AMKuska's 2023 Garden

[AMKuska]

Thank you everyone for all the kind thoughts as I wrapped up my 2022 gardening season. While my tomatoes were an absolute tragedy, a fresh new start has been ordered and is currently snowshoeing its way to me. Since new seeds are coming and I have lots of old seed to play with, I decided to clean out my grow tent and get started on the 2023 season. I wanted to plant peppers even earlier this time, owing to the very long growing season they seem to need, so now is perfect.

Today I took everything out of the grow tent, cleaned and sanitized the tent itself, and then sorted through the things I wanted to keep. Those will be sanitized later as I just didn't have time. Tomorrow I hope to get to the store and pick a nicer potting soil while my daughter shops for Christmas presents. It will be her first time giving it a go. I predict barbie dolls for everyone.
This is what we started with:

And when we finished:

My son did the sweeping and wiping down for the low, low price of $5.

 

[AMKuska]

Since the hot peppers take so gosh darn long to grow, I'm starting them even earlier this year. I'm planting 3 plants each of Bhut Jolokia, Apocolypse Scorpions, Trinidad Scorpions and some wee mild Poblanos. I tried these last year but they all died because Washington.

I'm giving them another go this year. Here they are getting soaked in weak chamomile tea, which is supposed to weaken the seed wall and make them sprout sooner/faster.

 

[heirloomgal]

I think it's a great idea to start your super hots now. I have gotten really good results with starting very early over the years, especially with hots. This year I was able to get 2 full flushes out of my Inca Red Drop peppers and the Lemon Starrburts I got 3 flushes, which was a record for me. But this was around the time I started them. I actually just plucked my last Count Dracula peppers from the plant, which is now in my dining room, yesterday. Another one with 2 flushes from an early start.

 

[AMKuska]

I'm so encouraged that you say this! Everyone had a bad year last year, but it was actually my best year for peppers. The bell peppers all produced at least, and although they were tiny, they were abundant. I believe an earlier start and a change of potting soil to one designed specifically for peppers may help.

What do Count Dracula and Inca Red Drop taste like? My husband is a BIG fan of hot peppers so I want to grow them for him, but I don't like spicy food so don't taste them haha

 

[heirloomgal]

I'm so encouraged that you say this! Everyone had a bad year last year, but it was actually my best year for peppers. The bell peppers all produced at least, and although they were tiny, they were abundant. I believe an earlier start and a change of potting soil to one designed specifically for peppers may help.

What do Count Dracula and Inca Red Drop taste like? My husband is a BIG fan of hot peppers so I want to grow them for him, but I don't like spicy food so don't taste them haha

They all taste to me like.. burning. lol I mostly grow them for thier beauty, and to have a stash of capsicum around because it's such a potent homegrown medicinal. I've almost given up on most reapers and scorpions and ghosts because even in my greenhouse they never produce much. Not enough to make the space they take up worth it, though I admit I saw 'Purple Peach Ghost' this spring and couldn't resist. Again, a meagre harvest. I've had much better success with super hots that aren't the record breakers, like Piazino, Red Lantern, Ecuador Lemon, Bird's Eye and the Inca Red Drops were very productive. Have you ever grown Jasmyn Risse? It's the most productive pepper I've ever grown; this year my one 4 foot plant must have produced at least 75 peppers. Taste is really, really good, though I do find Red Lantern hard to beat for taste on a pizza in teeny pieces.

 

[AMKuska]

They all taste to me like.. burning. lol I mostly grow them for thier beauty, and to have a stash of capsicum around because it's such a potent homegrown medicinal. I've almost given up on most reapers and scorpions and ghosts because even in my greenhouse they never produce much. Not enough to make the space they take up worth it, though I admit I saw 'Purple Peach Ghost' this spring and couldn't resist. Again, a meagre harvest. I've had much better success with super hots that aren't the record breakers, like Piazino, Red Lantern, Ecuador Lemon, Bird's Eye and the Inca Red Drops were very productive. Have you ever grown Jasmyn Risse? It's the most productive pepper I've ever grown; this year my one 4 foot plant must have produced at least 75 peppers. Taste is really, really good, though I do find Red Lantern hard to beat for taste on a pizza in teeny pieces.

Wow!!
I may have, but none of my hots have produced except a habanero that grew to ridiculous size. My son got exactly two carolina reapers off of his, and the rest all died.

 

[digitS']

AMKuska,

We don't have the same climate but Thai Hot have good seasons every year in my garden. Little plants, they just seem to take it all better than the taller plants. Yes, I can grow most any well in the greenhouse through the Summer if I want to put up with caring for them in there. Out in the garden, it can be tough on peppers.

Eating Thai Hot? Yeow! Okay, some. They're easy to dry. I'm a jalapeno fan. That's my above-mild pepper. I'd probably better not make other pepper recommendations for your growing conditions, despite having good pepper years with all of our '21-'22 heat.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Ha, Ha! I didn't know that Problano Came in "mild."
Pretty good price for your worker. Are you sure that worker is a US Citizen?
Can't start TOO early, IMHO!!

 

[AMKuska]

AMKuska,

We don't have the same climate but Thai Hot have good seasons every year in my garden. Little plants, they just seem to take it all better than the taller plants. Yes, I can grow most any well in the greenhouse through the Summer if I want to put up with caring for them in there. Out in the garden, it can be tough on peppers.

Eating Thai Hot? Yeow! Okay, some. They're easy to dry. I'm a jalapeno fan. That's my above-mild pepper. I'd probably better not make other pepper recommendations for your growing conditions, despite having good pepper years with all of our '21-'22 heat.

Steve

My husband chooses the ones he wants me to try. I can tell him about them, but I'm not sure if he'll try it. He likes stuff that would probably eat through sheet metal if you left it there long enough.

Ha, Ha! I didn't know that Problano Came in "mild."
Pretty good price for your worker. Are you sure that worker is a US Citizen?
Can't start TOO early, IMHO!!

Well...comparatively. It measures 1,000-2,000 on the scoville scale. In comparison, the Apocalypse Scorpions are 1,400,000 on the scoville scale. The bigger the number the hotter it is.

 

[ducks4you]

Now we ALL get to be copykats!