hialttransplant asked "So, anyone else have a list yet? When are you guys going to start yours?"

I don't have a list yet of what I'm starting but hopefully at least one of everything that's on my seed list.

I can usually transplant out in the garden around May 8th or a week earlier with a bit of risk. I figure 8 weeks prior to that should be good starting indoors.

This year I'll be experimenting with a cold frame that I've built this winter. Not exactly sure what I'll do with it but peppers might work out.

FINALLY have my pepper list!!

Alba Regia
Alma Paprika
Ancho Gigantea
Aussie Black
Cayenne Golden
Czech Black
Feherozon
Fish
Fresno
Ghana Round
Golden Marconi
Greek (??) from my mom's neighbor
Italia
Malagueta
Martin's Carrot
New Mexico 64L
Numex Espanola Improved
Pasilla Bajio
Peppadew
Pizza
Poblano/Ancho
Purple Marconi
Sigareta Dolce
Soroksari
Stavros
Sweet Feherszen
Thai Yellow
Tobago Seasoning
Uyababa
Vietnamese Multicolor
Volcano
Yellow Chicken Heart
ZK II

I always plant (tomatoes) in mid-March to early April, using Wall O Waters. However, the wows fail to keep my peppers happy.

Interested to hear how the cold frame does for peppers. I would LOVE to get them started outside earlier then mid-May.

Last year, I was SO excited about my pepper list and then was SO disappointed when many varieties either failed to germinate and/or became weak seedlings.

I have awesome grow lights, so I know it was not the light.

So this year, I am going to bleach my seeds before germination.

If I have great pepper germination/growth in 2011, I'll have to figure out where to plant this many peppers!!

Nice list, Deb! There are a couple on there that I need to look up. Hey, do you know if there is any difference between Black Hungarian and Czech Black? The descriptions I've found seem pretty much the same.

I'm thinking that Sweet Feherszen is a typo? Probably supposed to be Feherozon.

I don't have a grow light set up, and my germination has been pretty good, but I'd sure like to splurge on a heat mat this year ...

Oh, and you can always bring your extras to the spring swap, and I'll take them off your hands : ) : ) : )

Warmth really helps out with germination of peppers. I have a mat I use to warm up the trays of dixie cups. Also pepper seeds should be barely covered 1/8 of an inch is plenty.

I've never heard of using bleach on seeds.

My cold frame is placed out in it's approximate place. The ground is still frozen to get it set in place. I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.

gjcore,
I'm going to attach an article about using bleach for germination. I also soak all tomato and most pepper seeds in a bleach solution to help control seed borne diseases. There are several researchers and agronomists at major universities who recommend doing it. It has worked well for me. Where I obtain seeds from so many sources I saw a huge increase in diseases. After I started soaking the seeds this has went back to a normal level. Jay

Seed Germination using Bleach

We recommend that seed of the following types of tomato accessions be treated with bleach (see protocol below for details) to improve germination rate and uniformity:

*

All introgression lines, recombinant inbreds or other prebred lines, as they tend to be weak, or partially dormant.
*

Seed of the following wild species, L. cheesmanii (S. cheesmaniae), L. cheesmanii f. minor (S. galapagense), L. chilense (S. chilense), L. peruvianum (S. peruvianum, S. arcanum, S. cornelio-mulleri, S. huaylasense), S. lycopersicoides, S. sitiens, S. juglandifolium, S. ochranthum.
Seed of the other wild species often benefit from bleach treatment as well.
*

Weak or slow mutants.
*

Any seed older than 10 years or stored under suboptimal conditions.
*

Any other tomato seed that does not germinate well without treatment.

For general use, seeds are soaked in 2.7% sodium hypochlorite (half-strength standard household bleach) for 30 min. After bleaching, seed should be rinsed thoroughly, then sown directly (i.e. without redessication) in germination boxes or in soil.

In addition to bleaching, seed may also be encouraged to sprout by knicking the seed coat near the radicle end using a sharp scalpel. Though not practical for large seed samples, knicking may be worth while for very weak seed and/or when seed quantities are extremely limited. We recommend knicking after the bleaching step.

Germination boxes and paper can be obtained from: www.hoffmanmfg.com and www.seedpaper.com/seedpapers.htm

A METHOD FOR IMPROVING SEED GERMINATION OF SOLANACEOUS SPECIES

C. M. Rick and F. H. Borgnino

Our most notorious problem is with L. cheesmanii, seeds of which will not germinate for us without pretreatment, no matter what the age of seeds, temperature regime, soil mixture, or other conditions of sowing. Seeds of certain accessions of L. chilense, L. hirsutum, L. peruvianum, S. lycopersicoides, and S. juglandifolium are also refractory, although a small percentage often sprout without special measures. The germination of seeds of any species that are old or otherwise in poor condition can likewise benefit. Such pretreatments as vernalization, sulfuric acid, gibberellic acid, high temperatures, and other stresses were applied to cheesmanii seeds without success. It finally became apparent that the dormancy is vested in the seed coats, the virtual removal of which is essential to sprouting. Laborious chipping of the seed coat with a sharp scalpel provided the clue. Passage through the gut of Galapagos tortoise is more effective, but cumbersome, nasty, and otherwise too inconvenient for general use. The method finally adopted is commonly used by agronomists for seeds of certain cantankerous legumes.

For general use, seeds are soaked in 2.7% sodium hypochlorite (half-strength standard household bleach) for 30 min, then thoroughly rinsed in tap water and sown directly or dried for sowings within the next few days. A single treatment hardly ever suffices for cheesmanii seeds, which must be treated at weekly intervals for as long as two months. The entire testa may thereby be removed, but the endosperm and embryo appear to withstand such seemingly violent treatment. These repeated applications cannot be applied, of course, to seeds planted directly in soil. Instead, we incubate the seeds on moist blotting paper in plastic sandwich boxes or any other suitable transparent container. The boxes are kept in an illuminated incubator maintained at 25�C day, 18�C night temperatures, but ordinary room conditions are satisfactory. Keeping the seeds in the dark until sprouted seems to be advantageous. When the seeds have germinated and the cotyledons are well developed, the seedlings are transplanted to nursery flats filled with sterilized soil and placed in partial shade in the greenhouse.

: Home : About Us : Database Query : New Resources : Seed Requests : Links : Contact Us :

�1996-2010 TGRC, UC Davis
Tomato Genetics Resource Center
Department of Plant Sciences, Mail Stop 3
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

THANKS Jay!!

I always love to read science behind my madnesses!!

My directions said not even 25% bleach solution, so good to know I can go higher!

I will try this with my tomatoes too!!

Bonnie - I have swapped with so many kind folks, it could be that I have the labels ill-written.

I received a tomato seed and the label was hand written by someone from Europe - NO idea what it says. I wonder if they have difficulty reading my writing? And of course, I couldn't find info on it by Googling.

I wondered if those peppers are the same as well. I'll share seeds if you like. AND of course, extra plants!

Well, I got about half my list sown today. Then I ran out of germinating mix, and containers. Hopefully, I'll get the rest sown over the next couple of weeks.

So here is the first half of my final list:
Alma Paprika
Aji Yellow
Ancho Gigantia
Ancho San Luis
College 64
Czechoslovakian Black
Frank's
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Giant Szegedi
Gourmet
Joe E. Parker
Kalocsai V2
Serrano Tampiqueno

Here is a picture of my set-up. I don't have grow lights, or a heat mat at this point, so I sow them just like I do my wintersown containers that I put outside. Once they germinate, I'll remove the top half of the container.

Anyone else started any peppers yet?

I'm starting my earliest today: chocolate and reg'lur habanero and an eggplant and some toms.

Dan

I plan on getting some started tonight if I have time. I have all my lights setup and I had to move quite a few houseplants out of the south facing window. All my plastic dixie cups have been soaking in bleach water today so I'm almost ready to get going.

I've narrowed down my list to the following to get started asap:

Pepper, Red Cheese
Peppers, Jimmy Nardello
Peppers, Naga Jolokia
Pepper, Ancho San Luis Poblano
Pepper, Barker
Pepper, Birdseye Chili (organic, heirloom)
Pepper, Black Birds Eye
Pepper, Bolivian Wild
Pepper, Bulgarian Carrot
Pepper, Cabai Tree
Pepper, Pimento L Sweet
Pepper, Thai
Pepper, Volcano
Pepper, Goat Weed
Pepper, Manzano

I got a flat of tomatos started, also have been cloning my geraniums. Dont want to run out of space to early.

Running out of space was the real problem I had last year. I don't want to move the tomatoes into larger containers this year. They seem okay at 48 plants/flat and I'd just better be happy with that. So, starting tomatoes early was not on my 2011 calendar.

For the peppers, I got my containers for seed-starting ready the day before yesterday. After a soak in a basin of water - they were left to drain overnight in the unheated greenhouse. Of course, they froze like bricks!

I carried them in and sprinkled a little seed and a little more soil mix in each. Those containers with their promises of peppers are now sitting in the warmth of the kitchen.

For the most important varieties, I will sow a few more seeds in about a week. That way if spring fails to warms by a reasonable date - or, if that seed didn't like going onto frozen starting mix yesterday - there should be Plan B plants.

Steve

Oh my I didn't realize that I planted the 3rd hottest pepper in the world, Bhut Jolokia chili pepper, but my son will probably like it.

Anyone want some seed?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bhut Jolokia

Heck yeah, my husband would love some Bhut Jalokia seed. He eats chilies on a daily basis. I like them too but I'm not to his level of heat tolerance (yet).

Uh, no thanks Gjcore! Besides being way too big of a wimp for that, I've already received several packets of that in the swap I'm hosting.

I sowed a few more peppers yesterday:

Sandia - I borrowed a couple from one of the packets you sent in (shhhh...don't tell)
Jimmy Nardello
Lemon Drop
Chimayo
NuMex Espanola Improved
NuMex Pinata

I've been checking on the ones planted last week, and no matter how many times I glare at them, they just refuse to sprout : )

Bonnie

It's been 8 days since I sowed my first batch of peppers. None of them are up yet either but an eggplant popped up today.

kvenkat, I'll check through my seeds tonight and see what I have to share.

Ha ... I spoke too soon! The Alma Paprikas are starting to sprout. Proof that a watched pot really does boil ...

Bonnie,

Can you share the secrets of your glaring? I've tried glaring but it hasn't worked yet.

Greg

Most of the peppers that I sowed on Feb. 22 are up and going. One is even starting it's first set of true leaves. There are a few stragglers yet. I probably planted way too many peppers and I haven't even got my package in from the pepper round robin trade yet.

Well, I sowed a third round a couple of days ago.
Trying to decide if I am done now or not ...

I resowed a couple that haven't come up yet, that were planted 2-22-11.

Looking at my original growlist, it changed a whole lot, mostly due to hosting the pepper seed swap.

Original List:
Alma Paprika
Anaheim
Ancho Gigantia (or College 64)
Ancho San Luis
Beaver Dam
Big Red (Bell) or Franks's
Black Hungarian
Boldog Hungarian Paprika
Cascabella
Chinese Giant
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Giant Szegedi (yel. Elong. Bell)
Gourmet (orange bell)
Jalapeno (not sure which one, maybe M or Early, or TAM ... or Senorita)
Jimmy Nardello
Joe E. Parker
Lemon Drop or Aji Yellow
Pasilla Bajio
Patio Red Marconi
Peppadew
Sante Fe
Serrano
Soroksari
Tollie's Sweet Italian

Actual List (so far):
Aji Panca - sowed this week
Aji Yellow - 1 out of 2 up so far
Alma Paprika - all four are up, yeah!
Ancho Gigantia - 1 out of 2 up so far
Ancho San Luis - 1 out of 2 up so far
Chilhaucle Rojo - sowed this week
Chimayo - sowed this week
Choricero - sowed this week
Cosa Arrugada - sowed this week
College 64 - 1 out of 2 up so far
Czechoslovakian Black - resowed yesterday
Frank's - 2 out of 2 are up
Fresno - resowed today
Georgia Flame - 2 out of 2 are up
Giant Szegedi - 1 out of 2 up
Jimmy Nardello - 1 is starting to come up
Joe E. Parker - 2 out of 2 are up
Kalocsai V2 - may resow
Lemon Drop - may resow
NuMex Espanola Imp.- sowed this week
NuMex Pinata - sowed this week
Peppadew - sowed this week (Thanks, Deb!)
Pimente de Padron - sowed this week
Sandia - 1 out of 2 are up
Santa Fe Grande - may resow today
Serrano Tampiqueno - 1 out of 2 are up

My husband brought home a light fixture, and grow lamp this week. He has to repair the fixture, and then figure out a way to attach it to the table that my sprouts are on. I'll post a picture when it's all done. Even though he grumbles about my gardening obsession, he's also an enabler : )

Bonnie

Today, I took containers that had multiple sprouts in them, and potted them up separately. So far, there is germination in 24 out of 30 containers, which is an 80% success rate. Not bad with no heat mat or growlights!

Today I sowed three more ... it's the last ones for this year ... really : )

Jalapeno M
Fish
Pasilla Bajio

So happy to see the sun today!

Bonnie

This thread seems to have turned into my own personal pepper journal, but in case anyone is following along, here is the latest info.

The only ones with no germination are:

N.M. Pinata (resowed 11 days ago, thinking the seeds aren't viable)
N.M. Espanola Improved (same as above)
Choricero (resowed a few days ago, forgot to write down when)
Pimente de Padron (same as Choricero)
Fish (It's only day 9 of first sowing)
Pasilla Bajio (same, day 9)

So far, I have a total of 40 sprouts, and some are getting their 2nd or 3rd set of leaves already. I transplanted a few today that had roommates, to give their roots a little more growing room.

Also, since there are 3 or 4 varieties that are looking doubtful for germination at this point, I sowed three more today. Yeah, I know, it's getting a little late for more sowing, but what can I say. The table's almost full now though, so I really will have to stop : )

Sowed today:

El Oro De Ecuador
Puya
Rain Forest

I've posted some pictures on other threads, but I'm sure I'll be posting more.

Anyone else have a pepper report?

Bonnie said "Yeah, I know, it's getting a little late for more sowing". There's still plenty of time to sow. As an experiment I direct sowed some peppers last year in late May. Considering they didn't have the most desirable location they did produce well albeit it was a flush all at once at the end of the season.

My peppers are doing really well overall. Deep green color and the bigger ones are starting on 4th or 5th set of true leaves. I think I'm beginning to figure out my way of growing seedlings indoors/outdoors. The trays are generally outside anytime it's above 50F. They've certainly got much more stout over the last 10 days with the winds that have been coming through.

I did plant few more peppers yesterday. Mostly sweet ones to balance out the heat spectrum a bit.

Greg

Which ones did you plant?

In the past, I've not had enough heat on my growlist, but this year, I'm wondering if there are enough sweets. I've got Jimmy Nardello, Frank's, Gourmet (which somehow I forgot on my list above), and Giant Szegedi. All the rest have at least some level of heat.

Last year, my favorite sweet was Patio Red Marconi. Had planned to grow it again this year, but then my list got out of control, and it never got planted. Hope I don't regret that!

Bonnie

Wanted to make a contribution, Bonnie. I couldn't put the captions with the pictures!! Words and photo's got all jumbled up! GardenWeb hates me!

Anyway, I emphasized the sweets this year.

1st Photo -- Favorite: Giant Marconi is in the middle, at the back. Fushimi Sweet, which delighted the 1st year/almost disappointed the 2nd, is back. I hope it was just weather problems in 2010.

Tawny Port is there in the middle of things. I'm not very optimistic about these "odd" colors in a sweet pepper. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

See the "Yummies?" I hope they do okay! The seedlings didn't look to have much vigor & I even decided to toss a few at transplanting time. Don't need too many to try.

Super Chili in the back right corner. I don't know why I've got them - there's a whole bag of dried Super Chilies in the kitchen right now! A hot, Garden Salsa was almost dropped this year. Then, I thought - why would I do that?! Garden Salsa always, always, always does well.

2nd Photo -- Here are 2 bells that I think got off to a real good start! Both new to me, Vivaldi close and Big Early in the back.

3rd Photo -- These aren't sweet! Heavens, no! Just want you to imagine how difficult it is for me to handle such small plants when they went into the tray yesterday. Thai Hots! Little demons!

I've still got some King of the North still in a cookie box. I'm not terribly sold on that one but they are fine, consistently fine in fact. Growing for others.

digitS' {{gwi:1188649}}
{{gwi:1188650}}
{{gwi:1188651}}

& jalapeno m

• Posted by: digit ID/WA (My Page) on Sat, Apr 2, 11 at 0:33

. . . there behind the Yummies.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: gjcore 5 South Aurora Co. (My Page) on Sat, Apr 2, 11 at 23:03

Bonnie,

The new ones I planted were

Sweet Pickle
Beaver Dam
Mariachi
Sante Fe Grand
Hungarian Hot Wax

That gives me 32 varieties and about 60 plants which is way too many. This is my current list of peppers for this year:

Aji Amarillo Peru
Beaver Dam
Berry Patch Bell
Bhut Jolokia
Black Bird's Eye
Black Devil's Tongue
Bolivian Wild
Bombero
Bulgarain Carrot
Bulgarian Tear Drop
Cabai Tree
Caribe
Chile De Negro
Floral Gem
Goat Weed
Guajillo
Hungarian Hot Wax
Inca Red Drop
Japone
Jimmy Nardello
Mariachi
Mini Sweets
Naga Jolokia
Orange Habanero
Orange Thai
Pimento L
Puya
Red Cherry
Red Habanero
Sandia
Sante Fe Grand
Sweet Pickle

Now to find places for all of these. I started the grass smothering in the front of the house but maybe it's a bit late for a mid May plant out. I prefer not to have to dig the grass out.

Greg

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: austinnhanasmom 5 CO (My Page) on Mon, Apr 4, 11 at 10:05

Some of my peppers are still in the sprouting cubes, but maybe a third are in the first pot.

I am highly impressed with the bleach method to improve pepper seed germination. Last year, I had horrible germination. I kept the packets and this year, those varieties did sprout, after bleaching!

I had only one fail to sprout and got the truth from my source. GREEN pepper! UGH. Poor thing never had a chance to produce viable seeds; being plucked too early - while green.

Of course, once sprouted, I did kill a few due to impatience.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: gjcore 5 South Aurora Co. (My Page) on Mon, Apr 4, 11 at 10:42

I've only had one variety that didn't germinate but I'm still checking it most days. I thought about resowing or using the zip lock/paper bag method or even the bleach method. I have enough hot peppers anyways and have started sowing other type plants.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Mon, Apr 4, 11 at 11:35

Gjcore, that's a nice list you have there. Looks like a few of them may have come from the swap. The reason I said it was getting late for sowing, is that my goal is to have the tomatoes and peppers ripe at the same time for salsa making. Usually, the tomatoes come in first, but last year was backwards. My tomatoes were very late, and the peppers were earlier than in the past, due to starting them earlier. Hoping my timing is better this year.

Deb, I didn't try the bleach method this year, mostly just didn't want to take the extra time. Like you, I'm pretty sure the ones that haven't germinated are related to the source, since three of the ones that haven't germinated all came from the same trader. Not too worried though, since I have more than enough already sprouted.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: david52 z5CO (My Page) on Mon, Apr 4, 11 at 15:40

I've always had trouble with germination, and this year, I bought a packet of 100 seeds for 'Gypsy', then normal packets for Jimmy N. and Hungarian Carrot.

Every last seed came up. I've transplanted, into larger pots, 150 plants. Yikes.

My idea this year is to grow a lot of them in containers, hoping to adjust the pH bit more acidic, and hope the warmer temps lead to bigger plants and more peppers. I should be able to put 3 or four plants per container.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: elkwc 5b (My Page) on Mon, Apr 4, 11 at 22:31

I just sowed my pepper plants yesterday. I usually don't transplant them till late May around Memorial day so they should be fine. I will post my list. I tend to lean towards jalapenos and NM chile types. Jay

Pepper Seeds Started April 3rd, 2011

Jalapeno Types

Chilipeno
Gigante Jalapeno
Biker Billy
Grande Jalapeno Hybrid
Larson's Jumbo Jalapeno
Nu-Mex Jalamundo
Nu-Mex Vaquero
Nu-Mex Pinata - mixed colors

Chile Types

Nu-Mex Heritage Big Jim
Nu-Mex Heritage 6-4
Barker's Hot
Larson's Colassal Kim
Larson's Big Kim
Kim's Colassal
Isleta Long
Zia Pueblo Mix
Namba Sumpreme
Negro de Valle
Vallero
Zia Pueblo Native
Valarde
Casados Native

Other Hot Peppers

Hungarian Volcano
Nu-Mex Suave Red - Mild Habenero
Sizzler Hybrid
Mulato
Santa Fe Grande

Sweet Peppers

Revolution
Heritage VR
Big Bertha
California Wonder
Goliath Bell
Colossal Bell
Green Giant Bell
Ozark Giant Bell
Chinese Giant Bell
Giant Marconi
Golden Treasure
Carmen F1

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: david52 z5CO (My Page) on Tue, Apr 5, 11 at 9:28

A question for all of you with these long lists - do you save seed, or have to get it elsewhere? I'd always thought that peppers were seriously prone to cross-pollination.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: digit ID/WA (My Page) on Tue, Apr 5, 11 at 11:03

By comparison, I don't have a long list but I can certainly vouch for pepper crossings!

Saved seed from a Sweet Banana out in the garden once - ridonkulous mix of, shapes, sizes, & heat!!

The only pepper seed I've saved lately is from a few Thai Hots in the backyard. They are miles from my other peppers.

digitS'

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: elkwc 5b (My Page) on Tue, Apr 5, 11 at 20:17

Knock on wood so far haven't had a lot of trouble with crosses on peppers or tomatoes. I feel a lot of that has to do with the fact I have few pollinators in the garden. I did plant flowers in the garden last year and have a few more beneficial pollinators. So will see this year if I notice more crosses or not. My list isn't as impressive as several on this thread. I limit the types I grow. I grow what I use and I was born and raised in NM on NM chiles and jalapenos so they will always dominate my garden. Jay

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: gjcore 5 South Aurora Co. (My Page) on Wed, Apr 6, 11 at 0:35

After reading this thread http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg0319125925834.html I think I'll try the lights on 24/7 until planting out.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Wed, Apr 6, 11 at 15:46

I haven't had a problem with cross-pollination on peppers yet either, but I wasn't growing much of anything with heat to them. This year, I'm going to try the paintbrush/Qtip method of pollination on a couple of the first fruits, and mark those pods, so that I know to use those for saving seeds.

The other thing I will try and do is separate the hots from the nots, though that is hard on such a small piece of property. The Earthboxes are on the back patio, and the veggie garden is around 15' away, on the other side of a 6' fence. Now I'm not saying that a bee can't fly over a 6' fence, but a little barrier is better than none at all.

In the past, I've used one Earthbox for tomatoes, and one for peppers. This year, I'm thinking I'll use both of them for peppers. Even though I don't have enough space for tomatoes as it is, I can fit 6 pepper plants in one, and only 2 tomato plants, so it just seems like a better use of that space. Besides, I don't see my pepper addiction going away anytime soon ...

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: austinnhanasmom 5 CO (My Page) on Fri, Apr 8, 11 at 15:18

Also trying hand pollination in '11!

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: elkwc 5b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 13, 11 at 20:39

I finally located some seeds I had misplaced. So last weekend planted the following varieties. Jay

Cowhorn Pepper
Italian Relleno
Giant Arcancagua
Fatali
Jalori Chile'

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: digit ID/WA (My Page) on Wed, Apr 13, 11 at 21:43

You misplace seeds, Jay?

I misplace plants!

Steve

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: mayberrygardener z5a%2C Broomfield%2C (My Page) on Sat, Apr 16, 11 at 12:38

Bonnie, you can put 8 peppers in an earthbox... heck, I've done 10 before, but the plants definitely crowd each other when I do that.
I always enjoy reading your pepper posts! I read to my hubby about how your hubby enables you, and he laughed. He says, "well, I bet he helps with the eating them! That seems to be my strength, too!"
I don't have too much that's all that impressive this year--especially compared to yours. On that note, I'm most excited about my giant marconis; I started seeds in early March, and almost EVERYTHING came up--and I never used the bleach method. However, I DO start all my babies with almost full-strength chamomile tea, and sometimes brew it with a crushed clove of garlic or two, and some cinnamon sticks. I'm hyper-sensitive to bleach, so I'm always looking for a way to do things organically. Then I ruin it all by potting things in plastic containers... lol Anyway, I'm excited because a LOT of my marconis sprouted this year, and they never have done this well before. I also have some Chinese giants going on, some fairly generic red bells, and some Cali wonder yellows. That about wraps it up for the sweets, except for the gypsies that I started--it's crazy how much those seeds run in comparison to other peppers. I got about 85% germination on those, and they're one of our favorites to put in baked beans.
Hots this year are a hot banana, basic serranos, giant jalepenos and a hungarian hot wax--I have NO idea how that one's going to turn out.
I lost ALL my seeds from last year (actually, I'm not convinced SOMEONE didn't accidentally throw them all away), so my list is limited, and I was too late getting onto GW to participate in your swap. As such, the maters take center stage in my garden anyway, so I'm doing pretty well to have the varieties that I do so far.
I guess when it comes to peppers, I have to live vicariously through you!

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Sat, Apr 16, 11 at 18:38

Hmmmm ... I don't know about putting 8 peppers in an Earthbox. Even with 6, mine get ginormous, and completely fill all available space.

My DH can't handle spicy food, and doesn't care for chunks of peppers in his food, but he likes the flavor of them, so I'm planning to dry and grind more varieties this year. He eats more peppers than he realizes though, since I use them in my pasta sauces, salsa, etc.

So I finally gave up on the following:

N.M. Pinata
N.M. Espanola Improved
Choricero
Pimente de Padron
Fish

Pretty sure it was the seeds themselves, since three of them came from the same trader.

The following have finally sprouted:

Pasilla Bajio (2)
Puya (2)
El Oro De Ecuador (2)
Rain Forest (just starting to sprout today)

So this is my final grow list for 2011:
Aji Panca
Aji Yellow
Alma Paprika
Ancho Gigantia
Ancho San Luis
Chilhaucle Rojo
Chimayo
Cosa Arrugada
College 64
Czechoslovakian Black
El Oro de Ecuador
Frank's
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Giant Szegedi
Gourmet
Jalapeno M
Jimmy Nardello
Joe E. Parker
Kalocsai V2
Lemon Drop
Pasilla Bajio
Peppadew
Puya
Rain Forest
Sandia
Santa Fe Grande
Serrano Tampiqueno

The bigger plants spent a few hours outside the other day, but I am anxious to get them outside on a regular basis, and turn off the grow light.

Bonnie

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: gjcore 5 South Aurora Co. (My Page) on Sat, Apr 16, 11 at 19:12

I needed to pot up most of my peppers today. I'm sure they'll appreciate the new space but it has me wondering if I should have just started them in larger containers to begin with.

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Sat, Apr 16, 11 at 23:03

If I had mine in bigger pots, they wouldn't all fit on the table that the grow light is on. Yeah, I'm kind of wondering if mine are going to make it another month in the containers they are in too!

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Tue, Apr 26, 11 at 21:29

I started to post this on the "Show Us Your Baby Pictures" thread, but thought I'd keep all of my pepper photos in one place.

My growlight went out late last week, so I raised the fixture up to allow the plants to get more sunlight until the fixture is working again. DH took the bulb back where he purchased it, and they replaced it for free, since it's supposed to last 22,000 hours, and it only lasted about 800. He said it could be a balast issue, so if this doesn't solve the problem, I think that is the next step.

The timing of the light going out kind of stressed my a little, since we have hardly seen the sun in over a week here. At least the lack of light may have prevented the larger plants from developing buds. Anyway, here is a little closer shot.

Our temperatures didn't even get out of the 30's today, and there is a freeze warning tonight. At this rate, I may never get these plants hardened off!

Bonnie

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Thu, Jun 23, 11 at 13:26

Thought I'd revisit this thread, now that most everything is planted. The only changes to my growlist are

El Oro De Ecuador - the one in the ground died after the strong winds. Still have one small sprout left, but it's not looking good

Rain Forest - sprouted but then stalled out

Big Jim - had seeds but didn't sow, and found one at a local nursery

Purple Jalapeno - picked this one up since my Pinata Jalapeno seeds didn't germinate.

BTW, DH decided the problem with the growlight was the posts were too tight and pressing on the lamp contacts. He plans to shave a little off each side. I ended up having to move the plants out of the guest room earlier than intended, due to a house guest arriving and staying for a month. It did set the plants back a bit, since the weather was cool and cloudy during that time period.

Here are some fairly recent pics.

This was taken a couple of weeks ago, and there are blooms and tiny pods on a couple of the plants now. This box includes - Jimmy Nardello, Giant Szegedi, Gourmet, Frank's, Alma Paprika, and Pasilla Bajio

This Earthbox contains - College 64, Joe E. Parker, Kalocsai V2, Chimayo, Aji Panca, and Peppadew.

The rest of these are plants in the garden here at the house. I haven't gotten any pictures of the ones at the community garden, but between the crummy soil, and the full-allday sun there, the ones there are alive but not thriving.

Here is Santa Fe Grande

Serrano Tampiqueno - this one lost most of its leaves from wind damage, but you can see that it is recovering nicely

Kalocsai V2 - this is the only plant that has multiple branches on it.

Alma Paprika - a lot of the lower leaves came off in the winds, but you can see quite a few buds on it.

Czechoslovakian Black - love the purple coloring on this, and hope it tastes as good as Black Hungarian.

I'll try to get some pod pictures soon.

How's everyone else's pepper crop doing?

Bonnie

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Fri, Aug 26, 11 at 13:01

It's been quite a while since I've revisited this thread, but since my first batch of ripe peppers is in the dehydrator, I thought I'd post some fairly recent pics.

Chilhaucle Rojo

Had more heat than I expected when eaten raw, almost none once cooked. I was surprised by this.

Czechoslovakian Black

Very similar in heat and flavor to Black Hungarian, but plant is smaller and less productive.

Kalocsai V2

This will be my main paprika pepper this year. Had some issues with my Alma Paprika plants this year. It has some heat to it, so it may be a hot paprika this year. The plant has been quite productive, though not as sweet as Alma.

Fresno

Probably the hottest pepper I've harvested so far this year. It will be great for salsa ... if I ever have enough ripe tomatoes.

Santa Fe Grande

Less heat than Fresno, but still a nice kick, plus much sweeter, and larger.

The rest of these pictures are of plants that I'm still waiting to harvest my first pepper from.

Sandia

Very large, Anaheim type.

Serrano Tampiqueno

Peppers are kind of small and thin, but there are a ton of them! Destined for salsa ...

Jalapeno M

This was the first pod. The plant is now loaded down with almost full sized pods. Waiting to see how they compare to TAM, and Senorita.

Lemon Drop

This one and Aji Yellow are the two hottest peppers I'm growing this year.

Joe E. Parker

Very large Anaheim type.

Ancho San Luis

The pods have grown a lot since this picture was taken. This plant is very tall, well over 3'. I'm also growing Ancho Gigantia at the community garden.

There are also pods on Georgia Flame, Puya, College 64 but I can't seem to locate any recent pics. I'm beginning to wonder if there is enough time left to get any ripe pods from Peppadew, Aji Panca, or Pasilla Bajio, all of which are just now flowering and forming pods.

Bonnie

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: austinnhanasmom 5 CO (My Page) on Fri, Aug 26, 11 at 17:38

Nice photos!!

My peppers are starting to look good. The ripe ones that seemed to be the correct size were sliced for seed saving and I am drying the shells in the sun.

My peppadew (over wintered) seemed to be doing nothing and now is putting out really nice sized pods.

I made (greenish) paprika by smoking hot, unripe peppers for a day and then drying in the oven for another day. I burned the inside of my nose when grinding!

Shockingly painful but fun.

I was thinking - THAT CANNOT be EDIBLE! So I have some red bell pepper to smoke, dry, grind and add to the hot stuff. Not sure that will even make the powder tolerable.

My 2011 pepper season is the best yet. I didn't have the heart to toss a single homeless pepper and planted nearly 200 seedlings. The ones that thrived on neglect are thanking me nicely!! I must stake them next year...

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: digit ID/WA (My Page) on Sat, Aug 27, 11 at 18:41

Wonderful photographs, Bonnie!

A couple of my favorites are now available. Favorite Giant Marconi on the right because they are such a delicious Italian sweet pepper! The smaller Garden Salsa because they are such a sure thing in my garden!

{{gwi:1188672}}

Actually, they are almost all coming on now! I've got lots of Big Early bell peppers. This is my 1st year with this variety. I've got to give Snapper a few days to catch up and then to a taste comparison.

I had a Jalapeno M pepper with my lunch today. I kind of jumped the gun with it because it had little heat or flavor.

Steve

RE: Peppers '11

• Posted by: highalttransplant z 5 Western CO (My Page) on Thu, Nov 3, 11 at 15:33

Thought I'd dig this thread back up to add a year end review. Feel free to add yours to it : )

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!

Bonnie

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. . . there behind the Yummies.

Bonnie,

The new ones I planted were

Sweet Pickle
Beaver Dam
Mariachi
Sante Fe Grand
Hungarian Hot Wax

That gives me 32 varieties and about 60 plants which is way too many. This is my current list of peppers for this year:

Aji Amarillo Peru
Beaver Dam
Berry Patch Bell
Bhut Jolokia
Black Bird's Eye
Black Devil's Tongue
Bolivian Wild
Bombero
Bulgarain Carrot
Bulgarian Tear Drop
Cabai Tree
Caribe
Chile De Negro
Floral Gem
Goat Weed
Guajillo
Hungarian Hot Wax
Inca Red Drop
Japone
Jimmy Nardello
Mariachi
Mini Sweets
Naga Jolokia
Orange Habanero
Orange Thai
Pimento L
Puya
Red Cherry
Red Habanero
Sandia
Sante Fe Grand
Sweet Pickle

Now to find places for all of these. I started the grass smothering in the front of the house but maybe it's a bit late for a mid May plant out. I prefer not to have to dig the grass out.

Greg

Some of my peppers are still in the sprouting cubes, but maybe a third are in the first pot.

I am highly impressed with the bleach method to improve pepper seed germination. Last year, I had horrible germination. I kept the packets and this year, those varieties did sprout, after bleaching!

I had only one fail to sprout and got the truth from my source. GREEN pepper! UGH. Poor thing never had a chance to produce viable seeds; being plucked too early - while green.

Of course, once sprouted, I did kill a few due to impatience.

I've only had one variety that didn't germinate but I'm still checking it most days. I thought about resowing or using the zip lock/paper bag method or even the bleach method. I have enough hot peppers anyways and have started sowing other type plants.

Gjcore, that's a nice list you have there. Looks like a few of them may have come from the swap. The reason I said it was getting late for sowing, is that my goal is to have the tomatoes and peppers ripe at the same time for salsa making. Usually, the tomatoes come in first, but last year was backwards. My tomatoes were very late, and the peppers were earlier than in the past, due to starting them earlier. Hoping my timing is better this year.

Deb, I didn't try the bleach method this year, mostly just didn't want to take the extra time. Like you, I'm pretty sure the ones that haven't germinated are related to the source, since three of the ones that haven't germinated all came from the same trader. Not too worried though, since I have more than enough already sprouted.

I've always had trouble with germination, and this year, I bought a packet of 100 seeds for 'Gypsy', then normal packets for Jimmy N. and Hungarian Carrot.

Every last seed came up. I've transplanted, into larger pots, 150 plants. Yikes.

My idea this year is to grow a lot of them in containers, hoping to adjust the pH bit more acidic, and hope the warmer temps lead to bigger plants and more peppers. I should be able to put 3 or four plants per container.

I just sowed my pepper plants yesterday. I usually don't transplant them till late May around Memorial day so they should be fine. I will post my list. I tend to lean towards jalapenos and NM chile types. Jay

Pepper Seeds Started April 3rd, 2011

Jalapeno Types

Chilipeno
Gigante Jalapeno
Biker Billy
Grande Jalapeno Hybrid
Larson's Jumbo Jalapeno
Nu-Mex Jalamundo
Nu-Mex Vaquero
Nu-Mex Pinata - mixed colors

Chile Types

Nu-Mex Heritage Big Jim
Nu-Mex Heritage 6-4
Barker's Hot
Larson's Colassal Kim
Larson's Big Kim
Kim's Colassal
Isleta Long
Zia Pueblo Mix
Namba Sumpreme
Negro de Valle
Vallero
Zia Pueblo Native
Valarde
Casados Native

Other Hot Peppers

Hungarian Volcano
Nu-Mex Suave Red - Mild Habenero
Sizzler Hybrid
Mulato
Santa Fe Grande

Sweet Peppers

Revolution
Heritage VR
Big Bertha
California Wonder
Goliath Bell
Colossal Bell
Green Giant Bell
Ozark Giant Bell
Chinese Giant Bell
Giant Marconi
Golden Treasure
Carmen F1

A question for all of you with these long lists - do you save seed, or have to get it elsewhere? I'd always thought that peppers were seriously prone to cross-pollination.

By comparison, I don't have a long list but I can certainly vouch for pepper crossings!

Saved seed from a Sweet Banana out in the garden once - ridonkulous mix of, shapes, sizes, & heat!!

The only pepper seed I've saved lately is from a few Thai Hots in the backyard. They are miles from my other peppers.

digitS'

Knock on wood so far haven't had a lot of trouble with crosses on peppers or tomatoes. I feel a lot of that has to do with the fact I have few pollinators in the garden. I did plant flowers in the garden last year and have a few more beneficial pollinators. So will see this year if I notice more crosses or not. My list isn't as impressive as several on this thread. I limit the types I grow. I grow what I use and I was born and raised in NM on NM chiles and jalapenos so they will always dominate my garden. Jay

After reading this thread http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lights/msg0319125925834.html I think I'll try the lights on 24/7 until planting out.

I haven't had a problem with cross-pollination on peppers yet either, but I wasn't growing much of anything with heat to them. This year, I'm going to try the paintbrush/Qtip method of pollination on a couple of the first fruits, and mark those pods, so that I know to use those for saving seeds.

The other thing I will try and do is separate the hots from the nots, though that is hard on such a small piece of property. The Earthboxes are on the back patio, and the veggie garden is around 15' away, on the other side of a 6' fence. Now I'm not saying that a bee can't fly over a 6' fence, but a little barrier is better than none at all.

In the past, I've used one Earthbox for tomatoes, and one for peppers. This year, I'm thinking I'll use both of them for peppers. Even though I don't have enough space for tomatoes as it is, I can fit 6 pepper plants in one, and only 2 tomato plants, so it just seems like a better use of that space. Besides, I don't see my pepper addiction going away anytime soon ...

Also trying hand pollination in '11!

I finally located some seeds I had misplaced. So last weekend planted the following varieties. Jay

Cowhorn Pepper
Italian Relleno
Giant Arcancagua
Fatali
Jalori Chile'

You misplace seeds, Jay?

I misplace plants!

Steve

Bonnie, you can put 8 peppers in an earthbox... heck, I've done 10 before, but the plants definitely crowd each other when I do that.
I always enjoy reading your pepper posts! I read to my hubby about how your hubby enables you, and he laughed. He says, "well, I bet he helps with the eating them! That seems to be my strength, too!"
I don't have too much that's all that impressive this year--especially compared to yours. On that note, I'm most excited about my giant marconis; I started seeds in early March, and almost EVERYTHING came up--and I never used the bleach method. However, I DO start all my babies with almost full-strength chamomile tea, and sometimes brew it with a crushed clove of garlic or two, and some cinnamon sticks. I'm hyper-sensitive to bleach, so I'm always looking for a way to do things organically. Then I ruin it all by potting things in plastic containers... lol Anyway, I'm excited because a LOT of my marconis sprouted this year, and they never have done this well before. I also have some Chinese giants going on, some fairly generic red bells, and some Cali wonder yellows. That about wraps it up for the sweets, except for the gypsies that I started--it's crazy how much those seeds run in comparison to other peppers. I got about 85% germination on those, and they're one of our favorites to put in baked beans.
Hots this year are a hot banana, basic serranos, giant jalepenos and a hungarian hot wax--I have NO idea how that one's going to turn out.
I lost ALL my seeds from last year (actually, I'm not convinced SOMEONE didn't accidentally throw them all away), so my list is limited, and I was too late getting onto GW to participate in your swap. As such, the maters take center stage in my garden anyway, so I'm doing pretty well to have the varieties that I do so far.
I guess when it comes to peppers, I have to live vicariously through you!

Hmmmm ... I don't know about putting 8 peppers in an Earthbox. Even with 6, mine get ginormous, and completely fill all available space.

My DH can't handle spicy food, and doesn't care for chunks of peppers in his food, but he likes the flavor of them, so I'm planning to dry and grind more varieties this year. He eats more peppers than he realizes though, since I use them in my pasta sauces, salsa, etc.

So I finally gave up on the following:

N.M. Pinata
N.M. Espanola Improved
Choricero
Pimente de Padron
Fish

Pretty sure it was the seeds themselves, since three of them came from the same trader.

The following have finally sprouted:

Pasilla Bajio (2)
Puya (2)
El Oro De Ecuador (2)
Rain Forest (just starting to sprout today)

So this is my final grow list for 2011:
Aji Panca
Aji Yellow
Alma Paprika
Ancho Gigantia
Ancho San Luis
Chilhaucle Rojo
Chimayo
Cosa Arrugada
College 64
Czechoslovakian Black
El Oro de Ecuador
Frank's
Fresno
Georgia Flame
Giant Szegedi
Gourmet
Jalapeno M
Jimmy Nardello
Joe E. Parker
Kalocsai V2
Lemon Drop
Pasilla Bajio
Peppadew
Puya
Rain Forest
Sandia
Santa Fe Grande
Serrano Tampiqueno

The bigger plants spent a few hours outside the other day, but I am anxious to get them outside on a regular basis, and turn off the grow light.

Bonnie

I needed to pot up most of my peppers today. I'm sure they'll appreciate the new space but it has me wondering if I should have just started them in larger containers to begin with.

If I had mine in bigger pots, they wouldn't all fit on the table that the grow light is on. Yeah, I'm kind of wondering if mine are going to make it another month in the containers they are in too!

I started to post this on the "Show Us Your Baby Pictures" thread, but thought I'd keep all of my pepper photos in one place.

My growlight went out late last week, so I raised the fixture up to allow the plants to get more sunlight until the fixture is working again. DH took the bulb back where he purchased it, and they replaced it for free, since it's supposed to last 22,000 hours, and it only lasted about 800. He said it could be a balast issue, so if this doesn't solve the problem, I think that is the next step.

The timing of the light going out kind of stressed my a little, since we have hardly seen the sun in over a week here. At least the lack of light may have prevented the larger plants from developing buds. Anyway, here is a little closer shot.

Our temperatures didn't even get out of the 30's today, and there is a freeze warning tonight. At this rate, I may never get these plants hardened off!

Bonnie

Thought I'd revisit this thread, now that most everything is planted. The only changes to my growlist are

El Oro De Ecuador - the one in the ground died after the strong winds. Still have one small sprout left, but it's not looking good

Rain Forest - sprouted but then stalled out

Big Jim - had seeds but didn't sow, and found one at a local nursery

Purple Jalapeno - picked this one up since my Pinata Jalapeno seeds didn't germinate.

BTW, DH decided the problem with the growlight was the posts were too tight and pressing on the lamp contacts. He plans to shave a little off each side. I ended up having to move the plants out of the guest room earlier than intended, due to a house guest arriving and staying for a month. It did set the plants back a bit, since the weather was cool and cloudy during that time period.

Here are some fairly recent pics.

This was taken a couple of weeks ago, and there are blooms and tiny pods on a couple of the plants now. This box includes - Jimmy Nardello, Giant Szegedi, Gourmet, Frank's, Alma Paprika, and Pasilla Bajio

This Earthbox contains - College 64, Joe E. Parker, Kalocsai V2, Chimayo, Aji Panca, and Peppadew.

The rest of these are plants in the garden here at the house. I haven't gotten any pictures of the ones at the community garden, but between the crummy soil, and the full-allday sun there, the ones there are alive but not thriving.

Here is Santa Fe Grande

Serrano Tampiqueno - this one lost most of its leaves from wind damage, but you can see that it is recovering nicely

Kalocsai V2 - this is the only plant that has multiple branches on it.

Alma Paprika - a lot of the lower leaves came off in the winds, but you can see quite a few buds on it.

Czechoslovakian Black - love the purple coloring on this, and hope it tastes as good as Black Hungarian.

I'll try to get some pod pictures soon.

How's everyone else's pepper crop doing?

Bonnie

It's been quite a while since I've revisited this thread, but since my first batch of ripe peppers is in the dehydrator, I thought I'd post some fairly recent pics.

Chilhaucle Rojo

Had more heat than I expected when eaten raw, almost none once cooked. I was surprised by this.

Czechoslovakian Black

Very similar in heat and flavor to Black Hungarian, but plant is smaller and less productive.

Kalocsai V2

This will be my main paprika pepper this year. Had some issues with my Alma Paprika plants this year. It has some heat to it, so it may be a hot paprika this year. The plant has been quite productive, though not as sweet as Alma.

Fresno

Probably the hottest pepper I've harvested so far this year. It will be great for salsa ... if I ever have enough ripe tomatoes.

Santa Fe Grande

Less heat than Fresno, but still a nice kick, plus much sweeter, and larger.

The rest of these pictures are of plants that I'm still waiting to harvest my first pepper from.

Sandia

Very large, Anaheim type.

Serrano Tampiqueno

Peppers are kind of small and thin, but there are a ton of them! Destined for salsa ...

Jalapeno M

This was the first pod. The plant is now loaded down with almost full sized pods. Waiting to see how they compare to TAM, and Senorita.

Lemon Drop

This one and Aji Yellow are the two hottest peppers I'm growing this year.

Joe E. Parker

Very large Anaheim type.

Ancho San Luis

The pods have grown a lot since this picture was taken. This plant is very tall, well over 3'. I'm also growing Ancho Gigantia at the community garden.

There are also pods on Georgia Flame, Puya, College 64 but I can't seem to locate any recent pics. I'm beginning to wonder if there is enough time left to get any ripe pods from Peppadew, Aji Panca, or Pasilla Bajio, all of which are just now flowering and forming pods.

Bonnie

Nice photos!!

My peppers are starting to look good. The ripe ones that seemed to be the correct size were sliced for seed saving and I am drying the shells in the sun.

My peppadew (over wintered) seemed to be doing nothing and now is putting out really nice sized pods.

I made (greenish) paprika by smoking hot, unripe peppers for a day and then drying in the oven for another day. I burned the inside of my nose when grinding!

Shockingly painful but fun.

I was thinking - THAT CANNOT be EDIBLE! So I have some red bell pepper to smoke, dry, grind and add to the hot stuff. Not sure that will even make the powder tolerable.

My 2011 pepper season is the best yet. I didn't have the heart to toss a single homeless pepper and planted nearly 200 seedlings. The ones that thrived on neglect are thanking me nicely!! I must stake them next year...

Wonderful photographs, Bonnie!

A couple of my favorites are now available. Favorite Giant Marconi on the right because they are such a delicious Italian sweet pepper! The smaller Garden Salsa because they are such a sure thing in my garden!

{{gwi:1188672}}

Actually, they are almost all coming on now! I've got lots of Big Early bell peppers. This is my 1st year with this variety. I've got to give Snapper a few days to catch up and then to a taste comparison.

I had a Jalapeno M pepper with my lunch today. I kind of jumped the gun with it because it had little heat or flavor.

Steve

Thought I'd dig this thread back up to add a year end review. Feel free to add yours to it : )

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!

Bonnie