The Newb Pepper Grower

Fruit From the Arledge

2006-07-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the peppers I salvaged from the dying Arledge last week.

As I said on my flickr page:
I cut these off the dying Alredge Heirloom back on July 9th. At that time, only two of the peppers were a fully ripened red. All the other were kind of, to really green. So I used an Alton Brown trick, and put the green ones in a paper bag with a banana. Though I do not remember the exact process, I think it has something to do with what the growers of the bananas spray on them to speed up the ripening process. In the paper bag, the banana gives off some of the stuff, and few days later, more then half of the peppers are now ripe. The others were just too young.

I'll need to do something with the ripe ones pretty damn quick, because they will go bad in a couple of days. I think I'm going to throw most them in the blender and make a hot sauce. I'll keep a couple of them to use in a salsa. My bro says he'll use the green ones in a really good jambalaya he makes. If the hot sauce turns out good, to quote Hyde on That 70's Show, "I'm gonna be super-pissed!" We shall see...

Down Goes Arledge...

2006-07-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Bad news on the pepper growing front. Lost my second favorite plant, the Arledge Heirloom. On Thursday, July 6th, the plants leaves started drooping really badly. It was acting like it needed water. But all the other plants, including the one in the pot it shares(Jaloro) looked good. So I hit it with some water...as the sun went down, the majority of plant perked up. Just one little stem stayed droopy. But the next day it looked even worse then the day before. I took a closer look and discovered some sort of white moldy stuff at the base of the plant. So I gave it a good dose of straight seaweed fertilizer. Guess I discovered it too late...by Sunday it's leaves were completely limp/dead. So I cut all the peppers off, and yanked the plant. I had high hopes for this plant. It made a lot of nice looking peppers, that had good heat.

The white moldy stuff.

Another learning experience for The Newb - even the best looking plants can keel over at anytime. I'm sure there is something I could have done(or not have done), before this plant got so bad off. So I'll need to do a little research on the ol' internet...

Hot Stuff...

2006-07-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

So decided to pick some peppers today. The ones I picked are nice and ripe: two fataliis, a kung pao and a thai.

Fatalii - Beautiful, yet painful...just like a woman. I think I'm in love with these peppers. I couldn't believe the lemony citrus, almost sweet flavor these peppers have. Never tasted anything like it. Then the heat attacked with full force. My whole mouth was on fire.

Thai on the left, the other is the Kung Pao. Both had good heat. The KP was kind of sweet w/ a nice a taste, and THEN the heat kick me in the back of the throat. The Thai was just straight hot...not much flavor.

Not much else is budding anymore, except for the Chocolate Habs. Those are going crazy. I think the heat has effect everything else.

Chocolate Habs - they started budding/making fruit when everything else stopped!

A Funny Thing Happens...

2006-06-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

...when you don't pay attention to a pepper plant with only one flower. Two weeks later it suddenly has over a dozen hot as Hell little peppers growing on it!!

And then there is the Fatalii pepper that went from green to bright yellow in 3 days. I was really suprised how quickly this change colors!

And these peppers are among some of the hottest on the planet...I truly expect a lot of pain from these guys. But that's ok. It's how the plants show their love...

Pictures - June 14th

2006-06-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm posting pictures I took this evening. That makes me UP TO DATE! It's been hotter then the "average temperature" you hear everyday on evening news. I believe that the night tempurature has a big influence on what your plants do. When it gets too hot, the flowers tend to dry up and die before they can be pollinated. I think they need temps in the lowest 70's/upper 60's. It's been in the upper 70's most nights, though the last few days have been just a bit cooler. So maybe the flowers can make a few fruit before it gets real hot again.

Pictures - May 31

2006-06-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here they are about 13 days later - though the plants may look a little greener then they really are, since the pics were taken in the evening. Look hard enough, and see little peppers on some of these plants. Again, nothing but watering have I done to speed these plants on their merry way.

Pictures - May 18th

2006-06-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics I took about a month ago, and am finally getting around to posting. Since these were taken, only water and one fertilizing have happened.

they are amazing...

2006-06-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in 17 days. And apparently in the plant community, 17 days is the difference between sprout and full blown PLANT. I've watered them a few times, but have not fertilized anymore. As I said I'd do, I took pics on the 18th. I also stopped picking buds on that day. And I basically quit paying attention to the plants. I just stuck my fingers into the soil, felt the soil to see if it needed water, and then I'd water. I completely stopped looking at the plants. About 2 waterings in from then, I noticed an odd thing. Flowers blooming...which lead to only thing - PEPPERS!

Here is the first flower that REALLY caught my eye. I now know it is called a Rocotillo. I felt that's what it was...but after someone saw the flower, via the internet, and confirmed it, I knew I was correct.

Since then there were plenty of little white flowers popping up on the different plants. Among other stuff...

Thanks to some problems with El Internet, I cannot post any more photos...but I will soon...

...some more H2O...with a twist...

2006-05-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 13th

They were pretty dry, and the Roco-whatever was actually a little bit droopy. So I gave a really good, deep soaking and also sprayed them with a fertilizer I got from my mentor(aka - mom). She told me to spray it on the actual leaves...that they would feed that way. If you say so...

Most of the plants look great. Some are growing sooo much faster then others. And then there is the scotch bonnet, which doesn't seem to be doing ANYTHING. Barely growing in height, and almost no new leaves. And DEFINITELY no buds. I think I've picked atleast one bud from all the other plants. I don't know. I think after this week(ending May 20th), I'll stop picking buds. Time to see what the plants will do. If they haven't established good growth/roots by then(30 days on the 20th), then they aren't going to. Need to take/post new pics of the plants. Will try to remember to that on Friday, May 19th.

We need water!

2006-05-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 9th

So I watered the plants on Tuesday. They were pretty dry, but they just don't seem to droop. I almost want to wait for them to droop, but I don't...

I gave an ok soaking, but maybe not deep enough. It was incredibly hot that day, with massive humidity. The heat index(whatever the hell that is) was 109 and the mosquitos were viscious...a cool front was pushing all that shit in front of it. And it was MEAN, though the plants seemed happy enough. I think the mosquitos kind of kept me from giving a really deep soak. Anyway...nothing else really happened but picking buds.

Yet again...

2006-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

I procrastinate.

And now I have to remember...

Very, VERY wet...

2006-05-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 5th

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Here's to the Mexicans that laid a whooping on the French in Puebla, all those years ago.

On Thursday night(Friday morning), we had some terrific(terrifying?) storms roll through at about 2-3am. Massive lightning and thunder...a couple of times, it seemed that I heard the thunder before the lightning flashed. So it was right on top of me. And of course, the power went out. NEVER fails...

But the plants got a serious soaking. Though when I stuck my finger into the soil this evening, the soil was wet, but not dripping.

Tonight, ANOTHER big band of storms is currently flowing through North Texas. Not really any lightning and thunder, but lots of rain. I'm a little concerned that the plants are now over-watered. I'll have to poke some holes in the soil, away from the roots, to help the plants dry out some.

Not sure I've posted much info here, over the last few entries, though I have "caught up," date-wise. As I finish typing this, the thunder has started to roll...

Pictures after 12 days

2006-05-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

Took some pictures on Tuesday, May 2nd. The plants do look bigger...but when you stare at them everyday, you don't always see the changes. Los had the great idea to put some thin dowel rods in the soil, and make marks on them as the plants grow. It would be a good way to measure their height to the time in the pots....so that's something to look into. Speaking of, here are the plants:

Saggy scotch bonnet and a happy Sunbright

2 Red Savinas(tm)- I think something strange is happening here. The one on the right is slowly beginning to no longer look like a habanero plant - THAT will piss me off. I'll take a picture later...

Jaloro, Arledge Heirloom and chocolate habanero - all look good

The other chocolate habanero and little Chilly Chili hybrid - also looking pretty good.

2 fataliis - out of all the habanero-type plants, they look the strongest.

Much Nacho Jalapeno - looks about the same, but doing well

Thai - good to go...

Roca - whatever it's called. It's got some really big, floppy leaves, but they are strong.

Kung Pao - really growing strong...maybe the fastest. And in the smallest pot...could spell bad news.

How hot has it been?

2006-05-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just realized I haven't been documenting the temperatures during the day, as these plants have progressed. From what I can remember, it's been hotter then normal for the last week or so - 80's and 90's(except when it has rained). Add some wind, and that will dry out the soil in the pots faster then if they were in the ground. I do have about 1/2 an inch of cedar mulch on top of the soil. Should probably be deeper(atleast a couple of inches), but I haven't done that. I need to pay more attention to the temperature...

Scotch Looks a little off...

2006-05-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 2nd

The scotch bonnet plant has been looking a little sketchy from about 3 days in. A little sagging, and yellowish leaves. It's shown NO perkiness at all. All the others looked strong, especially the fataliis. Since I hadn't fertilized the plants yet, except when I hit them with the seaweed stuff during the potting process, I figured it was time to do it.

So I watered them, though they were still a little moist, with water mixed with fish emulsion. The nitrogen in it(5%), will "promote strong growth and deep green leaf color."(from chileplants.com's GROW-HOW) Sounds good to me...

Gave them an OK soaking, probably not as deep as it could have been, but they were already a little moist. I'm still trying to figure this out, but I need to start thinking "less is more" when it comes to water. I also took off a couple of the really yellow leaves from the scotch bonnet.

"...Stormy Weather..."

2006-05-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 28th

Heavy weather was predicted for that Friday night...one week into the pots. Big rain, and possible large hail. So I kind of freak-out, and move all the pots on the porch, where they'd be safe. Before they were moved, just a little earlier that evening, we got a good, deep soaking of rain. With that soaking, and the possible bad stuff coming, I figured they'd had enough and needed to be moved. Of course, you know what happened later that night - absolutely nothing! Almost no rain, and definitely no high winds or hail. So all the pots got moved back out into the sun the next day. And moving that big-ass pot with the Jaloro and Arledge was a real pain...

Ok...so where was I...

2006-05-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 26th

The little guys were in their pots for 5 days(for the most part), and the soil was still just a bit moist. They looked pretty strong,(except for the dead Ancho) with no wilting. But since they were new in the pots, I thought I'd go ahead and give them some water. I can look into letting them suffer a little bit, to piss off the peppers, later in the season. For now, I think they need some moisture to get them settled into their pots. A couple of the non-habanero plants were trying to get some buds going, but I plucked them off. I wasn't using as much patience as I should have, as I pulled off some of the new growth - little stems and leaves - while going for the buds. I doubt I was hurting the plant, but it didn't seem like the right thing to do.
Anyway, after that, I left them alone for a couple of days.

Catching Up...

2006-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

I knew I would start to slack on updating this info. I'll see if I can catch up, and remember the important, if any, details. Though, it seems with growing plants, things move pretty slow. So I'm not exactly too far off track.

The Additions to the Family

2006-04-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday(April 22nd), I went to a community plant sale in Southeast Dallas, called Our Saviour Community Plant Sale. It's done by a group that handle four different community gardens in Dallas. They use organic gardening, and actually help the people in the communities where they grow. To quote their website gardendallas.org.:
"Our mission is growing people. Each year Gardeners in Community Development makes it possible for hundreds of Dallas area families, mostly low-income, to enjoy fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers grown in our community gardens. These gardens enhance the quality of life in area neighborhoods in many ways, and provide a place to learn and share our joy of gardening with others."
Though I didn't know much about these guys until just recently, I'm now a big fan...

So at the sale, I picked four plants:

The tag said Rocatilo. But I can't find anthing by that name on the internet. I did find a Rocotillo. If the plant survives and bears fruit, I can compare them to the picture found at the ChilePlants.com site - Rocotillo.

This is a Mucho Nacho Jalapeno. I've never heard of it, but I've read some good things about it on the internet. It bears a lot of peppers, and they have good heat and flavor.

The classic Thai pepper. Used in all kinds of cooking, and it will hopefully bring the LOVE. Because, as we all know, love = pain.

This last one is yet another I have never heard of - Kung Pao pepper. At first I thought it was a joke, but yet again, the internet comes to the rescue. It seems like a Thai pepper, but it's bigger. And I have no idea what the heat from the peppers will be like. One site I've seen says they're more mild, while another says they are hot. I'm sure climate, watering, and how the wind blows makes a difference. I'll just see if I can keep it alive.

edit: In looking at this pictures, it just dawned on me that those pots may not be big enough for these plants. But they were all I had left, so what the hell...

Problems already...!

2006-04-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning...I got up and faced the day. The first thing I did was go out and look at the plants. The Ancho had looked a little droopy Friday night. But this morning, it was pert and looked happy as could be. So I went to South Dallas, to a plant sale - Our Saviour Community Garden on Jim Miller Rd. Picked up some random peppers plants they were selling. Hopefully they will grow as well. Anyway...

I get home about noon, and the Ancho has completely collapsed! From standing strong to hanging completely limp in just a few hours...and I have no idea why. Today(Sunday the 23rd) has shown no change. I'm just gonna hope it's the only plant that gives it up...
Here's how it looked on Saturday afternoon:

I get the feeling that I'm taking this a little personal. I know they are only plants, but I've paid good money for them, and I want them to grow...dammit...!

Oh well...they can't all die on me...!!!

Put 'em in the pots

2006-04-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

I got home from work on Friday, April 21st, and decided to put the plants in their pots. The soil in the pots got a good soaking the night before, from the storm that rolled through. All the plants looked good. Some already had flowers, small fruit, and buds on them. I picked all that growth off the plants. The plants need to focus on growing first. Once they get established, set some roots, and get bigger/sturdier, then I'll let the good stuff grow. I also picked off a few yellowish leaves from some of the plants. Probably got that way from lack of sunshine for a few days...

Once I plucked all that off, I got them in the pots.

Lesson Number One in Plant Growing: Have patience! Something I do NOT have a lot of...but am quickly acquiring.
When you get the plants out of the little containers, you've got to break up the root ball. But that's got be done gently, or you'll hurt the plant. So I went slow, and with patience. I made good size holes in the soil, broke up the root ball, and put the plants in the pots. With some plants(tomatoes), the rootball/plant need to be put in the ground deeper then how they were started. This will give it some support. But that's not necessary with peppers. Then I hit them with a soaking of water, with some seaweed/fish emulsion stirred in. It's a good, organic fertilizer...but since the soil was already really moist, I didn't put too much water.

Here are the plants in their pots. Not only did I put the name markers the plants came with into the pots, I decided to put the names of the plants on to the pots themselves, just in case. I hope the pots are big enough. I'd hate to have a lesson number two...well, I know at some point there will be probably be a lesson number two...

Notice the Ancho looks pretty good(first one on the left). The plants are Ancho 211, Fatalii, Chilly Chili, and another Fatalii.

Jaloro on the left, Alredge Heirloom on the right in the big pot, and the pot to the right has a Chocolate Habanero.

Two Red Savinas

Scotch Bonnet, another Chocolate Habanero and a Sunbright, which is a bell pepper type.

Arrival

2006-04-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

The plants made there arrival on Thursday, April 20th. They were in good condition, though the Ancho 211 plant looked a bit rough. A lot of it's soil had come out, and the plant looked a little wobbly.

Here they are in the box:

And out of the box, though I got a little excited and started tearing the packing apart, before I remembered to take a picture:

And all lined up:

I left them to rest on the porch for the night. It was going to be a rainy, windy night, and they'd need the protection.

On the Truck

2006-04-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Per an e-mail I received from UPS, my plants are on the truck for delivery. Hope they leave them on the doorstep! I'd hate to think they will throw them back on the truck for delivery tomorrow...

Pots are Ready

2006-04-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Got all my pots ready yesterday(Wednesday, April 20th). Since I'm doing container growing, it wasn't that difficult to do. Used some potting soil I bought at an organic nursery, compost, humus(though I still don't quite understand what it is!) and some lava sand(again, no idea). As I've NEVER gardened before, I used information from the only semi-expert I know - my mom. Though she too has never grown peppers, she has been gardening in Texas for over 20 years. So I take what she has to say very seriously.

The peppers...

2006-03-25T18:49:00.001-08:00

Being a first time grower, I decided to buy seedlings/small plants, instead of starting from seeds. Some people may see this as cheating, but I want to actually grow something...not stare at dirt, waiting for something to happen. In looking at local nurseries, they carry generic jalapenos, serranos and habaneros. I figured if I'm going to buy live plants, I might as well get some that are rare, different, fun, and freakin' hot! So I went to the website Chile Plants. They sell an incredible variety of chile and tomato plants. From basic plants you can find at any nursery, to difficult to find stuff, like heirloom tomatoes and rare peppers like the Red Savina habaneros. The plants cost $3.00 per, and you must buy a minimum of 12 plants. From there, you can buy in groups of 6. Now these can be 12 different plants...so it's pretty damn cool. From there you add shipping, which is expensive. So I ended up buying 12 plants, and it cost $50. Yes, it's a lot, but I'm hoping it's worth it.
Here is a list of the peppers I'll be (hopefully) growing:

Ancho 211 Hybrid 1 Plant

Arledge Heirloom 1 Plant

Chilly Chili Hybrid 1 Plant

Fatalii 2 Plants

Chocolate Habanero 2 Plants

Red Savina Habanero 2 Plants

Jaloro 1 Plant

Scotch Bonnet Yellow 1 Plant

Sunbright 1 Plant

Ok, so all the peppers aren't scorching hot, but a majority are...and I look forward to growing/eating all of them!! They will be delivered the week of April 17th. I better be ready...

Green Thumb...or Black Thumb??

2006-03-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

This will be my first attempt to grow hot peppers...actually this will be my first attempt to grow anything. Since I live in Dallas, TX, the attempt should be a good one. The weather here in Spring and Summer is pretty conducive for growing peppers. So, if anything goes wrong, it will probably be my fault. By the end of the Summer, I hope my only worry will be what to do with all the damn peppers...!