windchicken 2015

It was from my own inaction that I missed so many of my awesome THP friends over most of last season…I will not lie, it's much more convenient to post pix—and do just about anything—on that other very popular social media site, but there's no place there to maintain a grow log…Those of you who have not fallen prey to that particular internet time-waster of which I speak and have remained loyal to THP have my greatest love and respect…I pledge today to maintain this glog throughout the complete 2015 grow season! 
 
Last weekend (January 10 & 11) I sowed most of my C. chinense seeds: 4 x 18-cell trays, 72 x 3" wide cells. The sprouting medium is Fafard Super Fine Germination Mix. The light stand is Harris Seed's "8 Tray 2-Tier Combo", which includes a 4' x 2' heat mat and a light timer. New this year is a DeLonghi radiant heater to drive out the cold drafts in this spare bedroom. Everything else is the same as last year. 
 
As far as varieties sown this year, I agonized over a couple of "dream" lists during the fall, and obsessed over a nice spreadsheet in the week preceding this sowing, but I couldn't settle on a firm "assemblage" of super hot varieties. So I waited until the last minute (after the soil was already in the trays) and went with my gut. This is what I sowed:
 
7 Pot Primo (pepperlover.com), 18
7 Pot Primo (Primo's Backyard Select) 9
Bonda Man Jacques x 7 Pot Yellow (F4), 9 (Spicegeist's wonderfully hot and flavorful marriage of 2 yellow Caribbean classics)
Baby Barrackpore (F3), 9 (my favorite of the 3 phenotypes of Spicegeist's Sonoran Chiltepin x 7 Pot Barrackpore)
NagaBrain Red (F4), 9
NagaBrain Chocolate, Tmudder Strain (F3), 9
NagaBrain Yellow (F2), 9
 
 

 

[Pulpiteer]

Very cool - this is an interesting grow to watch. That bed looks terrific!

 

[windchicken]

Thanks Andy!
 
Last year I grew 9 plants of SmiterQ's Texas Pequin, the indigenous chile of the Texas Hill Country, in my DeSoto Parish garden. This spring 5 of those plants have re-sprouted from the old stumps, after lying dormant under several inches of sleet and snow just a few weeks ago.
 
Don't mess with Texas chiles.
 
 

 

[millworkman]

Amazing!  How different do these grow vs first year transplants?

 

[windchicken]

Thanks Noah! My current transplants have a couple months head start on the in-ground plants, so they are naturally larger. I hope that these in-ground plants will at least catch up with the new ones, as one would assume their roots are better developed. I will set the transplants in the empty spots where the old plants did not come back, so they will enjoy the same growing environment: An in-house grow-down 
 
I will definitely be saving seeds from the most robust of the overwinter plants.

 

[Pulpiteer]

Wow, that's awesome! It looks like you had them mulched pretty deep - that must've helped.  Still, overwintering outside like that... awesome!

 

[windchicken]

Thanks Andy! I agree, the mulch must have helped some, but the 100 or so other plants in this garden were bedded up just the same as the Texas Pequin, but did not re-sprout. This variety can apparently be considered a perennial, even this far north. I also agree: That's pretty freaking awesome.
 
Here's a couple shots of the mother plant from a couple years ago:
 

 

 

[Devv]

Cool seeing that Texas Pequin hang in there.
 
My son has wild chiltepin peppers on his place. I keep forgetting to snag one. It freezes there so they are hardy little gals.

 

[windchicken]

Cool seeing that Texas Pequin hang in there.
 
My son has wild chiltepin peppers on his place. I keep forgetting to snag one. It freezes there so they are hardy little gals.

 
That is so cool, Scott! Where is his place and YES, I want some!
Update on the f4 Bonda Man Jacques x 7 Pot Yellow and Bhut Orange Copenhagen bed, photo taken this morning:
 

 

[windchicken]

The Louisiana super hots, waiting patiently this morning in the DeSoto Parish shade tent. The plants on the left, about to bump the ceiling, are 7 Pot Primo. The shorter plants on the right are NagaBrain:
 

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

All your plants are looking great! I love seeing the outdoor over winter. I have found any volunteer plants I have come up especially my chiltepin amarillo plants, do much better than ones I start naturally from seed that have several months of a head start. 

 

[capsidadburn]

Monster plants Gary!  GrowDownCrownTown!
 
Very nice!  Those will show up on google earth I think!

 

[windchicken]

All your plants are looking great! I love seeing the outdoor over winter. I have found any volunteer plants I have come up especially my chiltepin amarillo plants, do much better than ones I start naturally from seed that have several months of a head start. 

 
Awesome! That's good to know, Chris! Even if they did grow slower than the sown-seed plants, it's like free plants…I'll take that any day! 
 

Monster plants Gary!  GrowDownCrownTown!
 
Very nice!  Those will show up on google earth I think!

 
Lol, thank Mike! I've been searching for your glog….I'm loving the excellent wild life shots!

 

[PaulG]

The plants look great, Gary!  I like the idea of having multiple plants of
fewer species/varieties.  I may have to dabble with that next season.

 

[windchicken]

The plants look great, Gary!  I like the idea of having multiple plants of
fewer species/varieties.  I may have to dabble with that next season.

 
Thanks PG! I think I do that because of my OCD….No matter how long my rows are, I can't stand the idea of mixing varieties within the rows. I can force myself to plant, for example, NagaBrain Red and NagaBrain Yellow in the same row, but two varieties in a row are my absolute limit, and they must be closely related. To plant two different species in the same row would make me a nervous wreck. 

 

[PaulG]

 
Thanks PG! I think I do that because of my OCD….No matter how long my rows are, I can't stand the idea of mixing varieties within the rows. I can force myself to plant, for example, NagaBrain Red and NagaBrain Yellow in the same row, but two varieties in a row are my absolute limit, and they must be closely related. To plant two different species in the same row would make me a nervous wreck. 

Wow, maybe I should rethink that
 
There are several I'd like to grow more of
just for the sake of getting what I want out
of the plants, phenotype, etc.  My problem I
can't narrow down the choices!

 

[windchicken]

Wow, maybe I should rethink that
 
There are several I'd like to grow more of
just for the sake of getting what I want out
of the plants, phenotype, etc.  My problem I
can't narrow down the choices!

 
Dude, I hear ya! There are not enough growing seasons in a lifetime to get around to all the wonderful chiles in the world! And if that weren't enough, we keep making more!!!
 
I finally started planting my DeSoto Parish garden today. Eight plants of 7 Pot Primo "Primo's Backyard Select:"
 

 

[windchicken]

Mississippi Scorpion, headed for the DeSoto Parish shade tent. Seeds from Butch Taylor:
 

 

[millworkman]

Looking great all around Gary!

 

[PaulS]

The garden looks so good

 

[PaulG]

Great to see somebody planting out!
The DSP garden looks great; nice little
shade tent.  Those Scorpions will like that!