Update (was Homemade smoked chili powder?)

[Mark]

I started 750 or so pepper plants that are coming up gangbusters.
3 flats @ 250 per flat
250 are habaneos of different varities and colors.
125 are poblanos and 125 are pimentos
The remaining 250 are heirloom Italian sweet peppers of different vatities.

With that many peppers started, I'm sure there will be some spares. If anyone in the area wants some, just let me know come spring planting time.

[Stucue74]

Ambitious!! Let us know how it goes Mark.

[shock]

Hey man - I'm there!!

Where are you growing these babies?

[chad]

Mark was generous to send me some seeds a few weeks ago - from his red habaneros. I started a 1/2 dozen peat pellets and got two seedlings going. I'll save the other seeds for a bit later and start some "late" seedlings, too.

I have a bunch of yellow habs, jalapeno, serano, cascabella, and datil seedlings going. I've got some already transplanted to 3" pots and some out in the "garden" area.

With tomatoes (Beefmaster, Better Boy, cherry, and some other indeterminate type), bell peppers and hot peppers going I'm just about set for the summer!!

I'm potting a few of each type plant and then putting others out in my raised beds around the back yard. I'm trying to keep them seperate enough to keep the types consistent (ie. as little cross pollination as possible) so I can collect seeds for future use.

Mark's earlier posts were definately incentive to get back into gardening. Needless to say there will be chipotles in my future, too!! :D

[Mark]

Hey man - I'm there!!

Where are you growing these babies?

I start them in my kitchen under grow lights. When the first true leaves appear, I cull & transplat to different , larger, flats and move them to my basement where grow lights are built into the ceiling. I re-pot a couple of times till they go into 4" pots (18 to a flat) By the time the weather permits (end of April) they go in the ground. Since my backyard is on a lake I got some thermal sink protection against a late freeze.

Besides those, I've overwintered maybe 2 dozen plants from last season. They have ripe peppers on them right now.

[Mark]

David:

What's your strategy in planting some late? Doesn't that mean less peppers?

[chad]

In the past the intense heat, humidity, and pest invasion has reduced yields. This is especially true with tomatoes and other plants to some degree.

Understand that I'm already at the average last frost date I've got about 10 months until the average first frost date :D

Spreading out the planting date really does help with pest avoidance and if one series gets eat up I've got new plants coming behind them. This, of course, applies mostly to the plantings in the yard. The potted plants will be watched more closely and for the most part will be in the screened pool enclosure.

I can do mutiple plantings of everything except cole veggies since they need the cool temps that we just don't get for very long.

[chad]

Also, since I'm the only one the family that eats hot peppers I don't need mountains of them to keep me busy smoking, preserving, etc. :mrgreen:

I can only give away so many jars of jelly and chipotles!

[Mark]

Also, since I'm the only one the family that eats hot peppers I don't need mountains of them to keep me busy smoking, preserving, etc. :mrgreen:

I can only give away so many jars of jelly and chipotles!

Not around here!