Chillies, Peppers, Tomatoes & Melon crazy 2019

[annie8]

Interested to see how you get on with the Black Russian outside. I’m growing that for the first time, but in the greenhouse.

[Small pumpkin]

Interested to see how you get on with the Black Russian outside. I’m growing that for the first time, but in the greenhouse.

Always grow Black Russian. I'm growing one in and out. I'm not expecting great things from the outside one! But then we are a little farther north

[chillithyme]

Very nice selection of plants and photos
It will be interesting to see if the grafted plants outperform the non grafted ones

[Mitzi]

The 'super hots' that I have this year include...

- Aji Omnicolour
- Bhut Jolokia white
- Bolivian Rainbow
- Carolina Reaper
- Carolina Reaper chocolate
- Douglah
- Naga Viper
- Peach Scorpion
- Pimenta de Neyde
- Scotch Bonnet
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

These (bold) are not superhots. Scotch Bonnet is hot but not generally classed as superhot. Nice selection, though; will be interesting to see how you do with them all.

How are you finding Pimenta da Neyde? I grew two plants last year and got nothing off them, although admittedly they were potted up very late. Overwintered them both and one is flowering (sparsely) and has set three pods. Nothing on the other one yet. Hybrids seem a lot better; I have an overwintered PdN x SB7J and I got a few pods off it last year (in a tiny pot) but this spring pretty much every flower so far seems to have set.

[The Pepper Man]

Nice little selection you've got there.
Look forward to seeing it progress.
Your sun baby tomatoes doesn't have abnormal shaped leaves. It's got potatoe shaped leaves. Lots of tomatoes varieties have them

My bad, I wasn't sure if these types of leaves were common or not. I'm pretty sure I have seen this type on other tomato plants as well though. But wasn't sure. Thanks for clarifying that they are 'potato leaves'. I'm looking forward to growing out my tomato/potato hybrid haha.

[The Pepper Man]

Interested to see how you get on with the Black Russian outside. I’m growing that for the first time, but in the greenhouse.

Thanks Annie. I have two Black Russian's outdoors. The one in the planter is really thriving now and putting out flowers. I have definitely noticed that my tomatoes don't need as much heat, and can withstand more cold, than say cucumbers and the melons. I think they're a bit hardier than people give them credit for. It's probably dependent on the individual species/variant though.

[The Pepper Man]

Very nice selection of plants and photos
It will be interesting to see if the grafted plants outperform the non grafted ones

Thanks Chillithyme. Yeah, I will be observing closely how much better, if any better, the grafted tomatoes do, compared to the non-grafted ones and those started from seed. I'm certainly expecting earlier harvests from them at least.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Annie. I have two Black Russian's outdoors. The one in the planter is really thriving now and putting out flowers. I have definitely noticed that my tomatoes don't need as much heat, and can withstand more cold, than say cucumbers and the melons. I think they're a bit hardier than people give them credit for. It's probably dependent on the individual species/variant though.

I don't think its a problem with tomatoes' hardiness outdoors but their vulnerability to blight that deters people from planting outside.

[Scarlet]

Yes, Black Russian need a long season to ripen. One of the last one usually in my GH that I harvest. If we get blight early on they don't stand a chance of ripening fruit.
Though Latah I will grow in pots undercover until there isn't any room left and then they go outside / because they fruit quickly they have a chance of finishing before the blight hits.
Though last year due to lack of rain we didn't get any blight at all.

[The Pepper Man]

Here are a few of my more advanced chillies...

First the Serrano, of which I have already done one harvest of green chillies a few weeks back. This time round however, I am contemplating leaving the chillies to ripen fully to red before harvesting. Although I know that I should remove them to encourage more vegetative and vertical growth. What are your thoughts?




And here is a Basket of Fire. Before I knew it, this chilli plant was too big to be placed in a hanging basket, due to its quick/vigorous growth, therefore I had to just plant it into a pot. I put an Apache in the hanging basket instead. Lots and lots of flowers on this thing already. Probably my second biggest chilli plant so far this year, but I have a few other close contenders for that award...

[Scarlet]

All my chillies are left to ripen on the plant.

[Scarlet]

Have you grown peppers planted outside in the ground before?

[The Pepper Man]

Have you grown peppers planted outside in the ground before?

Chillies, yes. But peppers, no. This is my first year growing peppers altogether, except for a few store brought plants from Homebase in recent years. I only had the one sweet pepper last year for instance, and that was grown in a pot. But this year I have around 30 sweet pepper plants, 20 of which are in the ground.

Around 90% of my peppers are cool climate, early maturing varieties so I am confident they will grow well and produce, despite being relatively small at this stage and planted outdoors.

[Scarlet]

I've always found peppers slow to ripen....much more so than chillies. But you do have s long growing season being in Surrey.

When I've grown chilies in the ground ( undercover) they have taken ages to put out any fruit so I'm looking forwArd to your results.

[The Pepper Man]

I've always found peppers slow to ripen....much more so than chillies. But you do have s long growing season being in Surrey.

When I've grown chilies in the ground ( undercover) they have taken ages to put out any fruit so I'm looking forwArd to your results.

Thanks Scarlet. What pepper varieties have you done in the past?

This year, I have stuff like Kaibi Round, King of the North, Lipstick, Orange Bell, Purple Beauty, Semaroh, Sweet Chocolate, Yellow Monster etc. All of which are 'early' varieties, apparently. I specifically went with types that mature early and do well in cooler climates, for the reasons that you stated above.

Fingers crossed they serve me well and reap me bountiful harvests!