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Toronto 2013 Results/2014 Grow

After a short season here in Toronto I can safely say I have learned a whole lot this season about growing a subtropical plant in Canada. With our shorter growing season I noticed a lot of my super hot varieties, Carolina Reaper, Naga Viper etc. did not have time to fully mature. I started germination for 2013 on Jan 27th. I also learned the hard way about hardening off my plants. I threw them out from my nice comfy downtown condo, under their ever so fancy 5 cfl ott light to the harsh winds and cold of Lake Wilcox in Richmond Hill, to discover they sun burnt and struggled to recover *all survived (somehow.) This year was definitely harsh compared to 2012. My tomatoes, zucchini and peppers were no where near the size this year compared to last. All was well though, and with my 28 plants and 20 varsities I whipped up a decent yield and a bunch of awesome sauces. The feedback I have received from those who were brave enough to dabble into my concoctions has led me to want to go even bigger for 2014. New House, New Indoor Setup, New Garden.
 
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Germination
 
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Mid Season Harvest
 
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Last Harvest (Frost & Too Much Green)
 
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My Varieties 
 
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What Is Left Of My Sauces
 
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Winston vs Santa Fe Grande
 
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My Collection
 
Last year I had a few good harvests, with the occasional friend plucking some ripe fruit to bet his mates and feel the burn. First batch weighed in at about 12lbs, second close to 30lbs of peppers. I diced and sliced them mostly to create my new found love of sauce making. 2013 was just child's play compared to my intentions for this year. I have given over 5l of sauce in small spice jars to my friends all for them wanting more, and I still have a ton of sauce left. 
 
2014 sure will bring on it's challenges. New germination/seedling setup, multiple properties 100+ plants... Let's just see how this plays out.
 
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Seed Soaking 23 Varieties 
 
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New Grow Closet 4'x2' Mylar Lined 4' 4 Bulb Hydrofarm t5 High Output Designer Series FLP44
 
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Overwintering mother plants (Aphids are a b*****)... Reaper, Viper, Scorpion, Red Ghost, Hab, Doughlah, Fatali, Yellow Ghost
 
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Good to see a fellow Torontonian! Ya my haul last year wasn't that great as well but here's to 2014. Lake Wilcox is a decent stop for some pike fishing
 
Nice set up you've got there and Winston is adorable too!! Nice to see more Canuks on here, and I'm just a couple hours north of you, up around Collingwood!
 
Winston is one crazy dog, sure loves his peppers.
 
Finally got around to getting my seeds into their jiffy pods today. 23 Varieties - 3 Pods/Variety Except 5 Varieties That Get 6 Pods To Give To Friends - 3-4 Seeds/Pod
 
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i love the green bottle...  aphid problem?       i have overwintered some and now have ahids in my plants...  next year they will all stay outside and die at frost!    will always start from new now-on until i get a big place to grow all year long (not easy in quebec!  lol)
 
I have a few I kept from last year, aphids are destroying them which really sucks because I barely had any Carolina Reapers pods come out last year, and I was hoping to get a head start with overwintering but it doesn't look like they are going to make it. Hopefully my reaper seeds germinate, I had really bad luck with them last year, but I think I cooked them with the heat mat, had temp spikes above 100F a few times. Things are already looking better though, I started germination on the 12th with a presoak and I am already seeing signs of life. 
 
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Glad I planted my seeds already now! I got a decent harvest this season considering it was my first year growing and all my plants were from the nursery and severely root-bound. I got about a dozen - 30 from each of the chinenses and 30+ from the others.
 
I picked up a t5ho system as well. Planning on peppers and a few other things getting a nice head start! Good luck to you in 2014.
 
Ps - if your OWs have aphids careful about tranfering them to your new starts :S
 
Ya I have the overwintered plants sitting by a window on the other end of the house. No way am I gong to risk my seedlings to those bastards. I am pretty sure all my plants are dead by now anyways, no leaves left on any of them and no signs of new growth. Oh well :P
 
you naga viper looks like a Habanero and your habanero looks more like a 7 pot yellow than a habanero.  and your red ghost is not a ghost.
loks like a carabean red hab or something like that.  where those seeds come from ?  EBAY ?
 
Oddly enough I purchased all my seeds from PepperJoe, except for the yellow ghost and habenero. 
 
The Viper was definitely not fully developed so I can't say for-sure.
 
The Habenero I bought in 2011 from a garden center, along with my yellow ghost. However I think I mixed that one up, I was drinking when playing with my peppers that day, I had all my peppers in a bowl mixed up and I decided to snap a picture of the collection.
 
But the big question is the Red Ghost... I emailed pepperjoe the same question, he says it is forsure a Red Ghost. I don't know if I completely agree, they weren't that hot, but the plant itself was quite small, but they really look more like a hab to me too. They did not crinkle at any stage like I believe they are supposed to... so the only thing I can do is grow more from the seeds and see.
 
Hey man I'm local and can send you some true Red Bhut Jolokia seeds if you don't want to deal with the PJ again. PM me if you're interested. I can't replace the vipers but I have the yellow habs and a ton of other cool stuff. Free offer.
 
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Needed more space because my plants were outgrowing the floor of my closet.
 
Installed 2 Rubber Maid Track Shelving Units 48"x20"
Hanging Lights Off Of Jack Chain
Lights Running Of Brinks Digital Timer 12Hr Cycle
 
Upper Shelf Hydrofarm Designer T5 4ft 4 Tube FLP44
Lower Shelf Hydrofarm Designer T5 4ft 6 Tube FLP46
 
Closet Lined With Mylar
 
Floor now for germination with heat mat and thermostat, going to try the self watering Jiffy tray this time around. I hopped aboard the Canadian Seed Train so I can't wait to start growing some new varieties!
 
I have a fan going 24/7 but I may need to add a second for the upper shelf. I leave the door cracked for ventilation, I ran a trial 4 hours with it closed and temp peaked at 92f
 
Plants are doing really well, going to pot up soon. Using Miracle Grow organic and Miracle Grow tomato fertilizer.
 
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