Stickman's 2015 - That's All She Wrote...

Hi All! It's been an incredibly busy winter dealing with one thing and another, and it's only about half over here.   Still, it's time to get on the stick and put my seeds in the dirt in preparation for plant-out in another 12 weeks or so. I have a Manzano over-wintering inside that's going on its third year. It's next to a sliding glass door with a great southern exposure but the light it gets here this time of year is pretty paltry... I expect it'll start to perk up sometime in March. I have a couple of MoA Scotch Bonnets over-wintering at a friend's house because there wasn't space in front of the sliding glass door for them and my wife's indoor plants... the deal is that if they both survive the winter, we'll split the plants. If not, he'll keep the one that lives. That seems fair since he did all the work.
 
The rest of the list is looking like this...

Pubiscens Varieties
Total bust this year... nothing that germinated survived.

Baccatum:
Ditto

Frutascens:
Tabasco
Hawaiian Bird chile
 
Chacoense:
Ditto

Chinense:
7-pot Yellow Turned out to be a red "Not"
MoA Scotch Bonnet
Beni Highlands... Also turned out to be a "Not"... maybe a Mako Akokrosade cross?
Ja Hab
Trinidad Perfume
Zavory

Annuum:
Cabe Rawit (mouse turd pepper, in Singapore where the seeds were collected they're called Cili Padi)
Red Thai
Biggie Chile Anaheim
Poblano Gigantia
Jalapeno Ciclon
Jalapeno Tormenta
Serrano Tampiqueno
Hungarian Hot Wax
Almapaprika
Ethiopian Brown Berbere
 
I'll also be planting a sweet Criolla de Cucina plants and about 20 sweet Kurtovska Kapijas. The Kapijas have the longest growing and ripening times of any Annuum I know, but they're big, meaty sweet peppers that average around a half a pound apiece... just the thing for making that eastern european condiment called Ajvar.
 
Too tired to say more now, but will pick up later... Cheers!

 

[meatfreak]

 
I had to spray twice with pyrethrin twice to knock the little bastiges down or that would have happened to me too Adam... I also find that the aphids really love my Manzano too. So much so that they'll pass by other pepper varieties to get at it. Good luck with the Red Rocoto... I haven't tried them yet, but if they're as good as the Manzanos they should be hot 'n tasty! Is your porch a shady place?
 
 
Sure enough Stefan... are you about ready to launch too?

 
Sure am, Rick. Problem is the soil is currently to wet to work, since we have heavy dense clay that's not an option. So I hope the coming weeks will be dry. Got plans to focus more on the rest of the garden, carrots, beans, spring onions etc.

 

[HabaneroHead]

Hi Rick,

It's good tó see you on board again!
I'm glad to see you will sow Almapaprika, I guess you liked my pickle recipe
I wish you a wonderful season, my friend!

Balázs

 

[Devv]

 
Yeah, I hear ya 'bout a mis-spent youth... As a teenager I used to spend some of my summer hanging out with my cousins in Washington, MA which is about as rural as you get here. My cousin Dan knew an older boy that had an old Volkswagon Beetle. I remember one time we crammed it full of kids (7 of them) and got it up to about 50mph on a dirt road with a high crown. The driver cut the wheel sharply and rolled the car a couple of times. We climbed out whichever door we could, rocked it back up on its wheels and did it a few more times...

 
Now that's pretty crazy! But I bet it was fun!. Those old VW's were a blast. A buddy had one and decided to remove the body, built a roll cage, and then it got cold, so he tried to do something with plywood...LOL
 
Well three of us were in it, and Mike the driver was doing a great job of keeping it on 2 wheels around corners, for a long time. Finally a Suffolk County caught up with us and Mike decided to run, not cool. I was in the space where the back seat used to be, and the PD started ramming us. All I heard was the duwaaaah of the carb, he pushed us across a 2 lane HWY and over a 12" curb that was around the park, blew out all 4 tires. The 2 in front bailed, and here I was trying to climb out of the back of that POS. They were half way up an 18' fence to the tennis courts when I scrambled out. Guess who hit the ground first diggin' it through back yards!

 

[Sawyer]

I can't top those stories, but I do have a back-in-the-day VW story to tell.  Keep in mind this VW had spent a lot of time near the coast and salt air.  Soon after I bought it, my girlfriend and I were driving around one day with her in the passenger seat.  We came to a stop in a parking lot and both leaned forward slightly, as one does when stopping.  Suddenly, there was a loud "pop" and she dropped about two or three inches.  I'll never forget the look on her face as she looked across (up) at me.  Turns out, the floorboard had rusted out completely around the passenger seat and finally given up the ghost.  The only thing that kept her from falling all the way to the ground was the piece of sheet metal a previous owner had riveted in place underneath it all.  I learned something that day about the value of a proper (or, heck, any) inspection before buying a car.

 

[stickman]

Sounds like you are about ready to get rollin', Rick.  Good luck, buddy!

 
S'right brother! I tidied up the growing area this morning, and dug out the seed heat mats. Step 2 this afternoon is to open up the bale of Pro-Mix and start my pepper seeds. I'll begin with the Chinense and Frutascens varieties today, and move on to the Baccatums and Annuums when those hook up.

 
Sure am, Rick. Problem is the soil is currently to wet to work, since we have heavy dense clay that's not an option. So I hope the coming weeks will be dry. Got plans to focus more on the rest of the garden, carrots, beans, spring onions etc.

 
Yup... you've gotta provide for that family of yours!  

Hi Rick,

It's good tó see you on board again!
I'm glad to see you will sow Almapaprika, I guess you liked my pickle recipe
I wish you a wonderful season, my friend!

Balázs

 
Hey... Balázs is in the house! Welcome my friend! You bet I'm going to plant Almapaprika, Tomato peppers and Pointed Hots! Please thank your Mom again for me for her pickled pepper recipe... not only does it make excellent pickled Almapaprikas, but it's also exceptional for making crunchy Jalapeno rings too! I hope all is well with you and your family, and you get in a great season this year as well!

 
Now that's pretty crazy! But I bet it was fun!. Those old VW's were a blast. A buddy had one and decided to remove the body, built a roll cage, and then it got cold, so he tried to do something with plywood...LOL
 
Well three of us were in it, and Mike the driver was doing a great job of keeping it on 2 wheels around corners, for a long time. Finally a Suffolk County caught up with us and Mike decided to run, not cool. I was in the space where the back seat used to be, and the PD started ramming us. All I heard was the duwaaaah of the carb, he pushed us across a 2 lane HWY and over a 12" curb that was around the park, blew out all 4 tires. The 2 in front bailed, and here I was trying to climb out of the back of that POS. They were half way up an 18' fence to the tennis courts when I scrambled out. Guess who hit the ground first diggin' it through back yards!

 

I can't top those stories, but I do have a back-in-the-day VW story to tell.  Keep in mind this VW had spent a lot of time near the coast and salt air.  Soon after I bought it, my girlfriend and I were driving around one day with her in the passenger seat.  We came to a stop in a parking lot and both leaned forward slightly, as one does when stopping.  Suddenly, there was a loud "pop" and she dropped about two or three inches.  I'll never forget the look on her face as she looked across (up) at me.  Turns out, the floorboard had rusted out completely around the passenger seat and finally given up the ghost.  The only thing that kept her from falling all the way to the ground was the piece of sheet metal a previous owner had riveted in place underneath it all.  I learned something that day about the value of a proper (or, heck, any) inspection before buying a car.

 
Heh, heh... yup, those were the days.   I know the old Beetles were prone to rotting floorboards, and typically it started in the heat channels under the doors... they were natural salt traps. I sold a Beetle to my kid brother that had similar problems to yours John, and he got it to pass inspection by "liberating" a street sign and cutting and bending it to fit, then riveting it in place. The plate aluminum made a permanent fix...

 

[wahlee76]

Nice growlist, again. Good luck with the new season.
 
Great pics of the hawk. Never realised that Massachusetts that much north, and you'd have so much snow.

 

[stickman]

Nice growlist, again. Good luck with the new season.
 
Great pics of the hawk. Never realised that Massachusetts that much north, and you'd have so much snow.

 
Yeah... we're at around 42 degrees north latitude here, and you're at 52 degrees, so you're actually 10 degrees further north than we are, but we have the prevailing winds from the northwest bringing down cold air from northwestern Canada and mixing with the warm moist air over the Gulf Stream ocean current flows north from the tropics and follows the east coast of the US. Some years the prevailing winds take a plunge into the western part of the country and that displaces warmer air from the south into the northeast, and then we have a warm winter with very little snow here but drought conditions in the west. Ya pays yer money and takes yer chances, eh?
 
I've got my heat mat set up on my kitchen windowsill now, and my first 10x20 tray inserts filled with soil... aaaand first seeds are in! The revised list looks like this...
 
Pubiscens Varieties:
Locato
Costa Rican Yellow

Baccatums:
CAP 267
El Oro de Ecuador

Frutascens:
Mozambique Periperi
Hawaiian Bird chile

Chinense:
Brown 7-pot Bubblegum
7-pot Lava (off pheno)
7-pot Yellow
Bahamian Goat
MoA Scotch Bonnet
King Naga
Brown Egg
Tobago Treasure
Beni Highlands
JA Habanero
 
The last four varieties are to fill empty spaces in the 10x20 tray and as insurance against one or two varieties not popping at all... and I just wanted to grow them anyway! So shoot me, eh?    And so it begins...

 
Half the Annuums will get planted when these hook up.

 

[Sawyer]

Very nice.  I'm really looking forward to sampling some baccatums this year.

 

[stickman]

I think you'll like them John... they have a unique flavor, that's for sure. All the Baccatums I've ever planted in-ground were very prolific too. Enjoy!

 

[Pulpiteer]

I'm a fan of baccatums too. They tend to ripen real late in the season for me though. But you're right Rick, very prolific.
I see you're growing a Locato. I got some of those seeds as well.  The whole "early producer, big yield" thing was appealing.

 

[stickman]

I'm a fan of baccatums too. They tend to ripen real late in the season for me though. But you're right Rick, very prolific.
I see you're growing a Locato. I got some of those seeds as well.  The whole "early producer, big yield" thing was appealing.

 
I think the Baccatums are particularly adapted to conditions in this part of the country Andy... I just have to give them an early enough start. The one exception so far was the Aji Panca. The plants grew beautifully and produced tons of pods, but none of them ripened before it frosted.
 
The Manzano has grown well here, but production is pretty low. I only got about a dozen ripe pods off my 2-year OW last year. I'm hoping it does better in its 3rd year after keeping it upstairs in the heated living area. It seems to be, since it's putting out flower buds... Last year it was just a stick when I transplanted it outside in mid-April, and it dropped flowers in the heat of mid-summer. This year I'm hedging my bets by also planting Locato and Costa Rican Yellow seeds, and yeah, I like the sound of "early producer" and "produces all summer" too! I got the seeds in a trade, but if they do well here, I'll order more from Judy.

 

[Trident chilli]

Hawks and VW's great growlog all the very best from the UK for this season

 

[stickman]

Hawks and VW's great growlog all the very best from the UK for this season

 
Cheers John, and welcome to the zoo! How is winter looking out your way?

 

[Trident chilli]

Cheers John, and welcome to the zoo! How is winter looking out your way?

Rick to be honest we have had a pretty easy time of winter compared to what you have had in the States. Most of us sow between Christmas and the New Year using artificial light in grow tents or home made light boxes ... there just isn't enough natural light at the moment to place seedlings on south facing windowsills ... weather can be fickle here so we still could have a cold spell but mostly it's damp ... Red Kite hawk was reintroduced to Southern England and has really spread across the counties ... beautiful V shaped tail unsure if native to the US

 

[stickman]

Rick to be honest we have had a pretty easy time of winter compared to what you have had in the States. Most of us sow between Christmas and the New Year using artificial light in grow tents or home made light boxes ... there just isn't enough natural light at the moment to place seedlings on south facing windowsills ... weather can be fickle here so we still could have a cold spell but mostly it's damp ... Red Kite hawk was reintroduced to Southern England and has really spread across the counties ... beautiful V shaped tail unsure if native to the US

 
Well, that's OK... we'll just deal with it here.     The Red Kites must be a thrilling sight! Checking Wikipedia, I see they're bigger than both the Cooper's Hawk and our largest Accipiter, the Northern Goshawk.  The female Goshawk comes close for length, but has a shorter wingspan and lighter body weight. They both mostly feed on songbirds and occasionally on small rodents. The Bald Eagle had to be re-introduced into our state as well. They're doing pretty well now with around 80 breeding pairs. http://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/birds/bald-eagles/eagles-in-massachusetts

 

[Devv]

And we're off!
 
Can't wait to see some coty's

 

[stickman]

And we're off!
 
Can't wait to see some coty's

 
Me too Scott!
 
If it weren't for limited visibility due to the falling and blowing snow today, I think we might have had another visit from the Hawk. There was quite a feeding frenzy at the platform feeder...

 
Supper tonight was Baja-style fish tacos with a minced Jalapeno and 8 crushed Pequins in the slaw...

 
Have a great evening all!

 

[Pulpiteer]

 
 
 
If it weren't for limited visibility due to the falling and blowing snow today, I think we might have had another visit from the Hawk. There was quite a feeding frenzy at the platform feeder...

 

 
That's like a Cooper's Hawk bird feeder isn't it?
Do you usually get all doves like that?  I've really enjoyed watching the birds we feed when I get a chance.  Lots of finches and sparrows. The Juncos stand out, I like the way they look, even though they are just dark on top and light underneath.

 

[stc3248]

Rick cooking??? Boom...I must be in the right place! Best of luck this season!

 

[stickman]

 
That's like a Cooper's Hawk bird feeder isn't it?
Do you usually get all doves like that?  I've really enjoyed watching the birds we feed when I get a chance.  Lots of finches and sparrows. The Juncos stand out, I like the way they look, even though they are just dark on top and light underneath.

 
Could be... could be...   The picture didn't even show the half of it... there were 57 Mourning Doves in the feeder and the big maple tree behind it when I took the picture. Maybe the Hawk didn't attack because he couldn't make up his mind which one to go for? We have a flock of about 30 Juncos that come around too.
 

Rick cooking??? Boom...I must be in the right place! Best of luck this season!

 
Hey, Shane's in the house! Thanks for the good wishes and for stopping in buddy! Just wanted to let you know that the Texas Pequins you sent seeds for last year were a hit, and the Manzano you sent a few years ago is also doing well. I kept it upstairs in the heated living space this winter next to our south-facing sliding glass door, and it's already producing flower buds. I'm gonna have to be careful hardening it off outside, but I have hopes of a larger harvest this year. Cheers!