maybe not all but enough to keep you happy.
 
I love da beer can yard bird we make them often as well, normally I’ll soak one in spicy mojo and powder it up with JA Hab. The second one we’ll do none spicy for the kids and their friends. Your cooking and plating shots are great!
 
Plants, pods and pictures are great as typical, I had no doubts … great job mi northern brethren ^_^

 
Thank Ramon! I was wondering if you noticed the beer can chicken, it seems like something you would really enjoy

 

[stickman]

Hi Stefan,
   I'm really blown away by the Bhut and Butch T. pod pics in your "mini" update... great job! Now that I've grown them, I'm not surprised that the Ajis are doing as well as they are. I'm getting a handful of ripe ones every day now, so you should too in a week or so, and then it's salsa time!

 

[Stefan_W]

Hi Stefan,
   I'm really blown away by the Bhut and Butch T. pod pics in your "mini" update... great job! Now that I've grown them, I'm not surprised that the Ajis are doing as well as they are. I'm getting a handful of ripe ones every day now, so you should too in a week or so, and then it's salsa time!

 
Wow, that's great news about the lemondrops! I figured since I heard so much about them being very long season I would have to wait at least another month. If they come in 1-2 weeks they will be timed perfectly with my (late) tomatoes. 

 

[Stefan_W]

We are coming up on the one month anniversary (on Aug 15th) of Sofia being rushed to the hospital due to complications following her treatments. At the time we were pretty sure we were going to lose her, and a after a month of hospitalization things were far from certain. She was in and out of consciousness, she had lost her sight completely, she seemed completely out of touch with the rational world, and was unable to walk. The prognosis was not good.  
 
And now, nearly a year later, she spent the evening with her old man picking things in the garden (a huge bunch of basil, loads of scapes, a bowl of raspberries, a couple of cherry tomatoes, and a carrot). When I was in the hospital at her side I often dreamt about being able to take her out back to garden again. 
 
Enjoy all of the moments that life gives you, even if they seem small. 
 

 

[WalkGood]

Awesome harvest and congrats to Sofia and you for da harvest \o/

 

[Stefan_W]

Awesome harvest and congrats to Sofia and you for da harvest \o/

 
Thanks Ramon

 

[Devv]

Gardens looking great!
 
Glad you have Sofia to help you enjoy it!
 
That storm on Friday, I was at the south end of Lake Erie, at my bros house in Ohio. We were sitting in the backyard, watching the lightning and counting between flashes and the rumble. My bro kept saying Canada is getting hammered....
 
Keep it green!

 

[Stefan_W]

Gardens looking great!
 
Glad you have Sofia to help you enjoy it!
 
That storm on Friday, I was at the south end of Lake Erie, at my bros house in Ohio. We were sitting in the backyard, watching the lightning and counting between flashes and the rumble. My bro kept saying Canada is getting hammered....
 
Keep it green!

 
We definitely got hammered here. We had tornado watches on Thurs and Friday night, and Friday was absolutely brutal. The wind was so strong it was bending trees over everywhere. I thought my garden would be completely trashed, but aside from losing a few tomato branches that should have been tied a bit better everything was fine.
I had a root canal this afternoon, which was pretty brutal, and I'm feeling pretty worn down right now. I snapped a few garden pics because I promised a mid-week update, which I'll post before heading over to the couch to rest and relax. 
 
Peach bhut, looking good. For the longest time this was the only pod on the plant, but it is starting to pod up now so he has company.

 
Ghost pepper plant. The pods are growing, and it is still flowering like crazy. This will give me loads of pods in a few weeks.

 
My very first Madame Jeanette pods are getting bigger. I can't wait to taste them!

 
The prodigal jonah finally put out a couple of pods.

 

 
Bahamian Goat Peppers, Mon!

 
Sheesh, the tabasco is really loading up.

 
Rick mentioned that he picked a couple of lemondrops this week, and I am always about two weeks behind him so I'm looking for signs of yellow. I think the one on the right is starting to change colour,  but I'm not positive.

 
That's it. Must. Lay. Down.
 

 

[stickman]

Nice pics Stefan! I especially like the one of you and Sophia in the garden... it's obvious the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, eh? I'm picking a handful of each type of Baccatum every day now, so you've got that to look forward to. Never having grown Bhuts before, I had no idea they would grow pods this big this quick... yours seem to be doing the same.
   Hope you recover from the root canal quickly. I'm sure they pumped you full of anesthetic before doing the job, and it'll make you feel logy for a few days until you can clear it out of your system.
 
Cheers!

 

[Trippa]

The entire garden looks happy to have your daughter (and you I am sure ) tending to it ... positive energy knows no bounds ... keep on growing !!!

 

[DocNrock]

Awesome picture of you and Sofia.  Very touching anecdote about her illness last year.  I remember you posting about that.  So happy that she pulled through. 
 
Your OW Bhut is looking locked and loaded, the tabasco also.  Even though you had the setback you had with the weather this year, it looks like you still have some sizable harvests coming your way.  Awesome.  Quite a few other varieties look like they are going to give you some heat before the end of the season, as well.  Glad you are making do with the occasional Jalapeno!