Stetto's '21, ok ok ok, SEMI-glog glog

I wasn't planning to do a grow log this year, too much going on and little time to devote, but I've had a real good seedling season, so I thought I'd drop in from time to time to glance around and give you guys n gals something to talk about...
 
SUPER small list this season, but germ rate was outstanding on some varieties, so whaddaya do?
 
Pubescens
Aji Oro Rocoto (spawn of Aji Oro OW)
Rocoto Rojo (from 2019 harvest)
Turbo Pube (from 2019 harvest)
Hyper-X Rocoto (Canedog)
Awesome Orange Rocoto (Canedog)
 
Annuum
Chimayo (Harry_Dangler)
Nambe Pueblo (Harry_Dangler)
Hernandez Hot (Harry_Dangler)
Big Jim Legacy (Sandia)
Serrano Tampiqueno (Sandia)
YOLO Bell (Tradewinds Fruit)
 
Overwinter
XL Brown Rocoto (Canedog)
Aji Oro (Bhuter)
Aji Oro (spawn of Aji Oro from Bhuter)
 
Tomato
Prairie Star (Harry_Dangler)
 
There are many of each variety, the germ rate was crazy good. I'm convinced the Frog Farm Ocean Forest soil contributed yugely to that.
 
The Hernandez Hot was the only one of the Annuums to limit me to one plant, and the Turbo Pube was the only Rocoto to resist germination, though I did get one to hook. It actually sprouted the same week as the others, but was stunted to where I almost pulled it. But today I found true leaves emerging, so...

 
For a little scale perspective

 
I'm curious how this little guy will turn out and how long it will take to do that turning out, but hey, it's the Turbo I got, right?
 
I'm super happy with my Aji Oro crop so far, I've had to cut a bunch out and I HATE culling more than just about anything, and yet there are still 2-3 plants currently in each and every pot. This one is a personal triumph. Backstory: I had a total of two helmet heads in this planting, one a Chimayo, the other this Aji Oro. I spent almost two weeks trying to keep them moist so they could figh their own way out, but at some point I lost patience or faith, one, so I mechanically tweezered the cotys loose. The Chimayo was stunted but otherwise a healthy plant, but he Aji Oro had no cotyledons, no bud, just a stump. I figured the plant had been helmeted too long and rotted inside the seed shell. Oh well, right? There are two healthy plants in the potlet anyway, no loss...
 
I thought that too, until this morning: 

 
The tip started to grow a tiny bulb a couple days ago, I simply let nature persevere, as it is guaranteed to do...
 
I just don't know how you guys do it, cut out perfectly good though overpopulated exotic pepper plants. I have no problem thinning anything out, carrots, lettuce, bell peppers...But this is hard...
 
Also note there are no Baccatum or Chinense this season, heck, I already planted more than I should have... 
 
Hey Paul, that little Aji Oro stublette counts as a duck, no?
 
Ok, maybe a turkey or a goose, but it counts....right?

 

[ahayastani]

Just to put the punctuation on the bear situation, my neighbor says I underestimated this animal's weight. From what I was seeing at night and from the trail cam pics, I thought he was around 400 lbs. This critter is between 600 & 700 lbs...
 

 
 
Definitely much bigger than my cat

 

[stettoman]

A pleasing happenstance: Last Spring I gifted a live Aji Oro and a bag of Rocoto Rojo seeds to a local greenhouse. I gave the owner a jar of Rocoto Rojo/chokecherry jelly as well.

They now have a section of table full of young Aji Oros and Rocoto Rojos for sale...

...and so it begins....

 

[ahayastani]

In the year 2525
The legend of stetto is alive
And his Aji Oros still survive
And his rocotos thrive

 

[stettoman]

 
In the year 2525
The legend of stetto is alive
And his Aji Oros still survive
And his rocotos thrive
 

 
                                      
           Oooh! Oooh! Now do Marty Robbins!!        
                                     

 

[PaulG]

A pleasing happenstance: Last Spring I gifted a live Aji Oro and a bag of Rocoto Rojo seeds to a local greenhouse. I gave the owner a jar of Rocoto Rojo/chokecherry jelly as well.

They now have a section of table full of young Aji Oros and Rocoto Rojos for sale...

...and so it begins....

That is so cool. You should have given it a name
like 'Sterroro' or something to seal your legendary
image.
 

 
In the year 2525
The legend of stetto is alive
And his Aji Oros still survive
And his rocotos thrive

And the legend lives on!

 

[stettoman]

Small update: We've been bone dry (.01" for 5 weeks, little measurable before that), and a forecast for rain went out, so yesterday, against my better judgement, I put out the Anuums almost a full two weeks before considered "safe" from frost.
 
This morning we have almost 3/4" of new, lightning enhanced skywater, with more supposedly coming.
 
3 and a half rows of Anuum, 4 full rows of onions, one Amish Paste, one yellow pear, and 8 of Harry_Dangler's prized Prairie Star tomatoes. There will undoubtedly be more planting, but I wanted the live plants in before rain. They are small but have great root systems to them.
 

 
The Rocotos are also small-ish from being planted so late, but they look eager to get on the field. These will ALL be container maidens, I have no interest in an outcome like last season. The only non-Rocoto I'm doing in a pot is a Serrano, for my hopeful GIP memorial smoked powder...
 
 

 
My 3 OWs are also going to be involved, I plan to start potting this week sometime. 
 
My garden in CO is going to be MUCH smaller than I have here, so my back & my feet & my neck & my calves & my shoulders & my knees & my wife keep telling me...
 
Let the Dirt Days begin!!

 

[PaulG]

You go, boy! Can't wait to see that plot full of green!
 
You will have a good chance in CO to design a new
grow space using what you have learned so far. How fun.

 

[stettoman]

You go, boy! Can't wait to see that plot full of green!
 
You will have a good chance in CO to design a new
grow space using what you have learned so far. How fun.

 
Yah mon!! Raised beds are a guarantee!

 

[CaneDog]

Looks great stetto!   Hope those guys dig their roots in quickly and take off fast.  

 

[stettoman]

Looks great stetto!   Hope those guys dig their roots in quickly and take off fast.  

 
Thanks 'Dog, and yeah, I tilled in a dusting of mycorrhizae, I'm hoping for a good result.

 

[PaulG]

Looks great stetto!   Hope those guys dig their roots in quickly and take off fast.  

+1, buddy.
 
 Here's to a successful last northern grow!

 

[stettoman]

I'll just let the picture tell the tale.
 

 
As a reference, our low temps here at the Grove hover between 5 and 10 degrees below that of the big city of Fargo.
 
Corn, soybeans and sugarbeets are already out of the ground already on these surrounding farms, mine hasn't broken ground...yet.
 
The Rocotos and one Serrano are safe, though. I'll bring those in.
 
 

 

[stettoman]

The forecast remains frost for tonight, but they added last night and tomorrow night as "possibles". There was a freeze warning for a hundred miles north of me, but we got by with 40 last night. The starts out in the garden are small enough that their seedling pots fit nicely over them as frost shields, so, being as there won't be much in the way of growth activity anyway, I covered them all and will let them remain covered until Saturday morning. The weep holes will allow enough light in to keep them in stasis, I imagine...
 
Never underestimate the power of the MN climate to let a farmer/gardener down after blowing a couple weeks of sunshine up our butts....

 

[CaneDog]

Man, it's too late in the year to be having to deal with cold weather bs.

 

[stettoman]

Man, it's too late in the year to be having to deal with cold weather bs.

 
Zone 3, man. What can I say? 
 
They changed the forecast AGAIN: Freeze warning for the entire region. So I'm likely going to lose my Chimayos, Nambe Pueblo, Serrano, Big Jim and the bells, likely the tomatoes as well. I do have one Serrano in a 20 gallon planter I'll muscle in, and the Rocotos are already surrounding me in the office. Everything in the garden is covered, but I don't know what protection they'll offer in a hard freeze.
 

 
There's always been a reason I wait til the first week of June, this year I think I get burned. But the nursery down the road should have Anaheims & bells, maybe even some Serranos. I'll have something to put in the dirt, anyway.
 
I shouldn't lose any onions, though there are still lots of sets available in the area.
 
OK then. Here we go...

 

[stettoman]

Good news!!
 
While temps were down to 32 this morning, there was no freeze as they warned. All the covered plants are fine. 
 
I really wish the NWS would quit eeny-miny-moeing computer models and go back to doing weather...

 

[PtMD989]

We’re getting frost advisories down here in the Thumb. No freeze warnings though. [emoji15].


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[stettoman]

This weather is nutzoid!!
 
Now we're supposed to be in the 90s by Thursday, 100 on Saturday.
 
Peppers are gonna love that....

 

[PtMD989]

That’s crazy !!!!


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[stettoman]

Yeah, crazy, they changed the forecast again...
 

 
At least I can bring the Pubes in. But I just hope this isn't a sign of how this summer's going to go.
I think my piss-poor harvest last year was at least partly due to an early heat wave the first weeks of June last year. 
That was 90s, not hunderds...
 
We're throwing a party on July 3rd, month from tomorrow, live band and everything, y'all come on out!!
 
https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/music/blue-gritt-blues-rock-and-hand-built-amps/