THG Pepper Contest: My Contenders

[soil]

I grow all types of peppers, they also cross pollinate sometimes. seed is from my own seed stock. I started with a wide variety, some of them breed more true than others.

the big one isnt done yet, its still growing. this one could be of Anaheim decent.

[stella1751]

I grow all types of peppers, they also cross pollinate sometimes. seed is from my own seed stock. I started with a wide variety, some of them breed more true than others.

the big one isnt done yet, its still growing. this one could be of Anaheim decent.

You could still beat me. If I can't get the 12" one to uncurl, I can't prove it's as long as I say it is I picked some more yesterday, but the longest was 9.25". Today I think one of the longer ones will finally be mature enough to pick. I'm having the worst time measuring them on the plant!

Last year was the first time I saved my own seeds. I suspect some of my Frankenchilies are no longer straight HBC II's, so in time I'm going to make it my own Frankenchile variety, several generations from now.

I got a neat pepper from my Super Chile seeds I saved last year. It looks like a NuMex Big Jim, kind of. It only gets as tall as a Super Chile, and the plant spreads like a Super Chile. It puts on lots of hot, quick-maturing, 4" long peppers that look like the beef jerky you can buy at convenience stores, about that round and cylindrical. It's pretty neat, almost all wall. I am going to call it Slim Jim if I can stabilize the variety.

Man, I'm already looking forward to next year! Saving seeds is fun and has turned out really well so far.

[soil]

what kind of tape measure are you using, its not going to uncurl when drying I'm sorry to tell you. mine isnt exactly straight either, not as bent as yours but still not perfectly straight. I use a measuring tape like this one, so its easy to get the bends and curves accurately.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tape_measure_colored.jpeg

[garden5]

Stella, Yeah, things have been ripening better for me this year. Well, the ghost peppers at least. I grew Thai peppers last year and got more ripe ones than this year so far. I have a lot of Thai peppers, they just aren't all ripe yet. This could be because I'm growing them in 1 gal pots (probably should have gone bigger.

However, the potted bhut jolokia is doing better than last year's in-ground ones. However, I think that is because the deer left it alone, unlike last year .

Anyway, so far so good. Glad to year things are ripening better for you as well!

Oh, and if you use a flexible tape measure (like the kind taylors use) I think you can accurately determine the size of your foot-long pepper even if it doesn't uncurl .

[stella1751]

That flexible tape measure looks like it is much better than the one I am using! I will need to find one. Last year, I had a seamstress tape measure, which worked like nobody's business. It has disappeared, though, and I suspect it will turn up one day when I am excavating one of the beds. I'm not a very organized person. Example: Although I have visited Wal-Mart over a dozen times since summer began, I haven't remembered to look for something better

[stella1751]

Today's Harvest:

[img]https://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/mitbah/Best_Frankenchile_To_Date.jpg[/img]

If I can't uncurl the foot-long one, and I'm definitely going to try, the fellow to the immediate left of the tape measure will be my entry at 10" long. (That's without the curl.)

Edit: I decided I wasn't going down without a fight. Even though my longest pepper has shrunk somewhat, I decided to slice it down the middle and get a photo before it was too late. As you can see, it is pretty dessicated, and there is still some curl at the bottom. I am submitting it as an 11-incher:

[img]https://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/mitbah/LongestPepper2.jpg[/img]

[soil]

looks more like 9" to me, because the stem can be cut at any length.

id only measure what is red, no green.

[stella1751]

looks more like 9" to me, because the stem can be cut at any length.

id only measure what is red, no green.

Soil, I edited my post while you were writing this. See the new photo.

The first one was measured on the outside. That's the curl. If you want, I'll slice it like I did the other one. It's 10".

[stella1751]

Okay. Everyhing is picked. The plants have been humanely put down. My final contender:

[img]https://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy292/mitbah/1B2_best.jpg[/img]

11". I'm submitting it at 10.75", just in case I erred. I ran a strip of plastic down both sides, applied that to the tape measurer, and got the same measurement every time. Nevertheless, I'm gonna call it 10.75", just in case I erred.

(This measurement does not include the cap or stem, nor does it include the entire countertop or the kitchen sink )

Everyone else, especially those who assumed I included cap and stem in previous measurements, bring on your contenders!

[soil]

someone picked and ate my contender green, so I loose this year.

[stella1751]

someone picked and ate my contender green, so I loose this year.

Man, my heart breaks for you, Soil! Honest! If someone had picked one of my 11-inchers, I would have, well, I don't know what I would have done, but I would have been really ticked off.

There's always next year. That's the great thing about gardening: there's always another year. I wanted a 12-incher this year, and I didn't get it. Next year I will!

[soil]

I'm surprised it lasted this long, no one listens to me when it comes to harvesting.