Frankenchile

[stella1751]

Glad to hear things are going well with the cutting experiment, Stella .

How long did you soak them for in the willow tea?

I've read that it's actually not necessary to soak a cutting until you see roots, since these roots that form will not be of much importance when you pot the cuttings....apparently they produce different kinds of roots if they are in water or soil.

Garden5, I just soaked them overnight. It's now been 7 days, and the cuttings still look as crisp as they did the day I potted them. I looked for roots this morning, felt my heart race at the sight of a faint tendril of white on the bottom of one pot, and plucked off a dog hair.

Oh well. I think they're going to make it.

I always wondered about that aspirin florists recommend, Ted. That answers a question. I also heard sugar is good. I wonder why.

[garden5]

Thanks for the specifics on the willow tea . I've heard of it before, but was uncertain on the details.

I's be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison with the asprin and the willow tea.

[csvd87]

Stella, its been a while since an update, care to share on how your Frankenchiles are fairing? How are the cuttings? Mine failed, 2 weeks in the gel pack with no roots formed, It was starting to curl up and die. I have had better results with powder hormone and a wet cotton ball in a glass.

[stella1751]

Stella, its been a while since an update, care to share on how your Frankenchiles are fairing? How are the cuttings? Mine failed, 2 weeks in the gel pack with no roots formed, It was starting to curl up and die. I have had better results with powder hormone and a wet cotton ball in a glass.

Curtis, I am sorry to hear about the gel-pack failure. I hope the cuttings weren't from one of your favorites! How soon did you suspect they wouldn't make it? I still can't tell with mine, and it's been 18 days now.

Two of the cuttings are still hanging in there, with no signs of failure. One is beginning to look a bit limp, though, and I have my doubts that it is rooted. I am tempted to remove the plastic baggies and give them a tug, just to see whether any of them are rooted. That's what it said to do in the instructions, but I am afraid. I'd rather hope the two made it than know that they didn't

This morning I was thinking I should start three more, just in case. The plant has enough new growth to give me three more healthy starts, and today the wind is slated to blow, which generally means a weather change, At this time of the year, the weather rarely changes for the better. Besides, the weather couldn't conceivably be any better than it was this past week.

I do believe I have discovered why the HBC II was discontinued: They never turn red. I imagine there are ten-year-old plants out there, still laden with green chilies from their first year, their gardeners daily visiting them, as I do mine, to see whether there's the slightest change in color and always, as do I, walking away in disappointment. Change, already!

[csvd87]

Good to hear yours are still doing well, I know what you mean about the waiting for red.. My bells refuse to change as do my Jalapeno's

[stella1751]

After replying to your last post, I decided to be brave and remove the plastic baggies. While pulling the first one from the tray, I managed to drag the entire tray forward, dumping it upside-down into the sink. I am such a clutz!

One was rooted. I managed to shove it back into the pot; I'm crossing my fingers it lives. Another was partially rooted, resisting a slight tug. That one didn't turn completely upside-down, so I didn't disturb its new roots too much. The other one, the first one I decided to check, is dying. I don't think it set so much as one little root tendril.

They are now baggie-less. I'll know in two or three days whether or not that first one will make it. In the happy event that it does make it, I now have a question regarding pot size: What is the absolute smallest pot I could put these in to restrict their size indoors? The mature plant would probably go 5' to 6' tall, given unfettered root access. If I put them in a small pot, maybe something from 8" to 12", will that limit the plant's size and get them through the winter?

Our winters up here are long, running from sometime in October to sometime in March or April. They will need to be potted until May, at the very earliest, for a total of 8 months. I went through a container-garden experiment several years ago, and I found then that peppers will grow in virtually any size pot. Plant size and productivity is limited by the size of the pot.

However, I've never tried such a large plant in a pot before. My peppers in the experiment year were Hot Cherry, Hungarian Wax, Jalapeno, and (I think) some ornamental, all with a mature height of 3'. What do you think? What's the smallest pot I can get away with on these fellows?

[csvd87]

I know what you mean Stella, I managed to bump my lamp enough that I didn't notice it fall down and burn all the top new growth on one of my chocolate beauties and after that I pruned it got rid of the burnt dead foliage and let it try and recover, it did, so I took it downstairs to water it(bottom water) brought it up stairs and dropped it, spilling all the soil. That plant is a trooper, I just a couple of weeks ago potted it up because it took such a beating, it has been flowering. Also, good news, My Red Beauties are blushing
A 1 gallon deep pot, but I have had some growing pretty well in a 4 quart-ish sized pot, keeping it well pruned of course.
Oh and my cutting I was trying out was just a Banana Pepper, no big deal. A good pizza topping, but not my favorite pepper.

[stella1751]

Congratulations on the Red Beauties starting to turn! I looked them up online, and the first website I went to, Tomato Growers Supply Company, began their description with "A red bell pepper widely adapted to reliably turn red in almost any area of the country." Maybe that's my problem. I had no idea some peppers didn't turn red. They wouldn't say that if people didn't have a problem, right?

I've never had a pepper not turn red, but if the Frankenchilies don't get their act together, this will definitely be my first time for this particular situation!

I liked reading about the trials of your Chocolate Beauty. Poor thing! I am seriously more clumsy than the average gardener, and most of my seedlings, well, the ones that live, survive despite me, not because of me. This morning the one I tossed on its head into the sink is alive, maybe even well. I am going to dig in the basement for a decent pot for it and the other one that might make it. I should have a few in the gallon range down there.

Thanks for the advice!

[csvd87]

Thanks, Ya, I'm starting to think my Jalapeno's are a variety that doesn't turn, however, they have been on there for quite some time. Maybe the frankenchile's don't turn, but who knows. It took my Red Beauties probably 20 to 30 days after they were mature size and feel to finally blush.

My Chocolate Beauty is a Beauty, loaded with flowers and it almost froze last night. Nothing in the forexast even close to freezing, but I have a sort of mini climate at my house where just up the road the lawns were frost covered. But we were fine, must be all these trees. I also have only the Comox airport to go by for the temp, and it is right next the ocean and usually 3 degrees or so warmer in the colder months.

My other chocolate beauty that is fruiting has me worried, supposed to be Bell shaped fruit, but they are looking like Trinidad Scorpions. I'll go take a photo and upload it in a bit.

I know my Sweet Cayenne will turn red, I had some weird stuff happeneing with that plant, did really well, then started to die, produced a few tiny fruit, turned red in a week.. so I picked them and chucked them out. now it is loaded with 8 to 10 inch fruit all yellow, I had one spoiled, went all spngy and rotten, so I just pitched it.

[garden5]

I'm glad to hear you're having success with your cutting experiment!

I might try the same with my ghost pepper plants this winter. The seed are expensive and the plants take a long time to bear fruit. I'll be bringing mine in for the winter, since the peppers are still green and frost is probably only about 2 weeks away. One of the plants was eaten pretty heavily by the deer, so it's mostly stalks with a little foliage....sound's like a good candidate for making a cutting.

I'm thinking that a one gal. pot should be fine for the peppers, just be sure to prune the plant when you plant it so that the now-smaller/restricted roost system doesn't have to support as much top-growth.

I've had pepper plants mature to a height of 1 ft.....and that's in the garden, thanks to voluntary pruning by the deer . They still grew fine and produced, though.

How is the dying cutting coming along?

[stella1751]

My Chocolate Beauty is a Beauty, loaded with flowers and it almost froze last night. Nothing in the forexast even close to freezing, but I have a sort of mini climate at my house where just up the road the lawns were frost covered. But we were fine, must be all these trees. I also have only the Comox airport to go by for the temp, and it is right next the ocean and usually 3 degrees or so warmer in the colder months.

I gardened once on a place with an undulating landscape, some spots higher than others. I can't remember which, I think it was the lower spots, but one portion would freeze or at least suffer freeze damage while the other remained unscathed. I think it was the lower levels, that the fog would settle in there and then freeze the plants. It was weird and annoying I'd never remember from year to year to plan my garden around that.

My two cuttings are alive! What have I learned from this experiment, other than to exercise more care when removing one from the tray? I learned that the soil must be moist, not wet. The two that are surviving haven't had a drink for almost 3 weeks, and their soil is still moist. Those baggies really keep the moisture in. I'm betting that's why I lost the one I did lose.

Today, if I find the time, I am going to start three more. I feel very good about two of these cuttings, but I don't want to take a chance that they won't make it through until transplanting. There are two days left of good weather before the cold moves in, so I need to get my cuttings either today or tomorrow or chance losing the opportunity.

I love this idea of propagating cuttings! I can't imagine why I haven't been doing this all along.

[garden5]

My Chocolate Beauty is a Beauty, loaded with flowers and it almost froze last night. Nothing in the forexast even close to freezing, but I have a sort of mini climate at my house where just up the road the lawns were frost covered. But we were fine, must be all these trees. I also have only the Comox airport to go by for the temp, and it is right next the ocean and usually 3 degrees or so warmer in the colder months.

I gardened once on a place with an undulating landscape, some spots higher than others. I can't remember which, I think it was the lower spots, but one portion would freeze or at least suffer freeze damage while the other remained unscathed. I think it was the lower levels, that the fog would settle in there and then freeze the plants. It was weird and annoying I'd never remember from year to year to plan my garden around that.

My two cuttings are alive! What have I learned from this experiment, other than to exercise more care when removing one from the tray? I learned that the soil must be moist, not wet. The two that are surviving haven't had a drink for almost 3 weeks, and their soil is still moist. Those baggies really keep the moisture in. I'm betting that's why I lost the one I did lose.

Today, if I find the time, I am going to start three more. I feel very good about two of these cuttings, but I don't want to take a chance that they won't make it through until transplanting. There are two days left of good weather before the cold moves in, so I need to get my cuttings either today or tomorrow or chance losing the opportunity.

I love this idea of propagating cuttings! I can't imagine why I haven't been doing this all along.

I'll bet that the baggie is the key. I've read on propagating plants, and one of the consistent recommendations, now that I think of it, is to have some type of enclosure the keep the humidity up. However, he did caution against leaving it on too long (causes mold), so it may be best to just keep it on long enough for the plants to root.

Keep us updated on your progress .

[stella1751]

Garden5, the literature says that you use the baggie because the leaves must feed the plant until roots form, which makes sense. I used to do this when propagating African Violets, and it worked like a charm. Like Curtis, I once tried the water method, soaking the ends in water until roots formed, but, like you said in an earlier post, the cuttings rarely survived the transplant into real soil.

Two of my first three cuttings are still alive this morning. They aren't what you would call perky, but they don't appear to be fading. I think they will make it. I'm going to leave them alone until they look thirsty. I have a tendency to over-nurture plants to death, and I think they will fare better without my assistance

I started three more this morning. I took bigger prunings this time and used a deeper baby pot for them. I am about out of time, weather-wise. After today, my winter respite is at an end. As of tonight, I will begin covering the bed each night again. I must know whether or not the first ones made, and I must know soon. Otherwise, the donor plant needs to come in the house for the winter.

Ending on an extremely positive note, I see a very faint orange-y yellow-y tinge in the tip of the top chile. I noticed it yesterday and was worried I was imagining things or that the sun was hitting the plant just right to create a mirage, but it's still there this morning. The Frankenchilies might be starting to turn! Once they've done that, I won't be as reluctant to dig up their parent.

[csvd87]

as promised.. sorta. photos of my "bell" peppers

Chocolate Beauty
[img]https://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr235/binchnunker/Garden%20Pics/IMG_9576.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr235/binchnunker/Garden%20Pics/IMG_9573.jpg[/img]

And my Red Beauty
[img]https://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr235/binchnunker/Garden%20Pics/IMG_9577.jpg[/img]

I thought I saw the same thing on my Red Beauty, just looked like a reflection or mirage, turns out it was starting to turn red

[stella1751]

Curtis, it's no wonder they call them "Red Beauty"! That's an extraordinarily beautiful pepper! How exciting for you that it has finally begun to turn! I am especially interested in how quickly it is happening. I think it was only two days ago that you mentioned they had begun turning.

Thanks for the photos. I scoped out the the background, too, analyzing the pots you are using and so on. I dug through the basement and came up with three pint-sized pots and three gallon-size. The pint-sized pots will make a nice transitional pot once the roots on my cuttings are firmly established, but I am displeased with their appearance (they don't match) and secretly suspect this project will give me an excuse to spend more money on pots I don't need. I love buying pots. It's a vile habit, one I thought I had broken after my container-experiment year.

Right now, I am waiting to see roots at the bottom of the pots on the first two. Given the rough treatment they endured two or three days ago, I think I should let them become root-bound before I transplant them into the new pots.

It's fun to think that I can garden, sort of, all winter long!

[digitS']

I once worked at a greenhouse and we had a "propagation bench" set up.

This was a rose greenhouse and those plants were purchased so this wasn't a high-priority tool but it looked fairly sophisticated to me .

The set-up was a raised steel bench filled with perlite. A couple feet above the perlite was a pvc pipe and emitters (if I've got the right word). The fittings didn't sprinkle the plants with water, they misted. That misting occurred about every 2 hours, if I remember right. The entire bed was surrounded with clear plastic film.

The misting was sufficient to cause a constant - drip, drip, drip - from the bench. So, there was some flushing of the perlite, I suppose.

The thing worked wonderfully! All sorts of plants were started in there.

Now, I know peppers are perennials but they look like they would be difficult to root. Best of Luck to You on this, Stella.

BTW - the Weather Service tells me that my own "Growing Degree Days" are almost the same as for many communities in Wyoming. So, that's the average here and we hit it just about exactly this year. However, we are going to have a late 1st frost . . !

Steve

[stella1751]

Steve, there are two Wyomings when it comes to weather: West and High Plains. I'm in the latter. West gets more cold and snow; High Plains gets more wind. Our average first frost is September 22. This year it hit on September 6. Mother Nature made up for her sloppiness, though, by giving us almost five weeks of decent weather afterwards

BTW, I spent most of my adolescence in Eastport, Idaho, a little town on the border. It was lovely!

The bench you described is fascinating. I can't figure out how they would transplant, though. Did they pull the plant and transplant it bare-root, or did they scoop it out and plant it with perlite in its roots? I like that misting idea. A person could mist with a nutrient rich spray and do without the baggies.

I went with a 1/1/1/1 mix of my soil, vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss. I think it is working. Either that, or one of the cuttings survived despite it. Yes, I have a house pepper! I let the soil on the two living cuttings dry out until the plants were looking peaked. I watered them last night, and this morning one of them looks very vigorous. It stands to reason it is rooted for me to get that kind of a response, right?

The other one isn't dead, but I didn't notice any difference between dry and wet states. It could still make it. Nevertheless, what really, really matters is that I probably won't have to dig up the donor plant. Yay!

[csvd87]

Yay, I have 4 peppers turning on that plant. but my Jalapeno's refuse to turn, same with my sweet and long slim cayennes. and since my Filius Blue has died, I am replacing it with a tobasco. I got my seeds from Fatalii in about 1.5 weeks, which is really fast considering they are from finland. Anyways, I got a free pack of Short Yellow Tobasco seeds along with my Bhut Bell, Bonnet Bell, Chocolate Fatali, Brazilian Starfish, and CAP 1478, also a free sample of what I think is a chili licorice (not sure, its finish)

The Tobasco I am growing is looking quite healthy in its early stages, got its true leaves in about 9 days

Anyways, I hope your Frank's are ready to turn. I also wanna say this, I had a Serrano that I bought from the farm market, fully green, dark green. I nibbled off the end and then for some reason sit it on the counter and forgot about it, after a couple weeks I noticed the tip started to turn orange, during its slow drying process it was maturing on the counter, it turned fully red once I placed it in my (grow box... Cardboard box with a lamp shoved through the side) I'm testing the seeds now.

[digitS']

. . . BTW, I spent most of my adolescence in Eastport, Idaho, a little town on the border. It was lovely! . . .

There must be only a very few people who can say that they did some of their growing up in Eastport, Stella! A few of us are just lucky, eh?

. . . The bench you described is fascinating. I can't figure out how they would transplant, though. Did they pull the plant and transplant it bare-root . . .

That's it! . . . just pluck the plants out and pot 'em up.

S'

[stella1751]

Yay, I have 4 peppers turning on that plant. but my Jalapeno's refuse to turn, same with my sweet and long slim cayennes. and since my Filius Blue has died, I am replacing it with a tobasco. I got my seeds from Fatalii in about 1.5 weeks, which is really fast considering they are from finland. Anyways, I got a free pack of Short Yellow Tobasco seeds along with my Bhut Bell, Bonnet Bell, Chocolate Fatali, Brazilian Starfish, and CAP 1478, also a free sample of what I think is a chili licorice (not sure, its finish)

The Tobasco I am growing is looking quite healthy in its early stages, got its true leaves in about 9 days

Anyways, I hope your Frank's are ready to turn. I also wanna say this, I had a Serrano that I bought from the farm market, fully green, dark green. I nibbled off the end and then for some reason sit it on the counter and forgot about it, after a couple weeks I noticed the tip started to turn orange, during its slow drying process it was maturing on the counter, it turned fully red once I placed it in my (grow box... Cardboard box with a lamp shoved through the side) I'm testing the seeds now.

Curtis, I had to look up the CAP 1478. You are always growing peppers I've never even heard of. This one looks perfect for your indoor collection! I can't decide whether I like that flower or not. It's ugly and beautiful at the same time, like a Black Widow spider.

I don't remember you posting that the Filius Blue had died. I remember one died, maybe from over-watering. Man, I am very sorry. That one was a beauty.

Yesterday I needed peppers for a recipe. I had stripped the NuMex Big Jims bare, so I picked two peppers from the Frankenchile plant that I like the least. Not its biggest ones, just a couple of 8-inchers. What a treat it was to finally taste one! Very mild heat, borderline sweet, with a thick, crunchy wall. It's a good pepper, not as hot as I would like, but this plant is in the bed whose prep I blew this spring (more compost than soil), so I'll withhold judgment until I taste the real McCoys in my good bed.

Fall is here. The Frankenchilies still haven't turned. I do believe I deluded myself into thinking they were turning. I tell myself they aren't turning because of the weather, but the Habaneros, Fish, Big Jims, and Super Chiles are all turning, so that's not it. I have, so far, four different Habaneroes: Regular (Savino?), Orange (pointy), Orange (rounded), and Chocolate. There's another Habanero variety out there, but I don't know its name. It's tiny and hasn't turned yet.

I think I won't see red Frankenchilies this year. Next year, maybe, but not this one. I'll give 'em a fair shot next year, not planting them late as a substitute for Big Jims

[garden5]

Yay, I have 4 peppers turning on that plant. but my Jalapeno's refuse to turn, same with my sweet and long slim cayennes. and since my Filius Blue has died, I am replacing it with a tobasco. I got my seeds from Fatalii in about 1.5 weeks, which is really fast considering they are from finland. Anyways, I got a free pack of Short Yellow Tobasco seeds along with my Bhut Bell, Bonnet Bell, Chocolate Fatali, Brazilian Starfish, and CAP 1478, also a free sample of what I think is a chili licorice (not sure, its finish)

The Tobasco I am growing is looking quite healthy in its early stages, got its true leaves in about 9 days

Anyways, I hope your Frank's are ready to turn. I also wanna say this, I had a Serrano that I bought from the farm market, fully green, dark green. I nibbled off the end and then for some reason sit it on the counter and forgot about it, after a couple weeks I noticed the tip started to turn orange, during its slow drying process it was maturing on the counter, it turned fully red once I placed it in my (grow box... Cardboard box with a lamp shoved through the side) I'm testing the seeds now.

Curtis, I had to look up the CAP 1478. You are always growing peppers I've never even heard of. This one looks perfect for your indoor collection! I can't decide whether I like that flower or not. It's ugly and beautiful at the same time, like a Black Widow spider.

I don't remember you posting that the Filius Blue had died. I remember one died, maybe from over-watering. Man, I am very sorry. That one was a beauty.

Yesterday I needed peppers for a recipe. I had stripped the NuMex Big Jims bare, so I picked two peppers from the Frankenchile plant that I like the least. Not its biggest ones, just a couple of 8-inchers. What a treat it was to finally taste one! Very mild heat, borderline sweet, with a thick, crunchy wall. It's a good pepper, not as hot as I would like, but this plant is in the bed whose prep I blew this spring (more compost than soil), so I'll withhold judgment until I taste the real McCoys in my good bed.

Fall is here. The Frankenchilies still haven't turned. I do believe I deluded myself into thinking they were turning. I tell myself they aren't turning because of the weather, but the Habaneros, Fish, Big Jims, and Super Chiles are all turning, so that's not it. I have, so far, four different Habaneroes: Regular (Savino?), Orange (pointy), Orange (rounded), and Chocolate. There's another Habanero variety out there, but I don't know its name. It's tiny and hasn't turned yet.

I think I won't see red Frankenchilies this year. Next year, maybe, but not this one. I'll give 'em a fair shot next year, not planting them late as a substitute for Big Jims

I'm sorry to hear about the filius blue dying. How did it happen?

Stella, I'm glad to hear about your success. If you pot up the Frankenchillies, you may get them to ripen indoors.

[applestar]

Overwintered hot pepper plants are said to flower and fruit earlier next season, so keep those cuttings growing!

From what I've seen, hot peppers can take severe pruning, so if I had an impossible to replace plant, I think I would still cut the mother plant back severely and bring it in... But that's me. . (I do understand your dilemma about wanting to let the existing fruits mature as long as you can, Stella.)

[stella1751]

Overwintered hot pepper plants are said to flower and fruit earlier next season, so keep those cuttings growing!

From what I've seen, hot peppers can take severe pruning, so if I had an impossible to replace plant, I think I would still cut the mother plant back severely and bring it in... But that's me. . (I do understand your dilemma about wanting to let the existing fruits mature as long as you can, Stella.)

Applestar, you can have no idea how high is my opinion of your advice! Had you not suggested I propagate the HBC II from a cutting, I would now, with freezing temps on the horizon, be seriously stressing. You did suggest it, however, and your timing appears to have been perfect. I glance at my Frankenchile baby sitting in the kitchen window and feel like I can handle the loss of this favorite plant.

I am still toying with bringing the mothership into the house. I might. I would like those blasted peppers to mature first, but I am coming to realize that this desire may be irrational. Funny. Despite having my Frankenchile midget perched in my kitchen window, I suspect I will still be out there, digging up my favorite ten minutes in advance of a wintry blow

[csvd87]

Well, my Filius BLue died of what I think was overwatering, it basically sat in a puddle for 3 days, it coulda been a fungal disease found in a bad batch of potting mix...

[csvd87]

guess what guess what guess what... I was looking at my peppers today and I lifted up part of the Jalapeno plant... THEY ARE TURNING RED!!!! Soon they will be seeded and stuffed with feta... then devoured.. by me

[garden5]

Stella, couldn't you leave the peppers on the plant and just bring the plant in and have the peppers mature indoors? I'm thinking that its better than letting the frost kill them.

CS, I've come close the killing my pepper by overwatering, myself. It was probably overwatering since I don't see a potting mix having bacteria or fungi in it strong enough to take down a fairly mature plant.

Do you jalapenos get filled with cracks before they turn red? I've never been able to get mine to turn. They get big, then start getting all of those woody cracks. I end up picking them in fear that they will get so many cracks they will be inedible.

[stella1751]

Stella, couldn't you leave the peppers on the plant and just bring the plant in and have the peppers mature indoors? I'm thinking that its better than letting the frost kill them.

Yes. That is the logical thing to do. I should. Because I am anticipating playing with the seeds next year, I am being irrational. I seriously want the peppers' maturity to, as closely as possible, mirror nature's method, so I am waiting for as long as I can. I fear that bringing them indoors will somehow interrupt nature's natural cycle, and my seeds won't be viable. I know; it's silly

Another, secondary reason is that this was supposed to be a tomato year. I was experimenting with heirlooms, and peppers played a poor second. Therefore, I have 21 plants in this 4' x 8' bed. I've grown more, successfully, in that limited space, but I've never tried digging them up. When the favorite Frankchile is disinterred, I will likely kill a Fish, the other Frankenchile, a NuMex Big Jim, and two Habaneros. There will be wanton destruction throughout the bed, a domino effect of plants dying left and right.

It's not a big deal. The other plants aren't anything to write home about. Nevertheless, I'd like them to have their fair shot, especially the Fish and the second Frankenchile. I want seeds from both of them, too, this being a seed-saving year

Right now, I still have time to vacillate, to stress and to sweat and to be indecisive. And I have the Frankenmidget in my kitchen window, bless its little taproot!

[csvd87]

Do you jalapenos get filled with cracks before they turn red? I've never been able to get mine to turn. They get big, then start getting all of those woody cracks. I end up picking them in fear that they will get so many cracks they will be inedible.

I haven't noticed any cracking, but the peppers are quite shrimpy. Perfect for feta stuffing for snacks during a hockey game, to pair with a Caesar. Well, I'll try and replicate the ones I get at the grocery store. Otherwise they will be stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and thrown on the grill.

[garden5]

Stella, I can now see your reasoning. I guess I've no room to talk since I have a few pepper plants that I really really want to over-winter indoors, but am leaving in the garden so the peppers can get as close to ripe as possible.

CS, perhaps it's just the type of jalapeno I'm growing . I've got some more growing now and they are getting big. I'm toying with the ideas of just leaving one on permanently. It will either turn red, get covered in bark, or stay green and get hit by frost .

[csvd87]

The over winter dilemma is why I will be growing all my peppers in containers next year, all on my back deck. Too bad I have horrible southern exposure, since my yard is surrounded by trees. But they get their 6+ hours out there. Oh and also because I won't have room for 20 pepper varieties in my garden... that has some part to play.

[stella1751]

We froze last night. I didn't see it coming. The forecast low was for 41, so I didn't cover anything. I kicked myself when I went out at 6:30 AM and felt a Frankenchile leaf. It was stiff and coated in frost. Only the top leaves died, though, so it must have been a short-duration frost. Tonight I cover!

I've been thinking about it, and I'm really not certain I want to bring the mother plant inside for the winter. I've got this thing about bugs in the house. If I had no other choice but to bring it in, however, I would. I don't think I need to, now that I have a live cutting. I would like to keep the host plant alive until those peppers turn, though. I will be covering them until then. Two peppers, that's all I ask. Two red peppers. Is that such a terrible request?

I see the first pepper on the HBC II in the bad bed has begun to turn. It is definitely orange-y along a portion of its length. I'm betting serious money that the favorite will mature if I can just give it 10 more days. It could happen. It's not likely, but in a perfect world, it could happen

[soil]

if anything you can cut the pepper at the last moment, and hang it to slow dry in your kitchen(hopefully warm). high chances are it will turn red before it dries. I'm going to do this with some thai chili's that took forever to start producing.

[stella1751]

if anything you can cut the pepper at the last moment, and hang it to slow dry in your kitchen(hopefully warm). high chances are it will turn red before it dries. I'm going to do this with some thai chili's that took forever to start producing.

Soil, earlier in this thread, you mentioned that you left peppers out on the counter until they became dessicated. (I think that was your word.) I followed your advice on two Super Chilies, just to see how it worked.

It was really slick. I picked them when they were red, stuck them on a paper plate on top of the dryer, and left them until they were crinkly but still kind of moist. Yesterday I removed the seeds. All I had to do was tear a thin strip off along the length, flatten the pepper inside out, and then scrape the seeds onto the plate. The pepper itself was like one of those dried fruit rolls you can buy: supple but dry enough to work with.

Great idea! I liked it. I will definitely do the same thing with the Frankenchile peppers once I reach the stage where I have to pick them. Yesterday I picked four kinds of Habaneros, one of each kind, and three Fish Peppers, sticking them on the plate for drying. In two weeks, I will have seeds from them, too!

Oh. Word to the wise (everyone probably knows this): Wear gloves when scraping the seeds from the hot peppers. Duh. My fingers stung for the rest of the day!

[garden5]

Stella, I'm so glad that your Frankenchilli made it through the frost. If you are looking for a way to get 10 more days out of your growing season, why don't you look into making a low tunnel. Traditionally, they are done by bending PVC pipe in an arc over a row and they covering that with clear plastic. Of course, you could improvise and just make a structure large enough to cover the desired plant. For added nighttime warmth, fill some milk-jugs with water and paint them black. They will absorb the heat during the day and radiate it out at night.

I know what you mean about bugs coming into the house. I brought some dirt in from outside last year for seed starting and you should have seen all of those millipedes coming out of it!

[csvd87]

Oh. Word to the wise (everyone probably knows this): Wear gloves when scraping the seeds from the hot peppers. Duh. My fingers stung for the rest of the day!

I had the unfortunate event of using the bathroom.. about 3 hours after, not thinking that I just worked with habaneros.... I went out the next day and bought some vinyl gloves from wal~mart

or instead of the black milk jugs... stick some big rocks in a fire for a while, then take them out, wrap them in a wet towel, supposed to work well for tenting in the cold, principles are the same I guess.. although it might create to much humidity and then freeze...

[stella1751]

Stella, I'm so glad that your Frankenchilli made it through the frost. If you are looking for a way to get 10 more days out of your growing season, why don't you look into making a low tunnel. Traditionally, they are done by bending PVC pipe in an arc over a row and they covering that with clear plastic. Of course, you could improvise and just make a structure large enough to cover the desired plant. For added nighttime warmth, fill some milk-jugs with water and paint them black. They will absorb the heat during the day and radiate it out at night.

I know what you mean about bugs coming into the house. I brought some dirt in from outside last year for seed starting and you should have seen all of those millipedes coming out of it!

Garden5, I was able to finish one of my beds with a cold frame:

[img]https://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/mitbah/Poblanos_2008-5.jpg[/img]

Unfortunately, I was never able to finish the others There are peas in this one this year, and they are all over the place. One of the Frankenchile plants is in here, but it's not a favorite. I just wrap it in a small tarp to protect it. Next year, this bed will be all peppers. That will make a difference to the pre-winter blues. I had never thought to cover it in clear plastic, though. Will that protect plants from frost? I've just been using standard blue tarps.

Millipedes in the house? I'd set up a tent outside and leave them to their own devices. Those guys are seriously creepy looking.

[The Bearded Farmer]

Do you guys leave the plastic on your tunnel open on the ends?? Last year I closed it off and made sort of a mini greenhouse.

[stella1751]

Do you guys leave the plastic on your tunnel open on the ends?? Last year I closed it off and made sort of a mini greenhouse.

I haven't ever even used mine. I was surprised to learn that clear plastic would work, but it makes sense. It just didn't occur to me.

What kind of clear plastic do you use?

If I could seal the landscape timbers, it would be a greenhouse. I haven't yet figured out an organic sealant that won't wash away after a few waterings. I'm thinking about hide glue, but that will have to be for next year.

Nevertheless, if I could turn it into a mini-greenhouse like you suggested, I could probably set my peppers out in April next spring, extending my growing season by six to eight weeks. What's the lowest temperature you think yours can take, being in a greenhouse like this?

[garden5]

You can go to a hardware store and find Heavy clear plastic that they use for tarps for painting. When you put it over the hoops, it allows the sun's heat to warm up the plants. You really don't need to worry about using glue as a sealant with this method (sorry if I mis-read your post and you were talking about something else). You open up the ends, or on end on sunny days to avoid overheating.

I don't think it's the color of the tarp so much as the thickness of it that protects plants from a frost.

There was a chance of a frost the other night, so I put buckets over my favorite pepper plants. I also took soup cans and put them next to the plant, filled them with boiling water, and then put the bucket over the whole thing.

I can't say at to the effectiveness, however, since there wasn't a frost.

[stella1751]

That's exactly what I was wondering about, Garden5; thanks! I have tons of those plastic drop clothes stored somewhere, along with the paint I never got around to applying. I seriously think I will give this a try next spring on that one bed. I suspect I will start extra peppers, just in case. Somehow, I appear to have decided that, if the plants can't see the cold weather, they are less likely to freeze. I don't know where I got that from, maybe because there are no such things as see-through blankets and coats

The Frankchile plants are still all alive, thanks to my nightly covering routine. My two least favorite plants of the three have peppers that are turning orange at the rate of one square inch every four or five days. The numero uno Frankenchile, with its super-long peppers, refuses to budge on this maturation issue, though.

It has four days left to get its act together. On Sunday, winter arrives, with lows in the 20's. I am grateful for the extra time I have been given, but I think I'm almost glad to see the season end. Once you get to covering plants every single night for weeks on end, gardening loses some of its appeal. Besides, I'm eager to pick those peppers and get their final measurement. I could be wrong, but I think they may have squeezed out another half an inch of growth since I was last able to measure them!