Thought about adding this to my growlog, but was afraid it would just get lost. Plus, I thought it would be nice to hear other people's experiences from this growing season.
Aji Panca - Germination 1 out of 2, plant went in Earthbox. Growth was very slow with everything in the boxes. I believe it was an issue with the mix I used. There were flowers, but no pods at first frost.
Aji Yellow - Germ. 2 out of 2. One plant went in the ground at the community garden, and the other in a pot here at the house. Both plants grew very quickly, but the potted one received a good bit more shade and was just forming flower buds at first frost. I pruned it some, and placed it in the garage. Thinking about trying to overwinter it. The one at the community garden produced a few pods (see my thread on Aji Yellow vs. Lemon Drop for pictures). I would say the heat level is comparable to a Cayenne pepper, but it has a citrusy smell and flavor that kind of reminds me of a habanero. Liked this one a lot.
Alma Paprika - Germ. 4 out of 4. One went in the garden, one in an Earthbox, and two in pots. The one in the ground performed the best, again may have been an issue with the potting mix I used this year. Unfortunately, the one in the ground turned out to be a mystery pepper. I believe it was a cross with Lipstick, a sweet pepper which I grew in the same planter with an Alma Paprika I grew last year. The pods started out green, instead of cream, and were shaped like Liptick. The flesh was very thick, like an Alma Paprika though, and there was a slight bit of heat, which Lipstick doesn't have. The container grown Alma's were stunted and had smaller pods than normal, but all grew true from seed.
Ancho Gigantia - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the ground at the community center, the other ended up dying a slow death in the pot ghetto. A little puzzled by the name. Wondering if it refers to the size of the plant, or the pod size. I think the seeds cames from Seed Savers Exchange, which describes the peppers as 4" in length with a medium heat. The few pods I ended up with were much smaller than that and still green at the first frost. Haven't tasted one yet. This may not be a fair evaluation though, since the conditions at the community garden are pretty harsh. Full sun from sunrise to sunset, soil is compact and in serious need of amendments, and it is hard to be consistent with the watering, since it is done by hand and not on a sprinkler system.
Ancho San Luis - Germ. 1 out of 2. This one got a prime location in the garden here at the house. It was a large plant, over 3' tall. It produced a half dozen or so very large 5" - 7" pods, which were still green at first frost. They are in a bag indoors, and are almost all red now. I have used a couple, and really like the flavor. Mild heat.
Chilhaucle Rojo - Germ. 2 out of 2. One in the garden, one in a pot. One of my best performers this year. Plant was approx. 3' tall and very productive. It was also one of the earliest to ripen. Medium sized, triangular shaped pods, medium thick flesh. Heat fell somewhere between mild and medium, but dissipated with cooking. I dried quite a few of them and made a hot paprika, used some in salsa, and hot pepper jelly. Very pleased with this one.
Chimayo - Germ. 2 out of 2. Plants were tiny, like 12" - 15" tall. Bloomed early, but pods were only about 2" long, smaller than what they appear in pictures I've seen, and even the shape didn't seem quite right. Not sure if this one came true from seed. If anyone has information on what this one that would be aprreciated.
Cosa Arrugada - Germ. 1 out of 2. Went in the garden here at the house. Plant 2' - 2 1/2' tall, and very bushy. The productivity on this one was close to what I had on the Serrano, absolutely loaded with pods. Pods were wrinkly, flesh was thin and sweet, no heat for the most part. The flavor was nice. Used them mainly for drying into a sweet paprika.
Czechoslovakian Black - Germ. 2 out of 4, then one sprout fizzled out. The remaining plant went in the garden. Height was about 2', very ornamential, but productivity was not as high as the Black Hungarian I grew last year. Though similar in heat and flavor, I have to say I preferred the Black Hungarian out of the two.
El Oro De Ecuador - Germ. 2 out of 3. One went in the garden, one in a pot. Both were victims of our very strong spring winds
Fresno - Germ. only 1 out of 4. The plant was very compact, not more than 12" - 15" tall, and only produced about half a dozen pods. However, the flavor was good, and the heat similar to a jalapeno. Mine had upward facing pods. Is this how they normally grow?
Georgia Flame - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden, and the other in a pot. The one in the pot actually produced my first ripe pepper of the season, but then became the unfortunate victim of a soccer ball. The one in the garden was a little slower to produce, but was productive for a large chile type pepper. Pods were 6" - 8" long. I'm puzzled about the lack of heat though. Seed Savers listed it as hot, Tradewinds Fruit lists it as ~ 1,500 sku, but mine had no heat at all. Wait a minute, I take that back, the one pepper on the potted plant had a medium heat, it was the pods on the one in the garden that didn't have any. Not sure what that means, since the seeds were out of the same packet.
Jalapeno M - Germ. 3 out of 3. One ended up at the community garden, one in the garden, and one in the pot ghetto. Community garden plant did not do well at all, only a few mishapen pods, probably the victim of some sort of insect? The one here at the house did well, quite a few, large pods, but no heat. I know that Jalapeno M is one of the milder types, but I'd guess these were at 500 sku at best. Had the same problem with TAM Jalapeno last year. May have to break down and try Biker Billy next time ...
Jimmy Nardello - Germ. 1 out of 2. This plant went in one of the Earthboxes, and struggled for the first half of the season (like everything in the Earthboxes). Only got a pod or two out of it. Heard so many good things about this one that I may give this one another chance in a better location.
Joe E. Parker - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went to the comm. garden, the other in an Earthbox. Guess which one did better? Plants were 2' - 2 1/2' tall, and the comm. garden plant produced quite a few pods. Thought they would have a little heat, but didn't notice any.
Kalocsai V2 - Germ. 2 out of 4. One in garden, one in Earthbox. The Earthbox plant only produced a pod or two, but the garden plant was very productive. Pods were a little longer, and more pointed than a jalapeno, but flesh was thinner than a jalapeno. Guessing the heat level to have been around 5,000. Used mainly for drying into hot paprika powder.
Lemon Drop - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden, and was the victim of spring winds, so used the other plant to replace it. Huge, sprawling bush-like plant, super productive, no ripe pods at first frost. Most turned to yellow after picking and bringing indoors. Heat similar to Cayenne pepper, but sort of bitter, didn't like the taste. Will try again with a different seed source, since I've heard this is not typical of this pepper.
Pasilla Bajio - Germ. 2 out of 2. Hmmmm ... really? One went in an Earthbox, and I have no clue where the 2nd plant ended up. Tall plant, late to set pods, only 2 or 3 unripe pods at first frost. Is this one worth trying again?
Peppadew - Germ. 2 out of 2. One sprout died, the other went in an Earthbox. Slow to set pods, had several small unripe pods at first frost. May try again in different location.
Puya - Germ. 2 out of 2. One sprout died a slow death in the pot ghetto, the other went to the community garden. Slow to take off, but had several small pods at first frost. However, they didn't look quite like the pictures I've seen. The top half was starting to turn red, but the bottom was still green. The had extremely thin skin, no flesh, no heat, and no flavor. Another one that I'm wondering if I should give another try from a different seed source.
Sandia - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden here, the other at the comm. garden. The one at the house was extremely productive for an Anaheim type chile pepper. Lots of huge pods, the skin was a little bit tough though. The problem, once again, was mine had no heat. All the sources I've looked at list it as 5,000 - 7,000 sku. Mine didn't even have 700 sku! I've read that stress will make peppers hotter. Maybe I'm just treating mine too nice?
The one at the comm. garden was simply pathetic. Pretty sure there was some type of insect problem there, but couldn't see any visible bugs.
Santa Fe Grande - Germ. 2 out of 2, but one sprout died. The remaining plant went in the garden, and was one of my favorite peppers this year. Similar in size and shape to a jalapeno, but starts out cream, then orange, and finally red. Heat was also similar to a jalapeno, but much sweeter. I loved the flavor, and will definitely grow this one again. Great for salsa, and pepper jelly. Thick fleshed, so probably not the best choice for drying.
Serrano Tampiqueno - Germ. 1 out of 2, but I bought a second one from a local nursery. Mine went in the garden here, the purchased plant went to the comm. garden. No surprise, but the one at the house was much more productive; however, the pods at the comm. garden ripened earlier. The plant here at the house probably had over 50 pods on it. At first I was disappointed in the heat level, but once I tried a red one, the heat level was more what I had expected. More heat than flavor I think. They were a good addition to salsa though.
Whew, well, I guess that pretty much sums up my growing season. There were a few on my growlist that I didn't get any germination on, including Rain Forest, Fish, Choricero, Espanola Improved, Pimente de Padron, and Numex Pinata.
Now that I've evaluated this year, it's time to start looking ahead to next year's growlist!
Aji Panca - Germination 1 out of 2, plant went in Earthbox. Growth was very slow with everything in the boxes. I believe it was an issue with the mix I used. There were flowers, but no pods at first frost.
Aji Yellow - Germ. 2 out of 2. One plant went in the ground at the community garden, and the other in a pot here at the house. Both plants grew very quickly, but the potted one received a good bit more shade and was just forming flower buds at first frost. I pruned it some, and placed it in the garage. Thinking about trying to overwinter it. The one at the community garden produced a few pods (see my thread on Aji Yellow vs. Lemon Drop for pictures). I would say the heat level is comparable to a Cayenne pepper, but it has a citrusy smell and flavor that kind of reminds me of a habanero. Liked this one a lot.
Alma Paprika - Germ. 4 out of 4. One went in the garden, one in an Earthbox, and two in pots. The one in the ground performed the best, again may have been an issue with the potting mix I used this year. Unfortunately, the one in the ground turned out to be a mystery pepper. I believe it was a cross with Lipstick, a sweet pepper which I grew in the same planter with an Alma Paprika I grew last year. The pods started out green, instead of cream, and were shaped like Liptick. The flesh was very thick, like an Alma Paprika though, and there was a slight bit of heat, which Lipstick doesn't have. The container grown Alma's were stunted and had smaller pods than normal, but all grew true from seed.
Ancho Gigantia - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the ground at the community center, the other ended up dying a slow death in the pot ghetto. A little puzzled by the name. Wondering if it refers to the size of the plant, or the pod size. I think the seeds cames from Seed Savers Exchange, which describes the peppers as 4" in length with a medium heat. The few pods I ended up with were much smaller than that and still green at the first frost. Haven't tasted one yet. This may not be a fair evaluation though, since the conditions at the community garden are pretty harsh. Full sun from sunrise to sunset, soil is compact and in serious need of amendments, and it is hard to be consistent with the watering, since it is done by hand and not on a sprinkler system.
Ancho San Luis - Germ. 1 out of 2. This one got a prime location in the garden here at the house. It was a large plant, over 3' tall. It produced a half dozen or so very large 5" - 7" pods, which were still green at first frost. They are in a bag indoors, and are almost all red now. I have used a couple, and really like the flavor. Mild heat.
Chilhaucle Rojo - Germ. 2 out of 2. One in the garden, one in a pot. One of my best performers this year. Plant was approx. 3' tall and very productive. It was also one of the earliest to ripen. Medium sized, triangular shaped pods, medium thick flesh. Heat fell somewhere between mild and medium, but dissipated with cooking. I dried quite a few of them and made a hot paprika, used some in salsa, and hot pepper jelly. Very pleased with this one.
Chimayo - Germ. 2 out of 2. Plants were tiny, like 12" - 15" tall. Bloomed early, but pods were only about 2" long, smaller than what they appear in pictures I've seen, and even the shape didn't seem quite right. Not sure if this one came true from seed. If anyone has information on what this one that would be aprreciated.
Cosa Arrugada - Germ. 1 out of 2. Went in the garden here at the house. Plant 2' - 2 1/2' tall, and very bushy. The productivity on this one was close to what I had on the Serrano, absolutely loaded with pods. Pods were wrinkly, flesh was thin and sweet, no heat for the most part. The flavor was nice. Used them mainly for drying into a sweet paprika.
Czechoslovakian Black - Germ. 2 out of 4, then one sprout fizzled out. The remaining plant went in the garden. Height was about 2', very ornamential, but productivity was not as high as the Black Hungarian I grew last year. Though similar in heat and flavor, I have to say I preferred the Black Hungarian out of the two.
El Oro De Ecuador - Germ. 2 out of 3. One went in the garden, one in a pot. Both were victims of our very strong spring winds
Fresno - Germ. only 1 out of 4. The plant was very compact, not more than 12" - 15" tall, and only produced about half a dozen pods. However, the flavor was good, and the heat similar to a jalapeno. Mine had upward facing pods. Is this how they normally grow?
Georgia Flame - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden, and the other in a pot. The one in the pot actually produced my first ripe pepper of the season, but then became the unfortunate victim of a soccer ball. The one in the garden was a little slower to produce, but was productive for a large chile type pepper. Pods were 6" - 8" long. I'm puzzled about the lack of heat though. Seed Savers listed it as hot, Tradewinds Fruit lists it as ~ 1,500 sku, but mine had no heat at all. Wait a minute, I take that back, the one pepper on the potted plant had a medium heat, it was the pods on the one in the garden that didn't have any. Not sure what that means, since the seeds were out of the same packet.
Jalapeno M - Germ. 3 out of 3. One ended up at the community garden, one in the garden, and one in the pot ghetto. Community garden plant did not do well at all, only a few mishapen pods, probably the victim of some sort of insect? The one here at the house did well, quite a few, large pods, but no heat. I know that Jalapeno M is one of the milder types, but I'd guess these were at 500 sku at best. Had the same problem with TAM Jalapeno last year. May have to break down and try Biker Billy next time ...
Jimmy Nardello - Germ. 1 out of 2. This plant went in one of the Earthboxes, and struggled for the first half of the season (like everything in the Earthboxes). Only got a pod or two out of it. Heard so many good things about this one that I may give this one another chance in a better location.
Joe E. Parker - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went to the comm. garden, the other in an Earthbox. Guess which one did better? Plants were 2' - 2 1/2' tall, and the comm. garden plant produced quite a few pods. Thought they would have a little heat, but didn't notice any.
Kalocsai V2 - Germ. 2 out of 4. One in garden, one in Earthbox. The Earthbox plant only produced a pod or two, but the garden plant was very productive. Pods were a little longer, and more pointed than a jalapeno, but flesh was thinner than a jalapeno. Guessing the heat level to have been around 5,000. Used mainly for drying into hot paprika powder.
Lemon Drop - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden, and was the victim of spring winds, so used the other plant to replace it. Huge, sprawling bush-like plant, super productive, no ripe pods at first frost. Most turned to yellow after picking and bringing indoors. Heat similar to Cayenne pepper, but sort of bitter, didn't like the taste. Will try again with a different seed source, since I've heard this is not typical of this pepper.
Pasilla Bajio - Germ. 2 out of 2. Hmmmm ... really? One went in an Earthbox, and I have no clue where the 2nd plant ended up. Tall plant, late to set pods, only 2 or 3 unripe pods at first frost. Is this one worth trying again?
Peppadew - Germ. 2 out of 2. One sprout died, the other went in an Earthbox. Slow to set pods, had several small unripe pods at first frost. May try again in different location.
Puya - Germ. 2 out of 2. One sprout died a slow death in the pot ghetto, the other went to the community garden. Slow to take off, but had several small pods at first frost. However, they didn't look quite like the pictures I've seen. The top half was starting to turn red, but the bottom was still green. The had extremely thin skin, no flesh, no heat, and no flavor. Another one that I'm wondering if I should give another try from a different seed source.
Sandia - Germ. 2 out of 2. One went in the garden here, the other at the comm. garden. The one at the house was extremely productive for an Anaheim type chile pepper. Lots of huge pods, the skin was a little bit tough though. The problem, once again, was mine had no heat. All the sources I've looked at list it as 5,000 - 7,000 sku. Mine didn't even have 700 sku! I've read that stress will make peppers hotter. Maybe I'm just treating mine too nice?
The one at the comm. garden was simply pathetic. Pretty sure there was some type of insect problem there, but couldn't see any visible bugs. Santa Fe Grande - Germ. 2 out of 2, but one sprout died. The remaining plant went in the garden, and was one of my favorite peppers this year. Similar in size and shape to a jalapeno, but starts out cream, then orange, and finally red. Heat was also similar to a jalapeno, but much sweeter. I loved the flavor, and will definitely grow this one again. Great for salsa, and pepper jelly. Thick fleshed, so probably not the best choice for drying.
Serrano Tampiqueno - Germ. 1 out of 2, but I bought a second one from a local nursery. Mine went in the garden here, the purchased plant went to the comm. garden. No surprise, but the one at the house was much more productive; however, the pods at the comm. garden ripened earlier. The plant here at the house probably had over 50 pods on it. At first I was disappointed in the heat level, but once I tried a red one, the heat level was more what I had expected. More heat than flavor I think. They were a good addition to salsa though.
Whew, well, I guess that pretty much sums up my growing season. There were a few on my growlist that I didn't get any germination on, including Rain Forest, Fish, Choricero, Espanola Improved, Pimente de Padron, and Numex Pinata.
Now that I've evaluated this year, it's time to start looking ahead to next year's growlist!
