I got a very late start on my first season growing chiles this year, so in lieu of processing ripe pods I’ve spent my energy dreaming about next year. I hope y’all’ll forgive me an early start on my glog for 2022.
This is pretty ambitious for what amounts to my first season seriously growing vegetables, but I do have a fair amount of other gardening experience. I also work from home (web development) and have a lot of moments between tasks or entire dead days when I can be gardening. Also, my partner will be growing those marked ‘K’. It’ll be a hustle, but we got this.
My specific goals for the year:
Don’t hesitate to make comments or suggestions, especially if anything seems particularly foolhardy… forewarned is forearmed. And feel free to make a case for any I overlooked (although for this year, I’m staying below 500K SHU; might dive deeper as my tolerance develops).
Overwintering
1 Chiltepin Hermosillo, as bonchi (this formed a really pleasing, tree-like habit and will give me something to tinker with in the off-season)
1 Fish Pepper, as decor K (didn’t care for the taste, even ripe, but foliage too gorgeous for K to let go of)
Starting Sat Nov 13 (for Easter)
6 NuMex Easter, as decor (2 as gifts) K
Starting Sat Jan 1 (~16 weeks before moving outside)
6+ Sugar Rush Stripey (novel and unstable, will start the whole packet and hope for a stripey phenotype to carry forward)
2 Rocoto Mini Olive (sometimes you see a plant and just need to grow it; this little guy is so cool to me)
1 Rocoto Red (it sounds delicious, but uncertain of getting a crop in one season thanks PaulG!)
1 Ají Amarillo (same)
1 Brazilian Starfish
1 Bishop’s Hat
1 Trepadeira do Werner
1 Ají Dulce (PI 260513) (really wish people wouldn’t apply such generic names; eventually tracked it down to its accession number)
Starting Sat Jan 29 (~12 weeks)
2 Lemon Drop
2 Blended Lemon
2 Ají Ahuachapán
1 Ají Jobito
1 Ají Fantasy Sparkly White
1 Ají Fantasy Orange
1 Ají Norteno
1 Ají Cristal
1 Ají Cristal Golden
1 Rain Forest
Starting Sat Feb 5 (~11 weeks)
2 Scotch Bonnet TFM
2 Scotch Bonnet Freeport Orange (one of the three that ripened in my limited time this year; it’s as tasty as everyone says)
2 Habanero Jamaican Chocolate
2 Habanero Orange
2 NuMex Trick-or-Treat
2 (Biquinho Red, Yellow, White) K (two containers of all three; should look nice plus allow us to try them all in less space than singly)
1 Grenada Seasoning
1 Trinidad Perfume
1 Ají Dulce Rojo (couldn’t nail this one down without an origin, but I think it’s either also PI 260513, as above, or maybe PI 543188)
1 Tobago Treasure
1 Bahamian Goat (am aware these are syn. with or barely diverge from Freeport Orange, but want to see for myself and decide which to carry forward)
1 Scotch Bonnet Beth Boyd
1 Scotch Brain
1 Datil
1 Fatalii
1 Ají Panca
1 Machu Picchu
1 Anónimo Roxa (CGN 21500) K (“Portuguese for ‘anonymous purple’, as this variety is part of the ‘roxa’ group but often goes by its accession number.” I’m trying to get this to catch on…)
Starting Sat Feb 26 (~8 weeks)
2 Zapotec Jalapeño (had lots of this green, and one almost red; this should be in the dictionary next to the phrase “that jalapeño flavor”)
2 Chimayo
2 NuMex Heritage 6-4
2 Roumanian Rainbow K (my partner wanted us to grow a bell type, plus she grew up in Romania… seemed fitting!)
2 Bolivian Rainbow, as decor K
2 NuMex Twilight, as decor K
1 Zia Pueblo
1 Alpine Poblano
1 Monkey Face Red
1 Filipino Mexican (I want to regularly grow at least one of each of the domesticated species, plus I find a Tabasco-type sauce indispensible on eggs; that said, C. frutescens doesn’t have many temptingly-described options.)
1 NuMex Centennial, as decor K
1 NuMex April Fools’, as decor K
1 NuMex Veterans Day, as decor K
1 Buena Mulata, as decor K (mixed reports on whether this is a good culinary cayenne or meh outside of decorative use)
Starting Sat Mar 12 (~6 weeks)
(Figured I would include the few non-Capsicums, in case anyone is curious.)
2 Pineapple Tomatillo
2 Cisineros Grande (Tomatillo)
1 Boronia (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Rosella Crimson (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Galen’s Yellow (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Lillian’s Yellow (Tomato) K
1 Golden Gates (Tomato)
1 Sumter (Cucumber)
1 Homemade Pickles (Cucumber)
1 Fengyuan Purple (Eggplant) K
Starting Sat May 7 (for Halloween)
2 NuMex Halloween, as decor K (the appearance of these alone convinced us to embrace the NuMex Holiday series in general; nearly true black ripening to vivid orange with black calyces, c’mon!)
2 NuMex Thanksgiving, as decor K
2 Black Prince, as decor K
2 Purple Jigsaw, as decor K
Who missed the cut??
A few cultivars acquired early or included as generous extras wound up getting bumped for later additions. I have seeds for these, but don’t currently intend to use them. Maybe they’ll see use in the future. Feel free to make a plea for any you think are worthy of a place in the grow.
African Bird Orange
Bird’s Eye Baby
Rocoto Yellow (not different enough from Rocoto Red)
Cheiro Roxa (only want one in this group, Anónimo Roxa seems the favorite)
Fidalgo Roxa (same)
Fresno (it was available at the local grocery once, and made an amazing salsa, but reckon the Zapotec Jalapeño fills that niche)
Habanero Peach
NuMex Heritage Big Jim (would likely be my ideal chile relleno chile, but it’d be too hot for the people I cook for)
NuMex Suave Orange
Puerto Rican Yellow (nobody seems to grow this)
Rocoto Mini Yellow (I prefer the look of the olive, especially if the flavor is as kiwi-like as described)
Serrano Tampiqueño (bought these for my dad, who complained of trouble finding seeds; kept a packet for myself)
Sugar Rush Peach (sorry bud, you’re not Ají Bacon)
Tabasco
Wild Baccatum (maybe PI 260567?) (got this for future breeding projects)
This is pretty ambitious for what amounts to my first season seriously growing vegetables, but I do have a fair amount of other gardening experience. I also work from home (web development) and have a lot of moments between tasks or entire dead days when I can be gardening. Also, my partner will be growing those marked ‘K’. It’ll be a hustle, but we got this.
My specific goals for the year:
- Experience growing a wide variety of species and cultivars to establish what grows well here and what is most useful in my kitchen.
- Flank the front walk with nicely potted decorative peppers, including timed colors for Easter and Halloween.
Develop a homemade spin on El Yucateco Kutbil-ik to replace it as my daily sauce (my local source drying up was the impetus for this whole thing, as I previously used half a bottle per day).(a recipe is now in progress)
Don’t hesitate to make comments or suggestions, especially if anything seems particularly foolhardy… forewarned is forearmed. And feel free to make a case for any I overlooked (although for this year, I’m staying below 500K SHU; might dive deeper as my tolerance develops).
Overwintering
1 Chiltepin Hermosillo, as bonchi (this formed a really pleasing, tree-like habit and will give me something to tinker with in the off-season)
1 Fish Pepper, as decor K (didn’t care for the taste, even ripe, but foliage too gorgeous for K to let go of)
Starting Sat Nov 13 (for Easter)
6 NuMex Easter, as decor (2 as gifts) K
Starting Sat Jan 1 (~16 weeks before moving outside)
6+ Sugar Rush Stripey (novel and unstable, will start the whole packet and hope for a stripey phenotype to carry forward)
2 Rocoto Mini Olive (sometimes you see a plant and just need to grow it; this little guy is so cool to me)
1 Rocoto Red (
1 Ají Amarillo (same)
1 Brazilian Starfish
1 Bishop’s Hat
1 Trepadeira do Werner
1 Ají Dulce (PI 260513) (really wish people wouldn’t apply such generic names; eventually tracked it down to its accession number)
Starting Sat Jan 29 (~12 weeks)
2 Lemon Drop
2 Blended Lemon
2 Ají Ahuachapán
1 Ají Jobito
1 Ají Fantasy Sparkly White
1 Ají Fantasy Orange
1 Ají Norteno
1 Ají Cristal
1 Ají Cristal Golden
1 Rain Forest
Starting Sat Feb 5 (~11 weeks)
2 Scotch Bonnet TFM
2 Scotch Bonnet Freeport Orange (one of the three that ripened in my limited time this year; it’s as tasty as everyone says)
2 Habanero Jamaican Chocolate
2 Habanero Orange
2 NuMex Trick-or-Treat
2 (Biquinho Red, Yellow, White) K (two containers of all three; should look nice plus allow us to try them all in less space than singly)
1 Grenada Seasoning
1 Trinidad Perfume
1 Ají Dulce Rojo (couldn’t nail this one down without an origin, but I think it’s either also PI 260513, as above, or maybe PI 543188)
1 Tobago Treasure
1 Bahamian Goat (am aware these are syn. with or barely diverge from Freeport Orange, but want to see for myself and decide which to carry forward)
1 Scotch Bonnet Beth Boyd
1 Scotch Brain
1 Datil
1 Fatalii
1 Ají Panca
1 Machu Picchu
1 Anónimo Roxa (CGN 21500) K (“Portuguese for ‘anonymous purple’, as this variety is part of the ‘roxa’ group but often goes by its accession number.” I’m trying to get this to catch on…)
Starting Sat Feb 26 (~8 weeks)
2 Zapotec Jalapeño (had lots of this green, and one almost red; this should be in the dictionary next to the phrase “that jalapeño flavor”)
2 Chimayo
2 NuMex Heritage 6-4
2 Roumanian Rainbow K (my partner wanted us to grow a bell type, plus she grew up in Romania… seemed fitting!)
2 Bolivian Rainbow, as decor K
2 NuMex Twilight, as decor K
1 Zia Pueblo
1 Alpine Poblano
1 Monkey Face Red
1 Filipino Mexican (I want to regularly grow at least one of each of the domesticated species, plus I find a Tabasco-type sauce indispensible on eggs; that said, C. frutescens doesn’t have many temptingly-described options.)
1 NuMex Centennial, as decor K
1 NuMex April Fools’, as decor K
1 NuMex Veterans Day, as decor K
1 Buena Mulata, as decor K (mixed reports on whether this is a good culinary cayenne or meh outside of decorative use)
Starting Sat Mar 12 (~6 weeks)
(Figured I would include the few non-Capsicums, in case anyone is curious.)
2 Pineapple Tomatillo
2 Cisineros Grande (Tomatillo)
1 Boronia (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Rosella Crimson (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Galen’s Yellow (Dwarf Tomato)
1 Lillian’s Yellow (Tomato) K
1 Golden Gates (Tomato)
1 Sumter (Cucumber)
1 Homemade Pickles (Cucumber)
1 Fengyuan Purple (Eggplant) K
Starting Sat May 7 (for Halloween)
2 NuMex Halloween, as decor K (the appearance of these alone convinced us to embrace the NuMex Holiday series in general; nearly true black ripening to vivid orange with black calyces, c’mon!)
2 NuMex Thanksgiving, as decor K
2 Black Prince, as decor K
2 Purple Jigsaw, as decor K
Who missed the cut??
A few cultivars acquired early or included as generous extras wound up getting bumped for later additions. I have seeds for these, but don’t currently intend to use them. Maybe they’ll see use in the future. Feel free to make a plea for any you think are worthy of a place in the grow.
African Bird Orange
Bird’s Eye Baby
Rocoto Yellow (not different enough from Rocoto Red)
Cheiro Roxa (only want one in this group, Anónimo Roxa seems the favorite)
Fidalgo Roxa (same)
Fresno (it was available at the local grocery once, and made an amazing salsa, but reckon the Zapotec Jalapeño fills that niche)
Habanero Peach
NuMex Heritage Big Jim (would likely be my ideal chile relleno chile, but it’d be too hot for the people I cook for)
NuMex Suave Orange
Puerto Rican Yellow (nobody seems to grow this)
Rocoto Mini Yellow (I prefer the look of the olive, especially if the flavor is as kiwi-like as described)
Serrano Tampiqueño (bought these for my dad, who complained of trouble finding seeds; kept a packet for myself)
Sugar Rush Peach (sorry bud, you’re not Ají Bacon)
Tabasco
Wild Baccatum (maybe PI 260567?) (got this for future breeding projects)
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