Saturday 30 May 2015

Good news, bad news

An update...

It's been a windy day. The bad news. This is how one of the branches looks like. One that hasn't been under the net. Not a single leaf left... The good news. After cutting it, it now fits under the net :-)

It's Stockholm Marathon today. Usually we watch the runners. Today, with the rain and winds, it's enough to watch them from the balcony...

More later. Take care,
  Mats

Moving in... staying out... moving out... staying in...

This situation reminds me of the Clash. Should I stay or should I go. Don't know how my synapses in my brain work, but somehow I heard the song when I was faced with reality this morning.

I thought I was clever yesterday. Maybe not. It's been really windy tonight, and pretty cold.

So a few of the "hero peppers" were a little broken and soft. So they had to move back in today.

The overwintered ones, to the left, remain outside. And the shorter, more solid ones, to the right will stay there. I think....

That reminds me of another saying - what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. I hope it works with chile peppers as well. Actually, I've read that the harder/tougher surrounding for the peppers, the hotter they get. I already fear this autumn :-)

The weather forecast doesn't look so pepper friendly. It says wind 7 m/s, which isn't that bad. But the wind/gusts are quite strong, and that is what breaks them. 7 C at night is also a challenge, but I think it won't go below 10C under the "net". There is some heating coming from the house facade,

Hmmm, next year... I think I will grow fewer of them :-)

Have a great weekend!
  Mats

Friday 29 May 2015

The middle ones moving out

What a spring...  I sure didn't plan for this. It's been a little too cold for the plants to move outside. That results in big and tall plants inside. Which makes it harder to move them out. Negative spiral...

But this morning I decided to do the move for most of them. The weather forecast predicts pretty cold nights, but OK temperatures during the days.


At least they won't be burned by the sun...

Here they are under the net. A happy crowd :-)

And here are the too-big-to-move-out-ones in the window... Actually, I don't know what to do with these guys. The habanero to the left already has one big fruit. That's nice.


A few are still in the kitchen. What did I think when I put all those seeds in soil... :-) Learning is good. But some things are hard to learn.

Well, the adventure continuous :-) Have a great weekend!
   Mats

The really big ones, are still inside.

Sunday 24 May 2015

The first ones moving out

Hi!

Today I decided to move some of the peppers outside. I chose the overwintered varieties. It's always a thriller and kind of a big moment to move them out. The weather is not so predictable, but I think they will be OK.

Here you see a tepin to the left, a malagueta in the middle, and a rocoto to the right. The rocoto doesn't really show, but it's there. The malagueta is full with flowers, and some pods. Some mature, and some new ones.

And here is an overwintered Brazilian chinense. It has flowers too, and maybe it will be too cold for it at night, but I give it a try...

And here is a happy me, enjoying the sunshine :-)

Have a great week!
   Mats

Thursday 14 May 2015

Habanero red

Hi!

This time of year, I'm usually moving the peppers out to the balcony in the mornings and in in the evenings.  I checked last year's blog entries. For example this one http://chilesinstockholm.blogspot.se/2014/05/moving-out.html

This year is different. Forecast for tonight is just above zero. So, the plants will be inside for a while. We are getting used to the chaos, so I think it's OK. :-)

Anyway, my red habanero is full with flowers. I think that they are so beautiful the way they grow in "clusters". The beauty is in the small details. I think that the one in the upper left corner will be a pod. Promising!

Hot regards,
  Mats

Saturday 9 May 2015

Growing...

Hi!

It's looking good so far. Here is a picture against the light. The tall one to the left is from this year. Amazing. The name says it all. Trepadeiro....


It's been a fantastic Saturday. We've been relaxing on the balcony. We better use it now, before the chiles move out. Because later on, I don't expect us to fit there :-)

Here we are. I really like this camera with a backward camera. Finally, also I can be in the pictures :-)

I think this is a miracle. The trees that looked more or less dead a couple of months ago. Covered in snow...

Carpe diem and have a great weekend!
   Mats

Monday 4 May 2015

Too hot, I gave up

It doesn't happen very often. But today I gave up. Gave up eating because it was too hot.

These chile pickles totally knocked my socks off.

OK, it says extra hot on the jar. But my experience is that it's relative, and many sauces from the western world use that more or less as marketing :-) I should have understood that it  more was to be considered as a warning. This brand is from Bangladesh.

Anyway - I must say that the taste was great! It's just that I don't know how to consume it :-)


Regards from a melting,
  Mats

Sunday 3 May 2015

Cheiro roxa

Good morning!

I would be surprised if this one turns into a pod. But I was very pleased to see the open flower this morning. I think it's a different kind of chinense flower. It looks more like a frutescens in a way. But the way it grows, the three together makes me believe it's a chinense.

Anyway,  I think it's a beautiful one. This is my cheiro roxa.

I compare it with a cheiro from Reciefe, and that one seems not to have the purple stamen in the same way. It's an old picture. Some time before the megapixel era :-)

Hot regards,
  Mats