Endless summer

Whilst there's plenty more work to be done in the garden the greenhouse is settling in nicely

There's plenty foliage inside. The drip feeders for the Root Pouches can seen on top of the pots.

The habaneros to the right are producing good sturdy stems.

Sweet Banana

Some of these were the seedlings I damaged with the soap, it's good to see they've recovered.

Padrons collected from Galicia.

Black Pearl

The beautiful variegated leaves of Orozco

Superchilli

Lots of fruit on the Cheyenne plant.

Black Tongued Scorpion

Nepalese Snakebite

June greenhouse photos

Asides from a few chillies developing on the Cheyenne, there's been no major developments this week, just plenty of growth and a steady stream of aphids to kill.

Random chillies on the nursery table including Superchilli & Black Pearl

Chillies, melons and even a Christmas poinsettia on the nursery table

Not much top-growth from the seedlings but plenty of roots developing below

Flaming June

With the hot and humid weather recently the greenhouse has really taken off with plants springing up all over.

The third batch of seeds that I planted have popped their heads up and started growing. They're so late in the season that I'm not expecting any fruit off them this year, it's just to replace the more valuable plants that I killed in the "Aphidgate" incident.

Ancho seeds popping their head up

The Padrons harvested from Spain are growing well

The bought plants are growing well in the Chilligrows and putting out plenty of new leaves. There have been some Aphid incursions but I've been dealing with them with a jet of water (no soap this time!) and so far, so good.

The Habs in the second Chilligrow are beginning to settle in

Fed up with plant labels washing clean, I invested some time in stamping out copper labels with the aid of a letter punch set. Not too bad for Loco and Padron but a bit time consuming for Black-Tongued Scorpion. Still, they should last a few seasons, at least.

The shiny new copper labels

The drip feed system is working well (except when I forget to switch it off)

Even some of the casualties of the super-soaping have begun to recover. Again, it's unlikely that they'll fruit to year but if I can overwinter one or two of these more slow-growing varieties then it'll give me a head-start next season.

A 7 Pot Hab making a slow recovery

On non-chilli related issues, the new compost heap is working well with plenty of heat being generated. The hotter it gets, the faster it'll break down the cuttings and sterilise any seeds or roots that have found their way into it.

The compost bin is generating plenty of heat thanks to copious grass cuttings

Meanwhile, the tomatoes are racing away and now need to  be supported. Rather than go for the traditional canes (A.K.A. Punji-sticks-of-hideous-eye-death) I've opted for these string Yo-yos which are altogether neater and safer. It did require an additional bar to be screwed into the roof to support the strings but a piece of aluminium profile took care of that. 

Final Harvest

Summer is officially at an end, the clocks have changed, the leaves are falling, the first frost has been seen and it's time to bed the chillies in for winter.

As you may have seen from the previous post I've been busy finishing off the chilli cave to house the plants through the colder months, it was now time to give them a severe pruning and rehouse them.

Before this could take place I had to harvest all of the remaining fruit, ripe or otherwise.

The Chilligrow plants before their haircut...

...and after a short back and sides.

It was time to call an end to the hydroponic experiment. Despite having produced an impressive amount of fruit, "the Gurgler" had stopped working properly in recent weeks with the water not draining fully back into the reservoir.  I suspected that this was because the roots had grow so vigourously that they were blocking the outlet for the pump.  Upon pulling up the plants, my suspicions were confirmed with the most impressive root growth I've seen on a chilli this year.  Next year I'll use a modified system with the plants growing in root pouches to contain the roots and stop them fouling the flood inlet and outlet.

The results from the Gurgler - a Peach Habanero and an Orange Magnum Habanero with impressive roots.

Since I have several Orange Habs already overwintering I haven't bothered trying to rescue that plant but the Peach Hab has been potted on into compost to see if it survives the winter.

The chillies in their new home

The Chilligrows and assorted pots basking in the CFL lights

Some of the plants in Root Pouches.  These have performed well this year and I'll certainly be using them again.

The collected chillies from the harvest over half-filled a large shopping bag.  Not up to commercial grower standards but more than respectable for my little setup.

Some of the final harvest, ready for sorting.

Many of the chillies were still green when picked so they're now on windowsills waiting for the winter sun to ripen them up before they're chopped and frozen or strung up to dry.

This year was all about testing different habaneros for the best flavour.  I grew Magnum Orange, Fatalii, Peach and Squat Frog varieties, alongside the milder Scotch Bonnets and the much, much hotter Trinidad Scorpion.

The hotter chillies - L to R: Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow Scotch Bonnet, Fruit Burst Hab, Orange Magnum Hab, Squat Frog, Fatalli and Peach Hab

Once everything has ripened as best possible, I'll start the sauce making process.  It'll be trial and error matching each variety up to an appropriate flavour so expect plenty of culinary experimentation and no shortage of burnt mouths.

Not long left...

...before harvest time.

Some welcome Autumn sun is helping the chillies ripen and I suspect that we only have a few weeks left before the November frosts put an end to the growing season.

Looking like a good harvest this year

There's plenty of unripe fruit on the plants and a good number now turing red (or in some cases yellow). The Chilligrows are once again proving their worth with the plants growing at tremendous rates (despite or because of the brutal pruning they received recently).

The Chilligrow chillies looking promising

Trinidad Scorpion

I've not yet tasted a Trinidad Scorpion and am somewhat wary about doing so.  I've got two of these plants in the Chiligrow and although both have produced some fruit, I'll probably only retain one for next year (assuming it survives the winter).

Friar's Hat

The Friar's Hat has yet to ripen any fruit but there are plenty of the odd-shaped fruit on the three plants.  When they ripen, these fruit are reserved for the Frisky-Friar Jam that I made a couple of years back.  A tangy sweet jam, not too hot but perfect with cheese and crackers.

Peach Habanero in the 'Gurgler'  Flood and Drain hydroponic uni

I already have plans to redesign the 'Gurgler' Flood and Drain system that I built this year.  I'd like to use it with the plants in Root-Pouches so you get the benefit of the airflow from the flood and drain and also the air - pruning from the root pouches.

An amazing crop of Paper Lantern Habaneros

The Paper Lantern habanero is just incredible with the branches sagging under the weight of all the fruit.  With these chillies rated 350,000 to 450,000 Scovilles, I'll have plenty available for hot sauce production.

Scotch Bonnet grown in a Root Pouch

I love Scotch Bonnet Chillies, not only do they have an amazing fruity taste but the heat level is such that you can use them in everyday cooking or blow your head off if you prefer.  I love Caribbean food and these are the staple chilli for Jerk Seasoning. For one of the tastiest curries you'll find, try this Levi Roots recipe (but don't be a wimp, put the whole chilli in, seeds and all).

I've got a number of Scotch Bonnets on the go this year, including a yellow version for making my 'Sunburn' sauce, a fruity, medium hot sauce using Mango and Papaya.  Hopefully I'll have enough fruit to keep up with demand for this popular sauce.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

So after the sun comes the rain.  Thankfully the chillies have been sheltered from the worst of it by the shanty-town of coldframes that now comprise the garden.  I had to build yet another one recently to cope with the rapidly growing plants.

The new chilli house is on the left with the two older ones in the background.

This one is an open-fronted house which keeps the worst of the rain off whilst still allowing the vital insects to get in and pollinate the plants. Speaking of insects, the garden has been buzzing with wasps, bees, butterflies and even our resident dragonfly.  It's reassuring that we've created a habitat that is so welcoming to insects, birds and frogs.  Now if we can just stop the neighbour's cats from killing any more of the aforementioned wildlife then we'll be on to a winner...

So the bees have been busy in the garden, pollinating lost of chilli flowers...

...and making the most of the luxury accommodation.

There are plenty of pods on the chillies now, a little more sunshine to enable them to ripen and we'll have plenty of fruit for making sauces and chutneys.

Chili de Arbol - Mexican Tree Chilli.

This Scotch Bonnet is laden with flowers, and plenty of fruit on the way.

Black Pearl, small ornamental plant with beautiful dark leaves.

Bit of an odd one here - Capa Conic chilli.  I can't find much information about this one.  This plant is one of a couple that's a couple of years old and has plenty of pale yellow pods.  Not sure on the heat as I've yet to test them.

The Golden Cayenne is throwing out plenty of large pods and is rapidly outgrowing the chilli-house.

It's getting very crowded in the big chilli-house. Trinidad Scorpions, Paper Lantern Hab, Lemon Drop, Friar's Hat and a small Super Chilli all competing for space. Not helped by the Arisaema (Cobra Lily) sneaking in at the front.

The Chilligrow planters are working superbly with all of the plants growing at a frightening rate.  Even with the large reservoir of water beneath them, I'm still having to top it up every fourth day.

The plants in the soft Root-Pouches are also growing very well with plenty of strong branches and flowers forming.

This year I haven't put support stakes or sticks in any of the pots, even for the tall varieties like Joe's Long and Friar's Hat.  The plants in the grow houses are so cramped now that they barely have room to move but even the ones with a bit more legroom are still very sturdy.  I suspect that a combination of giving them more moving fresh air, no support sticks and pinching out the tops has encouraged stronger stems and sturdier branches.

The Etna plant from last year is smothered in pods.

The small chilli-house holds many of last year's plants.

A wealth of flowers on the Paper Lantern Hab with a few small pops forming.

The Super Chilli has finally sprung to life and is throwing out flowers and pods.

Some of the Scotch Bonnets and Habs in their overnight shelter.