A thread for hot pepper-a-holics...

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by The Hollyberry Lady, Aug 16, 2009.

  1. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Yes, it is a cool name Penny. Hope you'll sow some.

    Those seeds I sent you that said chilly chilli look-a-likes, are actually the real deal - made a mistake. The seeds are from the pic above!


    : O
     
  2. redster

    redster Active Member

    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    new orleans, louisiana
    im just not sure what to talk about thats peppered today.

    well after 2 of us spending about 2 hours harvesting peppers from 5 pepper plants the other day, i came out with about half a walmart plastic bag full. well after giving a vast majority to a coworker, i ended up with enough to fill a baking pan fairly evenly i guess. so after 12 hours in the oven on 200degrees i came out with about a cup full of crushed flakes. im not sure if i like the flavor too much as a condiment, but they may work for cooking with.

    red
     
  3. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Very good - those will keep in a glass shaker type jar for quite awhile. You can also freeze chili peppers too. You can dry them naturally, without the oven method if you prefer as well.

    : )
     
  4. redster

    redster Active Member

    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    new orleans, louisiana
    i got the jar ready to go. i have a one gallon bag frozen in the fridge already, not room for anymore.

    i never really wanted to try drying them out natural, seems like down here in LA the humidity might slow me down. plus i cant get a full days worth of sunshine without it raining. i though of leaving them on the tree, but they just rot away or get bugs on them. mold is a huge problem for me for some reason...

    and even if i got all the other stuff just right, if it takes 12 hours in an oven, i cant imagine how long it takes naturally. i just dont have the patience.

    red
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2009
  5. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    I think under your conditions, it's good that you oven-dry them. Sounds like you'll have lots stocked up for awhile.

    I grow them all year round, so my neighbors are always coming home to little goody bags on their door handles! They all love it.

    Sharing, is the best part of growing - to me.

    : )
     
  6. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Oh, I dry them naturally or sometimes on my dehydrator. It takes about a week to dry them naturally, and 4-6 hours on my dehydrator.

    : )
     
  7. redster

    redster Active Member

    Messages:
    50
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    new orleans, louisiana
    now a dehydrator wouldnt be a bad idea for me at all.

    do you ever add anything to your flakes??? you know like salt, garlic, or whatever...ive looked for recipes for flakes but there aint much out there.


    red
     
  8. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Yup - sometimes I add dried pieces of basil or oregano to the flakes.


    : )


    P.S. Got my dehydrator at Wal-Mart.
     
  9. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,698
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Denver,Colorado USA
    Some fun biology of peppers, if your not interested you need not read. A couple posts back it was posted that when an aluminum foil mulch is used in pepper plots, it can increase the pod harvest by as much as 85 percent, and drastically reduce aphid infestations. There is also a VERY interesting reaction by peppers to RED mulches. Pepper plants produce a protein called "phytochrome". This long worded protein is actually a plant sensor that responds to far-red light. Far-red light is beyond the range of human vision, but the pepper plant's sensor can "see" it. When a gardener puts a red mulch (instead of an aluminum mulch) in his or her plot of peppers, the Gardener soon notices that their pepper plants become taller and a lot heavier, thus produce more fruit. THE REASON: Since the leaves of almost all plants reflect far-red light, this light would be "seen" by the pepper's protein sensor. Therefore, when the sensor "sees" the red light reflected by the Gardner's red mulch, the pepper plant "thinks" competing plants are nearby, and quickly starts to put out more leaves and grows taller, in order to crowd out any possible competition. Some mail-order companies and garden shops are beginning to sell red mulching sheets that also prevent weeds, and let air, water, and nutrients through. - Millet (1,201-)
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2009
  10. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    Oh Millet, I'm glad you brought up the issue about red mulch! When I read your posting about the Aluminium mulch, I was quite curious indeed. I've been using red mulch for my tomato plants for the last few years (bought from Lee Valley store). Then, I "cheaped" out and reverted back to using black mulch (black garbage bags)... can't say if there was any diff. cos' it was not done under a controlled test situation. Regardless, my question is would the same idea work indoors? I mean, if I had a chilli pepper in a pot and used the red mulch, and if I brought my pepper plant near the sunny window, if I sat the pot on red mulch? Now of course this is still an imaginary pepper plant for me, as I have yet to grow one yet!! :)
     
  11. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,698
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Denver,Colorado USA
    Eve, for indoor plants, I am not really sure how effective either an aluminum or a red mulch would be. It would all depend on the amount of reflectivity from the surface of the mulches into the plant. The effectiveness certainly would not be as beneficial indoors as outside. As I do not know much about tomatoes, I do not know if a red mulch has an effect on tomato plants or not, except for possibly warming the soil. Tomato plants are in the same family as peppers (Solanaceae, or the nightshade family) along with eggplant, potato, tobacco, and petunias. As a point of interest, grafting of chile peppers onto other plants is becoming a big business. This year, approximately 26 million pepper plants grafted onto tomato root stocks are being grown commercially. The grafted plants provide control of nematodes and various soil borne diseases, and in addition give higher yields. - Millet (1,199-)
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2009
  12. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    I wish I could use mulch, but it just ends up being a home for insects and earwigs to hide under, so I stopped applying it. Too bad though, because I really would like to use it.


    : )
     
  13. JanR

    JanR Active Member

    Messages:
    365
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lakeland, Manitoba

    Red mulch is definitely advantageous to tomatoes. I actually wasn't aware that it worked with peppers as well. It does make sense though as they are the same family. I used red mulch this year on a new raised bed for tomatoes and peppers and my crop of tomatoes was hugh. I not sure though if it was caused by the mulch or the soil.
     
  14. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Just took this shot right now, of my indoor Aurora plant. A couple of the fruits are just now beginning to change color, and more fruits are developing...


    : )


    P.S. Maybe I could try mulching indoors, just as an experiment. At least inside I wouldn't have to deal with bloody earwigs!
     

    Attached Files:

  15. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    From left to right, here is my carrot boat pot filled with three kinds of hot pepper seedlings...


    Purple Pepper...Numex Twilight...Purple Tiger...


    : )
     

    Attached Files:

  16. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Also, my African heirloom hot pepper seedling/plant, with green and white leaves.


    Although you can see some white on the leaves, it becomes more pronounced as the plant matures. This is one exceptionally ornamental plant as well, the older it gets.

    The fruits are medium-hot, and great in salsa. The plant has a real Christmas look to it when it is mature with red ripening fruit.

    The green and white leaves and the red fruits, remind you of the candy cane colors of Christmas...


    : )
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    oh keep the pics coming, Hollyberry Lady!It's really making me itch to get started. I just have to get through maybe 2 more weeks of house renovs, and I can get started planting my very first chilli plant indoors! I just don't want to start now lest I neglect it and kill it. :0 Meanwhile, I'll just have hot dreams... of chilli, that is! :)
     
  18. PennyG

    PennyG Active Member

    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada...zone 5b
    Nice plants Sherry and excellent tips and advice everyone, thanks.
     
  19. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Well, good luck with your first experience growing a chili plant indoors, Eve von Paradis. I am sure things will be fine. It really isn't that difficult, and you will have such fun doing it.

    Good luck with your renovations.


    : )


    P.S. Thanks, Penny. Here's some more shots of my pepper seedlings and plants...


    1~ Black Cuban
    2~ Black Pearl
    3~ Fire Cracker
    4~ Explosive Blast and Little Blue Pot in middle


    : )
     

    Attached Files:

  20. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    My Aurora variety, beginnning to change color. Notice how one of the fruits is nearly white?!!! I have never had a pepper plant that turned so many colors at once! When it's grown outside, it's even more spectacular...


    : )
     

    Attached Files:

  21. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    For those of you that received Fire Cracker hot pepper seeds from me, this is mine from last year, so you'll know what you can expect...


    : )
     

    Attached Files:

  22. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    Dear Hollyberry Lady,

    You mentioned that "chilli chilli" is a good chilli plant for beginniners. Is it an ornamental pepper? I would like a edible and very hot chilli pepper to grow indoors. Please advise.

    Thanks. :)
     
  23. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    Oh yeah - you can eat them too! They're really good, and quite hot. Ornamental and edible.


    : )
     
  24. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    cool! Thanks!
     
  25. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

    Messages:
    739
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    London, Ontario, Canada (Zone 5b)
    You're welcome! Good luck...


    : )
     

Share This Page