My pepper 2013 season has begun!

[Tania]

I have 26 little pepper seedlings growing under lights - they just showed the first baby leaves.

Here is what I have so far:

De Bresse
Scotch Bonnet Red
Aji Red
Trinidad Scorpion
Orchid (Aji Flor)
Grandpa's Siberian Home

Some of these came from a SODC member, and others from Jeannine, who was so kind to share the seeds with me. Germination was very good, despite the fact some of these were 5 years old.

All the other annuums will be started in mid-January.

[neoguy]

You're about a month ahead of me. Last year I started some super hots in mid January and I had very good harvest.

[Tania]

Last year I started mine in mid January, and none of my habaneros matured before the plants were hit by frost in mid November. So I am giving them a head start this year

Neoguy, when did you have your first ripe pepper? I am curious how long it takes in NE Ohio.

[Fred Hempel]

Dang, you are making me feel like I am behind...

[neoguy]

Tania, I'm surprised you didn't harvest any habaneros. I only grew Chocolate Habs last year and I didn't start those until mid February. I was harvesting them by early August. I had 2 plants and I must have had 50 ripe peppers on each plant.

The peppers I started In mid January were Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (NOT), must have been a cross because it was red, and Trinidad 7-pod Douglah. I was harvesting these in late July, early August. And they kept growing and ripening until mid October.

This coming growing season I'll be starting seeds in January of the saved seed of the 2 mentioned above as well as Trinidad Scorpian Moruga Blend and Peach Bhut Jolokia, and some others

Originally Posted by Tania

Last year I started mine in mid January, and none of my habaneros matured before the plants were hit by frost in mid November. So I am giving them a head start this year

Neoguy, when did you have your first ripe pepper? I am curious how long it takes in NE Ohio.

[neoguy]

Fred, up here in the snowy, very COLD, north you have to plan ahead.

The older I get , the more I hate the cold and the snow.

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

Dang, you are making me feel like I am behind...

[RobinB]

Tania,
I'm with you. I think I'll start some peppers this weekend. Last year, I waited until mid-January and then the Tomato Madness took over and peppers took a secondary role. If I start them now, they will get the attention they deserve!
Robin

[Tania]

Robin, I like the way you said that. I feel my peppers are getting 100% of my attention now - both the seeds and the plants. I also tend to neglect them when tomatoes kick in

We only got some nice hot days at the very end of summer, my peppers did not appreciate it.

[neoguy]

I'd like to add, the very first, ripe peppers I've harvested the last few years are Chimayo, always early to mid July for me. Seed received from our good friend Lee Goodwin @ J&L Gardens. And, I don't start these until early March.

[Tania]

Originally Posted by neoguy

Tania, I'm surprised you didn't harvest any habaneros. I only grew Chocolate Habs last year and I didn't start those until mid February. I was harvesting them by early August. I had 2 plants and I must have had 50 ripe peppers on each plant.

The peppers I started In mid January were Bhut Jolokia Chocolate (NOT), must have been a cross because it was red, and Trinidad 7-pod Douglah. I was harvesting these in late July, early August. And they kept growing and ripening until mid October.

This coming growing season I'll be starting seeds in January of the saved seed of the 2 mentioned above as well as Trinidad Scorpian Moruga Blend and Peach Bhut Jolokia, and some others

Very nice! I tried to grow Bhut Jolokia, but I think it was in another bad summer, and I have not got new seeds yet. I am excited about growing Scorpions this year, never tried them before. Will probably plant Chocolate Habanero also, once I receive the seeds I ordered.

[Tania]

I'll keep Chimayo in mind, thank you for the tip! I have seeds.

My sweet annuums are maturing well when started from seeds in in mid-to-late February. I am not so lucky with hot peppers, but probably because these are not grown under plastic, unlike my sweet peppers.

[Gavriil]

Originally Posted by Tania

Very nice! I tried to grow Bhut Jolokia, but I think it was in another bad summer, and I have not got new seeds yet. I am excited about growing Scorpions this year, never tried them before. Will probably plant Chocolate Habanero also, once I receive the seeds I ordered.

Ah yes Chocolate Habenero their on my list also.
also some Bhut Jolokia from a trade
Probably try a couple of plants each of

Ao Togarashi (Shi★★★★o)(Mild) That's not what it looks like it's Japanese.
Here let me translate that green pepper (minature, hot)
Shima Togarashi
Hungarian Hot Wax (Yellow)
Hungarian (Black) (Mild)
Jalapeno M

But wait there's
Tomato's,Cucumbers,Eggplant and ?????
What to do my garden is so small?

[Calcat36]

Tania, I am no expert pepper grower by any means. I have found great success by planting a few seeds of the hardest/longest plants to grow for my climate in MA, USA to grow at the MIDDLE of the summer growing season. The plants that take forever to get going, such as habs, jolokias, and a few other ones to establish themselves get a head start. In the winter, I keep them in my south facing bay window until/unless it gets really cold, but for the past couple of years, the cold temps have turned them into weeds come the early summer. I have 3 red habs and 1 orange hab that are still growing like mad and I have not had to cut them back! I cut back on water and 1/2 strength fertilizer to allow them to go somewhat "dormant" as I do not have a large greenhouse to keep them going. They are 4 to 5 feet tall.

Many of the pods that I gave away this year were from 2 year old plants that once started fruiting, would not stop. I look a it as more of a "pre-season" start than an "overwintering" of plants as the plants stay young and strive to survive the adverse conditions. I believe it "hardens" them off a bit more.

This winter, I bought a couple of cheap, lightweight "greenhouse" set ups and heating mats. The peppers I started last week already have sprouted... The next frontier! And the seedlings from this last summer are very happy in there!

Just my for what it's worth. It couldn't hurt to try a couple of plants mid sumer, right?

Good luck!

[Tania]

Thank you

I am not a good overwinterer wrt peppers. Our winters are too dark, and I have no window sills. Bringing pepper plants indoors in my case also means lots of aphids that spread to my other seedlings in no time. So I stopped doing it.

I need to figure out a way to grow peppers to maturity without overwintering them... If this at all possible in our cool summer!

Having said that, I do have a few pepper plants in the basement that I am trying to overwinter. They do not get any light and unfortunately the temps are not low enough for the plants to get dormant... We'll see! Please wish me luck

[Calcat36]

All the luck I can send to you! I bought a cheap 63"H X 19"D X 27" W shelf unit that has a plastic cover over it with 2 zippers in the front. $10 bucks each. Then I bought a few power strips and Y splitter adapters to put curly q light bulbs into for light at night and mounted them to the bottom of each shelf. The heat mats were cheap from Home Despot and 2 of them heat 3 X 36 cell seed starting containers.

No aphids yet! But I'm always on the lookout! Wish me luck too! This is my first year with more than 6 plants and in some type of greenhouse set up. Cannot wait to start tomatoes and see how well they do!