Saturday, 29 January 2011

Home grown salad in the middle of the winter :-)

Today we picked our home grown salad that we started before going to India. December 14th. So it's now more or less than six weeks since we put the seeds in the "containers" in the Zengrow.

It worked really well! OK, it took a while before the salad was ready. And no large scale growing. But the taste was excellent! And as an experiment it was really fun!

We have already started new salad seeds in the available "slots" in the Zengrow. New exciting varieties :-)

Regards,
  Mats
Upplagd av habanero kl. 21:32
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10 comments:

  1. Bas30 January 2011 at 00:19

    Excellent, altough I had expected you to have sown chillies instead of salads after your return from India :)

    Did you get to bring any tasty chilli varieties back home?
    I guess varieties with nice bushy properties will do very well in the ZenGrow.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. habanero30 January 2011 at 10:34

    Hi Bas! Thanks! Haha, expect the unexpected :-)

    Of course, I do enjoy growing chiles, but we realized this morning that we have about three years consumption as frozen chiles and powders. So I need to hold back a little.

    Salads are a little boring in comparison with chiles, but it was actually a very nice experiment. Other herbs, such as basil are doing great in the Zengrow.

    But... Maybe I should try a small bushy chile variety in the Zengrow :-)

    We found some dried varieties on the local market in Kerala, but by the same reason as I try to hold back on the growing, we decided not to go hunting too much for new chiles.

    On the other hand, India fascinates me a lot, and I'm sure it won't be too long before I'm back there! So there will be new opportunities.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bas31 January 2011 at 10:27

    Hi Mats,

    You can always market your chillies amongst the Indian Restaurants in Stockholm :). Last year I had diner at one of them, which was very nice!
    I don't remember where that was exactly, somewhere near a pub/bar/lounge concept with the most relax terras (with mattrasses) I have ever visited.

    Some of the chilli variaties have such beautiful names they would really dress up the menu card! Regarding to menu cards it would very nice to see different variaties mentioned on the menu aside the spice scale...

    This is where the strength lays as selective grower compared to the veggie markets & wholesalers where restaurants go purchase their ingredients.

    And indeed Kerala is SO NICE, the food is SO GOOD and the people are SO FRIENDLY! Man, I love that region! I have been there several times for a coffee project on the hill slopes from Ernakulam (Cochin) up to Munnar!
    http://www.amigos-international.org/projects/escoffee-india/

    I will order some seeds at Fatalii's to grow in the ZenGrow and drop the results on the Dutch Chilli pepper forum: www.chilipepers.nl this year.

    If you have any nice results or varieties that totally suites to the ZenGrow units, please let me know.

    Ciao

    ReplyDelete
  4. habanero31 January 2011 at 10:51

    Hi again Bas!

    Interesting! Please drop me a mail to chile(at)petterssononline.com

    Regards,
    Mats

    ReplyDelete
  5. Patrik31 January 2011 at 22:43

    ZenGrow is fun. I have just have great experience of chile pepper "sticklingar" (hjälp Mats vad heter sticklingar på Engelska). Now I am growing Basil - they do taste so much more than those bought in the market.

    My experience from last year is that the chilepeppers for ZenGrow should be very compact varities.

    Regards

    Patrik

    ReplyDelete
  6. habanero1 February 2011 at 07:40

    Hi Patrik!

    Stickling = cutting (I think). Do you have any recommendations, which varieties are suitable?

    Regards,
    Mats

    ReplyDelete
  7. Patrik1 February 2011 at 17:41

    Hi!

    Ornamental capsicum annuum varieties and compact capsicum chinense should work fine. But remeber Max two peppers in the Zengrow. Last year
    My chocholate scotch bonnet turned out too big and the other plants under the chocholate scotch bonnet did not grow well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. habanero1 February 2011 at 21:08

    Hi Patrik! Thanks! I think I might give a small one a try. Now, when *all* the salad is finished :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bas3 February 2011 at 11:52

    Hi Patrick,
    Greet feedback, so you suggest to plant only two out of the six plant holes.
    - how about playing with the lamps positions or swopping plants from holes? Or doesn't it work like that as soon as one is ahead in growth?
    - And pruning?

    Mats I'll respond to last weeks PM later today :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Patrik5 February 2011 at 09:01

    Hi Pas!

    You are right the light is the key. If you can solve that you might grow more plants. But then the next problem is space. So ofcouse you can start with 6 plants. But I would not grow more than 3 plants later on

    When they turn bigger you cant change Holes as the roots turn too big.

    Best of luck.

    I recomend small plants but i Might grow rocoto in it for fun:)

    Patrik

    ReplyDelete

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