Summer solstice

Capsicum cardenasii
I have tried to grow this species from different seed sources during the years, but I have never really managed to get it to enjoy it on my balcony. Hoping for the best this year.

The flowers don't look like other cardenasii that I have grown, but I think they are beautiful anyway!



If you want to compare with my other cardenasii pictures, you find them here:
http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=varietiesinspecies&genus=Capsicum&species=cardenasii

Another name for Capsicum cardenasii is ulupica, and it is believed to be the 'mother' of all Capsicum. That leads me to show a flower picture of one of my other varieties that I grow this year.

Rocopica
Rocopica is a cross between a rocoto (Capsicum pubescens) and cardenasii. Also with purple flowers.



This plant is from seeds that I started in 2008, so I have kept it for some years. It seems to enjoy the Stockholm climate a lot, because last year it produced lots and lots of fruits. And it seems to like it even this year. So that's nice :-) Here is a picture from last year. The fruits are very hot, with an intense heat.



More rocopica pictures here: http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=variety&id=1197

Wishing you all a nice summer solstice!

    Mats

After the storm

Yesterday we had very strong winds all day and all through the evening.

In other words - that was not a good day for chile plants on a balcony in Stockholm. Chile plants are not fond of strong winds.

Examining the plants this morning was not fun. My cheiro from Recife has lost all the leaves. The leaves on the cardenasii is dry and lifeless. Branches are broken, and fruits have dropped.

I will let the plants be until tonight, but I will need to dust off my barber skills, and start cutting them. Hoping that they after all are OK.

Making powder in June

Always the question - what to do with all the chiles?

When we were in Goa, India a year ago, I bought some dried chiles from a woman in a grocery tent. I'm growing this variety this year, and it is slowly gaining size. But still no flowers. Anyway, I decided to make a powder from the remaining pods. A good, moderate heat. In other words - a powder that can be used in everyday cooking.

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Another favorite of mine is pimenta cumari. A quite common variety in Brazil. I've grown cumari in different species - both C. baccatum and C. praetermissum, so there is not only "one" cumari variety. This is how they look dried. Tepin-sized pods.

And here is a picture with immature pods. Very nice plant.

Some more examples can be found here:
http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=variety&id=49
and here
http://petterssononline.com/habanero/peppers.php?action=variety&id=222

More help from my friends

Ladybugs are my favorites when it comes to visitors in my chile pepper garden.

So, it makes me even happier when I see that they enjoy themselves on the plants :-)

Actually I didn't know that they did it this way.

Me and Mr. Miyagi?

Sunshine and 25 degrees yesterday. Strong winds, rain and 10 degrees today.

Can you guess what that means for a chile grower who has moved the plants out to the balcony?
























Yes... I sort of knew it when we went out at lunchtime today. That the winds would do some harm. But I didn't take action. It has happened before, and it will probably happen again.

When we came home in the afternoon, a chair had fallen over one of the plants. Breaking two branches completely, and damaged two other branches.
















It's sad. It's my "olho de pombo", Capsicum chinense. Full of flowers.

So I tried to do my best with surgery tape, and try to fix the damaged branches. The other two I will try to make them develop roots.














Anyway, I felt a little like Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid, when he fixed the broken bonzai tree. What do you think about my new skills? :-)

With a little help from my friends

With the chiles out on the balcony, I got unexpected help with the aphid problem today. It definitely came from an unexpected source.

A tiny spider got a good meal tonight. Actually, I didn't know that spiders eat aphids. Flies and insects yes, but not aphids. But now I know!

I think this specific spider will take some time to digest tonight's meal :-)

Sorry for the unsharp images, but it's windy tonight, and I was in a hurry :-)

Moving out

Without a warning, summer temperatures arrived Stockholm.



So, I have kept some plants out on the balcony during the days.

And tonight it looks like it's going to be a warm night, so I decided to move all of the plants out on the balcony, and keep them there during the night.

It's always exciting for me and a struggle for the plants in the beginning. If it isn't too cold, the sun is too strong for the young leaves. Or, the winds are too strong.

More details later...

Hot regards,
  Mats