thx esox -- i was already thinking about the hungarian wax. Now i will definitely give them a go :) The fish pepper looks really neat -- i'll see if I can find that in a store somewhere ...

and yes, I know I should get bigger pots. But it is really a space vs yield vs 'how many different peppers' compromise at the moment. My balcony isnt all that big :(

It is unlikely you will find Fish Pepper seeds in any store racks. You will be more successful finding them from a "Reputable" online dealer or acquiring them from another forum member. Do not even consider Ebay or Amazon.com for seeds.

Bigger the container, the better the yield. Especially large fruited annuums like Anaheims. Ornamentals and Thais can afford a bit smaller, though..

Like esox said though, (in your climate)you'll get pretty damn good harvests if you just start them early...even the longer maturing chinense varieties. The baccatum varieties are supposed to do well in cooler climes.

Kevin

Already found the fish-variety at my preferred seed-pusher :)

Woohooman: I didnt know that the baccatum do better in cool climates ? Any variety in particular you can recommend ? Also, it seems many recommend the annuums for cooler climates, simply because they are usually early and short maturity-times :) ...also - I did start them all up indoors, late february, probably shouldnt start much earlier than that, unless i will transfer my whole apartment into a hot-pepper-jungle :)

Yeah. I thought about that after I posted. Baccatum and pubescens are both adapted for cooler climes, but many varieties do take a while to ripen(like the chinense). You might have to become creative for some varieties like early starting and/or just doing one or 2 plants and plan on bringing them indoors when cooler temps arrive.

Varieties? Aji, Rocoto, and Manzano are 3 that are very popular off the top of my head.

Kevin

You should give Chocolate Habanero's a try. Great smoky flavor and heat level. Makes outstanding pepper jelly and flakes.

John

Thx John - been looking into the chocolate varieties. Jamaican Hot chocolate, chocolate hab, and chocolate scotch bonnet all caught my eye. Unfortunately they all seem to take a looong time to ripen, and considering my short season I am not sure any of them will make it...

Plenty of us in zones 4 and under successfully grow C.chinense, such as Habanero and Scotch Bonnet. I say give it a try, but do start early, and see how they do. Overwinter one or two plants and they will produce earlier the next season, at least it has been my experience.

Soren

Let me know if you want to try any. I have plenty of seeds and travel to Europe almost weekly.

John

I do not plan to overwinter any plants. I'm in NH, the colder side of zone 5. I started seeds in three different batches based on days to maturity. I think almost everything had a chance to ripen except for Pasilla Bahio which although very productive, did not get beyond dark green except for one pepper that started to turn brown. I felt kind of bad to pull up plants, shake off dirt and then deliver them to compost bin. I was surprised at what a strong root system some had. All peppers were grown either outdoors or in a high tunnel with the sides rolled up. Despite having sides rolled up, the plastic roof creates temps around 100 F most sunny days and seems to be a great growing environment for peppers and tomatoes. Some of the peppers such as a round Torpepo rossi pepper did poorly outdoors but not too bad in the high tunnel.

Last night temps were predicted to go to high 20s so high tunnel was closed up and the bulk of the peppers picked except for the middle bed which I covered with Agribon fabric and crossed my fingers.

I did not dare plant peppers until the end of May since temps in the high tunnel get as cold as outside temps. I transplanted once to large Red Solo cups (with holes drilled in bottom) and watered with diluted fish fertilizer while plants were under lights. In May I started hardening off the plants. I have a garden cart that can be wheeled into the garage at night. Some plants blossomed and had started forming peppers before they got planted in the ground. I did not remove the baby peppers (sorry, broke the rules). I also water with fish emulsion when I transplant and again once a week for the next week or so.

We usually get a light frost around 9/18 but didn't this year although plants outdoors got damaged by cold air/wind around that time and damage increased on some plants. Gold spike cayenne didn't seem to be bothered much but other plants such as the bells lost a lot of leaves.

I grew less heat but still tasty versions of hot peppers from the mild category of one seed supplier. Sweet cayenne was extremely productive both inside and outdoors. Not much heat but I think it will make an interesting powder plus sliced and frozen for future casseroles. Santa Fe grande was named as a sub for Jalapeno but has thinner flesh. It was very productive.

I got catalog crazies so ordered far too many varieties, started 3 seeds of each and despite poor germination on a few, had far too many plants in the spring. I gave away some. My biggest mistake was ordering peppers I have never tasted before. Although it's fun to have different varieties, I'm confused about how to use them. Dehydrating a lot!

semillas ships to eu, lots of variety.

baccatum are your friends. lemon, amarillo, brazilian starfish.

chinense are a bit slow yeah, but should be ok if you use small pots like you are and start them early indoors. chocolate habs or superhots are definitely a cool new flavor / experience. peach chinense vars are good as well. red if you just want the heat.

i agree about the ornamentals.. yeah they are fun to grow and see but not really great for taste.

Juanitos -- what specifically do you mean by "baccatum are your friends". Easy to grow? Good flavor? Do well in colder climates? Short maturity times?

good flavor, productive, faster than chinense.

for recommendations about your climate maybe checkout grows here

I'd like to add +1 for Juanitos recommendation and also add hotter than most C. annuum, milder than most C. chinense and usually more flavor than either. My favorite is Aji Limon, but there are variations (And the author prefers Aji Pineapple.)> Click Here

Thx Northeast - as mentioned in my Opening post I also had the Aji Limon this season -- absolutely loved it !!! Any other flavorful baccatum you can recommend?