Starting the chile year 2017

Hi!

Today is the day! We start the chile pepper year!

15 varieties put in soil tonight. Here are the ones I'm growing this year.



And here are some pictures of the team :-)

Happy New Year!

Hot regards,
  Mats

Starting the chile pepper year

Hi!

It's already mid January and it's freezing cold outside. Below -10C. In other words, a perfect day to start the chile pepper year!

Here we are busy with the seeds. I'm lucky to have a helper :-)

Carl has been doing this since he was very small, so he's really good at it.

I'm busy looking for seeds.

My seed box. I used to have three of those boxes. Now I just have a few seed varieties. Many empty envelopes,

In the window, there are the over-wintered plants.

More seeds.

The happy team.

These are the ones I started:

• Malagueta (Capsicum frutescens)
• CAP 1153 (Capsicum chacoense)
• Serrano (Capsicum annuum)
• Datil (Capsicum chinense)
• Another small rocoto (Capsicum pubescens)
• Cheiro (Capsicum chinense)
• Another malagueta (Capsicum frutescens)
• Pimenta cambuçi (Capscium baccatum)
• Chile de Arbol (Capsicum annuum)
• Aji chinchi amarillo (Capsicum baccatum)
• Mareka Fana (Berbere) (Capsicum annuum)
• Yellow chicken heart (Capsicum chinense)
• White fatalii (Capsicum chinense)
• Peperoncino (Roumanian Giallo) (Capsicum annuum)
• Dedo de moça (Capsicum baccatum)

I try some new varieties as always, but I stick to my old favorites. Usually I don't grow so many annuum, so that's new for me. But this should be a good mix. Some seeds are quite old, so I don't expect them all to make it. We'll see. Now they are on the heated bathroom floor.

I have six over-wintered plants. One doesn't look so healthy, but the other five are looking good. So I expect to have fewer plants this year, but maybe more herbs. We'll see.

Wishing you a great weekend!
   Mats

More peppers and repotting the old ones

Hi!

10 varieties have already germinated. According to my old notes, that is pretty quick. I've become interested in growing according to the phases of the moon. Being a beginner in that field, I think that I started the seeds at the right time. A couple of days before full moon. More about this later...

The varieties that have germinated are:

• Peru yellow
• Dedo de moca
• Chiltepe Guatemala
• Fidalgo roxa
• Habanero Red
• Piriz
• Trepadeiro Werner
• Cheiro roxa    chinense
• Congo yellow
• Habanero orange

I started a few more today.

• Aji dulce, Cuba
• Tepin amarillo, North Mexico
• Wild Brasil
• Kauto, hot habanero, Nicaragua
• Orange Malawi

Now I think I'm pretty happy. And won't start any more peppers for this year :-)

Here are the small ones. Under artificial light.

Have a great weekend!
   Mats

Starting 2015

Here we go again! A tradition more fun than Christmas :-)

For over 20 years, I've been growing chiles, so it sure is a tradition. I checked my old posts, and this is how it looked five years ago. http://chilesinstockholm.blogspot.se/2011/01/we-have-started.html

So actually, there is not so much to say about the starting-the-pepper-year-procedure :-) I let the the pictures talk for themselves.

These are the ones we grow so far this year.

1. Malagueta middle size, Capsicum frutescens
2. Biquinho, Capsicum chinense
3. Datil, Capsicum chinense
4. Rocopica
5. Cheiro, Capsicum chinense
6. Peru yellow, Capsicum baccatum
7. Dedo de moca, Capsicum baccatum
8. Chiltepe Guatemala, round, Capsicum annuum
9. Fidalgo roxa, Capsicum chinense
10. Habanero Red, Capsicum chinense
11. Piriz, Capsicum baccatum
12. Habanero yellow, Capsicum chinense
13. Trepadeiro Werner, Capsicum baccatum
14. CGN 21500, Capsicum chinense
15. Cheiro roxa, Capsicum chinense
16. Congo yellow, Capsicum chinense
17. Habanero orange, Capsicum chinense

Hot regards,
  Mats

Starting 2014

Hi!

I started the new chileyear today. Carl helped me as usual.

In total, we had 24 varieties. Most of them are old favorites, and as usual some of the seeds are probably too old. So we will see where we end up.

So, this is how it looked today.

And, this is how we looked. The Dynamic Chile Pepper Duo. Behind Carl in the window, you see a last year's goatsweed, cumari and pequin from Ischia. I also have a dedo de moça and a peru yellow that I try to overwinter. They all look quite healthy, so if if all the seeds will germinate, we will have a complete chaos here later on.... But that is another story, and no need to worry about that.

The varieties for 2014 are:

CAP 212 / 88	chacoense
Chilipiquin - Manor	annuum
"Rio"	chinense
Chocolate scotch bonnet	chinense
Luiza mild red	chinense
Luiza, small, red, hot	chinense
Habanero cappuccin	chinense
Luiza orange pumpkin	chinense
Xigole	annuum
Canario '12	pubescens
PI 441624 Porta da rua, Aji Yuquitania	chinense
Biquinho. Patricia Brasil 2010	chinense
Datil	chinense
Yellow chinense	chinense
Another small rocoto	pubescens
Cheiro	chinense
Patricia	baccatum
Malagueta Brasil '13	frutescens
Dedo de moça 'small' Brasil '13	baccatum
Dedo de moça - Monica	baccatum
Alberto	baccatum
Various Brazilian
Tabasco	frutescens
Orange chinense Brasil '13	chinense

Hot regards,
  Mats

2012 started

Is it true that Christopher Columbus discovered the Capsicum genus on January 1st? I honestly don't know. But even if it is true, that is not the reason why I usually start the chile seeds on that date.

This year we were in India on January 1st. Far away from my seed box. But today, eight days after coming home, and jet lag plus after-effects of the panchakarma has faded out, it was a good day to begin the Chile Pepper Year of 2012 :-)

Here are my labels that I reuse from previous years. 21 different varieties to go into soil today!

And even better, I have the perfect helper. Carl has been helping me with sowing the chile pepper seeds since many years. Can you feel the density in the picture below. Deep concentration. Extremely focused guys!

Details from my spreadsheet, the order of the seeds is crucial. No mistakes to be done... Hopefully....

This little modest box is nowadays my seedbox... Looking for the varieties to grow.

Carl doing a great job. Focus!

I couldn't find one of the varieties that I had planned to grow. A mismatch between the database and reality... Looking for a replacement...

Finished! Happy after a good work!

Teamwork is the path to success!

Here they are. There are many seeds in some of the pots. But the seeds are 8-10 years old. Hope they will germinate!

Ready to be covered with the lid, and moved into the heated bathroom floor.

Here is the list. Some old favorites and some new ones.

1. Dedo de moca (C. baccatum)
2. Cumari Enio (C. chinense)
3. Cumari Salvador 2001
4. Cheiro de Para Recife 2001 (C. chinense)
5. Cheiro Recife 2001 (C. chinense)
6. Trinidad perfume  
7. Orange cheiro (C. chinense)
8. Bod'e '06 (C. chinense)
9. Bode roxa (C. chinense)
10. Black Cayman (C. chinense)
11. St. Kitt's Red (C. chinense)
12. Patricias fresh '02 (C. baccatum)
13. Douglah (C. chinense)
14. Long chocolate habanero (C. chinense)
15. 7 pot brain strain red (C. chinense)
16. 7 pot primo (C. chinense)
17. 7 pod brown (C. chinense)
18. Bhut jolokia chocolate (C. chinense)
19. Black naga (C. chinense)
20. Indian frutescens (C. frutescens)

Number 20 is the newest one. It's the one I got seeds for in India :-) http://chilesinstockholm.blogspot.com/2012/01/capsicum-frutescens-from-india.html

Have a great weekend!
   Mats

We have started!

Today is the day! The beginning of the chile year 2011 :-)

I have cut down a lot on the number of seeds that I keep at home, but it is still very very hard to choose what to grow!

The themes for this year is a mix of "greatest hits", chinense and some (for me) new exciting varieties. The first six are old Brazilian favorites. Followed by some new varieties.

1. Maraba (Capsicum chinense)
2. Malagueta large Salvador 2001 (Capsicum frutescens)
3. Malagueta liten Salvador 2001 (Capsicum frutescens)
4. Malagueta medium Salvador 2001 (Capsicum frutescens)
   
5. Cheiro de Para Recife 2001 (Capsicum chinense)
6. Caronog '01 (Capsicum chinense)
7. PI 596058 - Chuquisac (Capsicum baccatum)
8. Florida bird pepper (Capsicum annuum)
9. PI 585259 (Capsicum pubescens)
10. Girino GRM
11. Black pepper
12. Chiltepin Mexico (Capsicum annuum)
13. Pimenta da Neyde (Capsicum annuum)
14. Goat pepper
15. Orange baccatum (Capsicum baccatum)
16. Black Cayman (Capsicum chinense)
17. St. Kitt's Red (Capsicum chinense)
18. Aji Limon (Capsicum baccatum)
19. "Curly Looks" - a cactus! (Epiphyllum guatemalense)

I'm hoping for a hot summer, so the chinense will enjoy it!

Here we have my helper, planting seeds!

And here I am with a seed envelope...

The team ...

... in action.

Seeds.

More seeds...

And more....

Finished!

Anyone else who has started? Do you have any "themes" or favorites for this year?

Regards,
  Mats

The 2010 Chile Year has started!

Happy New Year!

Usually I start the chile pepper year on January the 1st. But this year it took a few days to get started. So today is the day!

I'm looking at the thermometer. It's -16C right now and it's going to get colder the coming days. Everything outside is deep frozen. But it's a beautiful landscape.

It took me some days to decide on the varieties. Too many to choose from. As always. But anyway, here is the list :-)

Maraba. A favorite C. chinense from Brazil.
Alberto. From Patricia's uncle Alberto's farm outside Rio de Janeiro. A very nice C. baccatum.
Aji Norteño. Another C. baccatum favorite!
Cheiro de Para. C. chinense. Bought on the market in Recife 2001.
Cheiro. Also bought in Recife 2001. A mild chinense with wonderful flavour.
CAP 1530 /97. Capsicum cardenasii.
Manzano orange (rocoto). Capsicum pubescens.
Rocoto manzano grande (red). Capsicum pubescens.
Patriks chinense. I need to look up the name of this one :-) It's a wild C. chinense.
Prik dae luang. One of the first Thai peppers that I grow.
Olho de pombo. Funny name. Eye of a pidgeon. Couldn't resist to grow this one.
Cheiro '02. Another favorite C. chinense that I grew in 2002. Carl loves them on crisp bread.

Besides these, I keep several from last year, and the year before that.

• Dedo de moca
• Capsicum galapagoense
• Long chocolate habanero. But it's a red one. Anyway. Nice flavour.
  
• Tabasco '02
• CGN 22876 / PI606708 tovarii
• CAP 1153 / 96
• Chilipiquin - Manor
• Rocopica
  

So, I believe this is going to be a good chile pepper year. Lots of favorites! And a few new ones.

Back to today. Here are the photos :-)

Here Carl and I are getting ready to put the seeds in soil.

Carl is the chief seed-in-soil-putter, so here he gets them from me...

More varieties coming on.

The team!

Carl is happy with the work we've done.

Finished!

A closer look

The list, and my box with seeds. I used to have over 1000 seeds, but they have been decreased to less than 200 :-) Does that make me a minimalist?

More to come!

Regards,
  Mats