2019 Pepper Review
This year was to be the year of the pepper. I am afraid I am not very good at peppers. Our local weather conditions aren’t the best for flavorful peppers. We just don’t get a lot of heat out of them. My research suggests that I water them too much and that our weather is simply too damp and cool. That being said, this year was the dampest and coolest yet, but I managed to get a decent crop of peppers, maybe the best yet.
Another problem I have with peppers is the fact that the local critters love them so. This surprised me, as I thought pepper plants would be distasteful to the beasties. There is no excuse that this should continue to surprise me, yet I planted the cayenne too close to the fence and the baby geese stuck their heads right through and ate them all to the ground. The deer and the woodchuck sheered off half the poblanos and the paprikas. I built fences around them, but nobody noticed. It wasn’t until I started building the chicken fortress that I had the answer- Bird Netting (Here is a link to exactly what I used https://amzn.to/2BFcTsL) . It has to go right on top of the individual plants, weighed down with rocks or logs or something. Works a charm.
Our review of our 2019 pepper varieties.
Big Jim Pepper
Source: MIGardener Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/13 3 sisters with bean companions. Not a lot of fruit was produced and nothing ever ripened. Not a lot of heat, nothing special about these.
Early Jalapeno Pepper
Source: MIGardener Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/14/19 , front garden. Date of First Harvest: Flavor and Usage Notes: I like these, I fermented a bunch.
Long Slim Cayenne
Source: MIGardener Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/14/19, front garden. Date of First Harvest: Flavor and Usage Notes: The geese killed them all. Bastards.
Chocolate Bell
Source: Annies Heirloom Seeds Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 75% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/12/19, front garden Date of First Harvest: Flavor and Usage Notes: They’re okay, nothing exciting. Didn’t ripen till late.
Corno Del Toro
Source: Annies Heirloom Seeds Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 50% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/6/19 Planted in front bed with a tomato cage for support. These never fully ripened until I put them in a bag after frost night. They are tasty though.
Marconi Red
Source: Annies Heirloom Seeds Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to the light tent. Date Transplanted: 6/12 Planted in the front garden with a tomato cage for support. Only one ripened before frost, but it was nice. Honestly, when can we start these so that they’ll be ripe? More ripened in a bag.
Alma Paprika
Source: Annies Heirloom Seeds Date Planted: 2/8/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to the light tent. Date Transplanted: July 13, 3 sisters,w/ fence-style support. Bean companions. Date of First Harvest: July 28 Flavor and Usage Notes: First use, I just diced it and threw it in with some turnips and greens. Sweet and tasty. Like them alot. Toasted and dried some, also very nice. Will grow forever.
Ancho/Poblano
Source: Southeast Seeds (via Amazon) Date Planted: 3/19/2019 in 1-inch pots in a tray with a humidity dome in the light tent. Germination Rate: 100% Date Repotted: 4/4/19 Transferred to 4-inch pots and returned to the light tent. Date Transplanted: July 13 in 3 sisters, with bean companions. They were prolific, crisp, but not sweet with just a touch of heat. I roasted and dried a bunch and I like them a lot that way.