Hi,

I do not do much trading anymore but I think I have some stuff that might be of interest to you.

I am currently container-growing Capsicum pubescens Tree Pepper, Rocoto, orange and red varieties. Easily the most interesting pepper variety I have grown. Plants are heat and light cravers and are water hogs requiring twice-daily soakings - might do better for you planted in the ground. Very long season plant, I start them indoors in March and the fruit normally do not ripen until October (I am going to start even earlier next season even though I really do not want to care for pepper seedlings that long.). By October I am bringing the plants inside at night to protect against cold. Would like to bring them indoors to try to winter over this year, but they are expansive and tree-like so probably too much hassle. You might have better, easier success than me with your climate and season length.

Very unique purple flowered pepper plant. Hot, tasty, juicy, thick-walled fruit. Flavor much more complex than Chilis or Habanero types, or maybe it is just that they are so different (they remind me of a sheepnose pimiento, only spicy hot). Interesting enough for me to continue tinkering with growing them out even though my growing season is a bit too short.

I have lots of year-old Rocoto seed but germination was very poor (it is possible it might be a typical issue for these plants, IDK). If everything goes as planned I should have fresh, cleaned seed by November, perhaps sooner if fruits ripen earlier than I expect them to.

I am also currently in the process of cleaning true potato seed (TPS) as the potato berries ripen. At this time I currently have a couple thousand cleaned (but are obviously still in dormancy period). Will probably end up with 10,000 or so (don't ask me why LOL). If you want unique potato varieties, possibly your very own unique strains, as well as food security, this is the way to go. Seeds stay viable for years. Try keeping a seed potato for that long. ;-)

I also have Solanum nigrum Chichiquelite Huckleberry and Solanum burbankii Wonderberry, not harvested yet.

So even though my seed is generally not available right now, it will be and I wanted to post to you so I would not forget (once threads move down or off page one I never think of them again). My email is down right now and I am too busy to care enough to figure out what is wrong so please just post here whether you have an interest or not. If yes, I will contact you at the appropriate time.

Trades only.

Have a good day,
-Tom

I have not harvested them yet, Erica, but I have S. aethiopictum and quitoense, perhaps another. Remind me later or put Solanums on your wish list in one of the swaps so I won't forget.

Tom and Alana,

I am definitely very interested in trading with both of you when your seeds are ripe! Thank you both so much for getting in touch with me!

I'm still on the hunt for any Solanaceae that I don't currently have!

Still looking!

I have Solanum integrifolium...."Pumpkin on a Stick", which I've heard referred to as a decorative eggplant. But it is a different species than the "normal" eggplants I grow. I also have several colors and shapes of "normal" eggplants if you are looking for any "kinda" unusual Solanaceae. And maybe if I look around, I'll find another type. I remember a very spiny eggplant-like plant from a year or two ago, but can't remember what it was. I am very busy in September and would not be interested in working out a trade until October.

I grew rocoto peppers a few years back. I agree with Tom that they are very interesting and beautiful plants and fruit. You would have a unique plant with them. GW has some photos (April 22, 2007) in an old hot pepper forum post I've linked below, also some overwintering info.

Tom, you might try pruning your rocoto way back to overwinter it...maybe wait for the pods to mature and then hack, er, prune, it way back so it doesn't become too much of a space hog during the winter. I've had massively trimmed peppers survive and produce much earlier after overwintering. But I got sick of battling aphids on the indoor plants and haven't overwintered recently. If I'm remembering correctly, the rocoto's weren't as dependent on hot weather for good growth as many of the other peppers types, and they may have been heat and daylength sensitive for flower/fruit set.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rocoto Peppers

This post was edited by naturegirl_2007 on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 15:51

Naturegirl_2007,

Thank you for posting. I'd be thrilled to trade with you whenever you're ready!

Also, thank you for sharing the link. The rocoto pepper looks great. I would most definitely be interested in trying that, as well as your interesting eggplants and any other Solanaceae you'd be willing to trade.

Thanks again for getting in touch. I hope to hear back from you when you're ready in Oct.

Erica

Thanks for the Rocoto link. I read through the thread, quite interesting. I had problems the first year getting the plants to set fruit, I simply started them earlier and have not had a problem with fruit set since. Noted some differing opinions in the thread regarding light and temp requirements. Mine get full sun and lots of heat and they love it, although I am upping the containers to twenty gallon size to hopefully minimize dryout.

I would like to acquire the yellow variety so that I would have a Rocoto trifecta...

Still have not decided whether to bring a plant indoors when it starts getting cold out. Have been wanting to try wintering over a pepper plant but the primary negative for me is the potential bug issue. Will make up my mind when weather forces me to do so.

Erica, you are on my trading list for October along with several folks regarding the true potato seed.

-Tom

Thanks again, Tom!

Erica,

It's worth mentioning that depending on the details of your CA zone 9b climate, you may be able to overwinter Capsicum pubescens outside with very little problem. I would expect this is easiest in the more coastal 9b climates, and those that border on zone 10a. Another pepper species worth trying in such climates as a perennial is C. baccatum var. pendulum.

If a pepper plant is too big, one approach that may be worth trying is propagating by cuttings. Each round of propagation this way dwarfs the plant a bit, if I understand correctly. Plants derived from cuttings should also bloom at a smaller size.

I just sent an email about a couple Solanaceae I should have seeds or small cuttings of.

Thanks for the email. I responded, and I'm definitely interested in what you have!

Thank you for the info about the peppers. I'm currently growing a Manzano and Aji Amarillo. I was thinking I'd have to bring them in for the winter, but I'll do some more reading and see if I can indeed leave them outside for the winter.

As far as a pepper plant being too big, there's no such thing!! I'd happily replace all my landscaping trees with pepper trees, if that were possible. :)

Thanks a ton for contacting me, and for your generosity!

This post was edited by EricaBraun on Fri, Aug 29, 14 at 23:37

A big thank you to mark4321, who allowed me to update my list with three new Solanacea:
Solanum sp. (the vine from Jalisco, Mexico)
Solanum aviculare - Kangaroo Apple
Vestia foetida - Chilean Box Thorn

I'm still looking for others not listed above. If you have something you'd like to trade, let me know!

Erica, just thought I would mention that I have harvested Rocoto pepper seeds and they are currently in the process of drying down. Turns out I did not have a red variety this year, I had one plant that produced large round light orange peppers and one plant that produced smaller, oblong dark orange peppers. Got seed from both.

I still have no access to email. Computer had a stroke, new one is sitting here in unopened box. I have not had the time or inclination to install, might have to delay a trade until November after my garlic planting is done.

-Tom

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm definitely still interested in doing a trade with you when you have the time and are able.

Hopefully your new computer treats you better, when you have a chance to get it installed.