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First Year, First Harvest (Portland)

8 years ago

Some pictures of my first harvest of reasonably hot peppers, including a super hot. Portland's not necessarily famous for its hot pepper growing conditions, but this summer was pretty darn good. These peppers came from plants grown in (too small) pots...

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Comments (16)

byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Chiltepins
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Aji Limons
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byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Datils
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Peruvian Serlanos
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Wild Florida's from Jamie
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Hot Peruvian Serlanos (accidental cross, apparently)
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Brain Strains

Sorry for the multiple posts. Didn't see any other way to do it. I wound up harvesting most of my peppers tonight since they say it's gonna get cooler around here pretty soon, with the possibility of a frost. I still have some NuMex Twilights to pick, too...
peppernovice
8 years ago
Good looking harvest. That's plenty of heat for your first year. Keep up the good work!

Tim
MikeUSMC
8 years ago
Looks awesome, man. Congrats. Great first year (mine too). It's a pretty rewarding feeling after all of our hard work pays off. What are your plans for them?

Mike
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, Tim and Mike!

Mike, definitely going to harvest a few seeds for the swap and then maybe dehydrating some and grinding them for powder. A coworker may use some for pepper beer.

You're right, it's very rewarding to see the plants grow and produce. I will say it was an uphill battle in the pots I used, though. We actually built a nice raised bed in an underutilized spot for them and they really responded well to that.

--Byron.
DMForcier
8 years ago
First year? Really? Very impressive, both in selection an results.

What are you planning for next year?

Dennis
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, Dennis.

I've got some fish pepper seeds for next year and I'm hoping to winter over my Yellow Primo and Donne Sali plants. Probably will do the NuMex Twilights again since they were good performers for me.

I'm going to participate in the seed swap, so who knows what that'll bring. Hopefully a Bhut or a Scorpion or two. I'd also like to try an Aji Jobito if I can track the seeds down.

I know I'll be growing things in larger pots, since that definitely stunted their sizes and made watering/hot roots tricky...

--Byron.
djoyofficial
8 years ago
Way to go Byron! I don't envy the conditions you have to deal with for hot pepper growing in Portland, I am guessing that's one reason for using small pots (mobility)?

You got me beat in my first season.. Not that its a competition or anything.

dj
gardendrivenlife
8 years ago
What is the Peruvian Serlano like? Heat-wise and taste? Please make some of these available in the swap. Thanks.
Gary
byron_pdx
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, dj! Small pots, mobility, yeah that was part of the reason. Also didn't have the space when I started, and I learned a valuable lesson about hot heads and cool feet--much like Clematis vines. And it's definitely not a competition. Always learning, experimenting and applying! I certainly learned that my NuMex Twilight grown in a slightly larger pot was at least 50% bigger than its sibiling, so I don't think you can overpot these plants.

Gary, the real Peruvian Serlano is mild pepper and has a cherry/tomatoey flavor. Mine weren't the juiciest, and since it's my first year, I'm not sure if that's typical. The plant spent a lot of the season with curled up leaves, so it wasn't happy about something.

The hot Peruvian Serlanos are probably between a Jalapeno and a Chiltepin for heat. Good flavor with some heat. I think the rules of the seed swap dictate no "John's Face Melter"-type hybrids, but I'll be happy to send you some seeds via PM. That plant is quite prolific and still has ripening peppers, even though it's started to cool off here in the PNW.

--Byron.
gardendrivenlife
8 years ago
Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that it was a hybrid. I dont want to take any of your seeds. But thanks for the offer. This will be my third year in the swap and it's a lot of fun. Hope you participate.
Gary

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